SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Peter StoicheffApril 6, 2006

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [sshrc.ca]

Funded by Industry Canada Its purpose is to fund research in

the Social Sciences, Humanities and, recently, Fine Arts

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

There are two other research funding councils NSERC CIHR

The three (SSHRC, NSERC and CIHR) are called the Tricouncils

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop Many SSHRC programs for faculty

researchers Three programs for graduate students

under the Canada Graduate Scholarships program Doctoral Scholarships ($35K/year for 3

years) Doctoral Fellowships ($20K/year for 4 years) Master’s Scholarships ($17.5K for 1 year)

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Eligibility: you must … be a citizen or permanent resident of

Canada be applying for support to pursue

your first PhD (or equivalent) be pursuing doctoral studies (or a

combined MA/PhD) in the social sciences and humanities

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Eligibility: you must … Not be applying in the same year to

NSERC or CIHR Not already have received a Doctoral

award from any of the Tricouncils Not be under any SSHRC sanction for

financial or research misconduct

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

3 parts to the application: Transcripts 2 letters of reference Program of Research description

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Application Procedure: Go to sshrc.ca website for printable

forms Arrange for transcripts Arrange for 2 letters of reference Write Program of Research

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Application Procedure: Submit transcripts and Program of

Research to your home department 2 letters of reference will be sent by

referees to your home department All this will be done well ahead of

SSHRC’s November 15th deadline because …

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop Application Procedure:

Your home department will rank you among all those being submitted from your department

That ranking, and the applications, will be sent to the College of Graduate Studies and Research which will …

Rank all the applications from the whole university into 2 categories …

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Application Procedure: Those that will be sent on to Ottawa Those that won’t

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Application Procedure: There is a formula that determines

how many the College of Graduate Studies and Research is allowed to send to Ottawa

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop Application Procedure:

SSHRC’s head office in Ottawa will send each application it receives from every university to one of 4 committees (based on your choice)

Each committee will rank the applications it receives

Those rankings will go back to SSHRC SSHRC will tell applicants the results in mid-

April

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Transcripts: nothing much to say …

2 Letters of Reference: Ask referees if they can write strong

letters Ask someone who knows your work If you’re a 1st-year Ph.D. student, ask

your M.A. supervisor

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Program of Research: Lots to say … Only 2 pages You’re writing for a non-discipline-

specific committee They’re reading tons of applications So … make it understandable by …

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Program of Research: Not using jargon Recalling you’re not writing for a

specialist Imagining you’re writing for a student

colleague who’s not in your department Recalling you’re not writing for a journal

in your area or for a prof in your department

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop Program of Research:

Be concrete and practical Be feasible – i.e. it is a do-able project

in the amount of time remaining Sound as if you know what you’re

doing – not speculative but convinced of your project

Understand why it contributes to knowledge in the area

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop Program of Research:

Show you know the field, and the literature in it

Show you know where you fit in the field (i.e. you’re not doing something already done)

Show you are capable of doing what you propose (the methodology is sound)

Show why you want to do it at the particular institution

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Program of Research: Show connections between your

proposed Doctoral work and what you’ve done before

Show any conceivable connections between what you propose to do and the larger, non-academic community (that can be a tough one, but let me explain …)

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Program of Research: Remember to use correct grammar

and punctuation Get someone else to read it Work closely with your supervisor Assume you will go through at least 5

drafts

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Other suggestions: Assume it will take you more than one

kick at the can Use all of the available 2 pages of the

Program of Research Follow SSHRC’s rules about font size

and margins to the letter – you will otherwise be disqualified

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Workshop

Other suggestions: Assume the committee is looking for

reasons NOT to give you the award because it reads many good, worthy ones

Therefore, don’t give them any reason!