Doctoral Awards

Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program Doctoral Scholarships, and SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships

November 2012 Competition

Overview
Value	Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarships: $35,000 per year SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships: $20,000 per year
Duration	Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarships: 36 months SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships: 12, 24, 36 or 48 months
Application deadline	Direct applications: November 7, 2012 University applications: January 9, 2013
Results announced	Spring 2013
Apply	Application and instructions

Context
Objectives
Value and Duration
Eligibility
Application Process
Evaluation and Adjudication
Administrative Regulations and Related Information
Related Funding Opportunities
Contact Information

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Context

Through its Doctoral Awards funding opportunity, SSHRC offers two types of funding for doctoral students:

• SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships; and
• Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS): Doctoral Scholarships.

Applicants apply for both awards by completing one application form. If you are eligible for both awards, SSHRC will automatically consider you for both.

Most Canadian universities receive a quota indicating the number of students they can nominate for the national competition. Students registered in a degree program at a university that did not receive a quota must apply directly to SSHRC.

If you are interested in a research experience outside of Canada and hold a Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS master’s or doctoral scholarship, or a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS) at the doctoral level, you may be eligible to apply for a CGS Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement.

Within the Doctoral Awards competition, there is also a scholarship available for research related to the regulation of peaceful nuclear activities in Canada.

 

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Objectives

The SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships and Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarships aim to develop research skills and assist in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of scholarly achievement in undergraduate and graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities.

These funding opportunities, together with the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master’s Scholarships, the Vanier CGS, the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, help train Canada’s researchers and leaders of tomorrow.

 

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Value and Duration

Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarships are valued at $35,000 per annum for 36 months.

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships are valued at $20,000 per annum for 12, 24, 36 or 48 months.

SSHRC determines the value and duration of an award based on the number of months of full-time study (or equivalent) the applicant will have completed at the proposed start date of the award.

For both the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarships and the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships, applicants successful in the current competition must take up their awards in May 2013, September 2013 or January 2014. The January start date is available only to award holders who cannot begin their degree program earlier, either because of an incomplete previous degree or because their chosen degree program is not available until the later date.

In calculating the value and duration of awards, SSHRC includes all prior doctoral-level studies in the same discipline.

In the case of students who are registered in a combined MA/PhD or a fast-track program (accelerating from a master’s program into a doctoral program without obtaining the master’s degree), SSHRC will not include the first 12 months of the program in the calculation of the value and duration of the doctoral award.

In the case of students who are applying for, or registered in, a combined undergraduate/doctoral program, SSHRC will not include the first 36 months of the combined program in the calculation of the value and duration of the doctoral award.

These procedures apply whether or not the degree was completed and whether or not the current university recognizes the previous credits or years of study.

SSHRC assumes that all studies were full time and uninterrupted (i.e., that the beginning of September 2011 to the end of August 2012 means 12 months of study). Students who studied on a part-time basis, or who interrupted their studies with their university’s official approval, must specify the dates of interruption or part-time study as documented in an official letter from their university.

The following table shows the periods of support applicable to students at different stages of doctoral (or equivalent) study.

Number of months completed at the proposed start date of the award	Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship	SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship
Applicants who will have completed between 0 and 4 months	36 months of funding	48 months of funding
Applicants who will have completed between 5 and 16 months	36 months of funding	36 months of funding
Applicants who will have completed between 17 and 28 months	Not eligible	24 months of funding
Applicants who will have completed between 29 and 40 months	Not eligible	12 months of funding
Applicants who will have completed 41 months or more	Not eligible	Not eligible

 

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Eligibility

Subject Matter

Most SSHRC funding is awarded through open competitions. Doctoral Awards proposals may involve any disciplines, thematic areas, approaches or subject areas eligible for SSHRC funding. Please see Subject Matter Eligibility for more information.

Applicants

Eligibility to Apply

To qualify to apply to both the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships and the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarships funding opportunities, 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 in the social sciences or humanities;
• not have already received a scholarship or fellowship from SSHRC, NSERC or CIHR to undertake or complete a doctoral degree or combined MA/PhD; and
• not be applying in the 2012-13 academic year to NSERC or CIHR.

At the time of application, you need not be assured of admission to a degree program.

Combined MA/PhD and fast-track programs

• If you are or will be registered in a combined MA/PhD or a fast-track program (accelerating from a master’s program into a doctoral program without obtaining the master’s degree), you may apply to the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master's Scholarship provided you have completed less than 12 months of graduate-level study at the time of the proposed start date of the award.
• If you are currently registered in a combined MA/PhD or a fast-track program, and have or will have completed 12 months or more of graduate-level study at the proposed start date of the award, you may only apply to the Doctoral Awards funding opportunity.

Combined undergraduate/doctoral programs

• If you are or will be registered in a combined undergraduate/doctoral program, you may apply to the Doctoral Awards funding opportunity only for the period(s) during which you are enrolled full-time at the doctoral level.

Direct entry doctoral programs

• If you are or will be registered in a direct-entry doctoral program following your undergraduate studies, you may only apply to the Doctoral Awards funding opportunity.

Eligibility to Hold an Award

Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarships are tenable only at eligible universities in Canada. There are no exceptions.

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships are tenable at any recognized university in Canada or abroad. For the fellowship to be held abroad, the award holder must have completed at least one previous degree at a Canadian university. For award holders who do not meet this requirement, the fellowships are tenable only at recognized Canadian postsecondary institutions.

On the proposed start date of the award, you must:

• be registered as a full-time student, undertaking or continuing a doctoral, combined MA/PhD, fast-track or combined undergraduate/doctoral program in the social sciences or humanities; and
• not have exceeded the allowable number of months already spent in doctoral study, as set out in Value and Duration above.

Notes:

Doctoral Awards are available to students who are registered part time because of a disability. For this purpose, “disability” is defined as “a functional limitation resulting from a physical, sensory or mental impairment, which, for an indefinite period, affects the ability of the student to perform the activities necessary to participate fully in his or her learning.”

Award holders may not hold full-time employment during the tenure of their award.

Federal government employees are eligible to hold an award only if on an unpaid leave of absence (no salary or special allowances permitted).

Qualifying or "make-up" years of study are not eligible.

Eligibility of Degree Programs

Doctoral Awards are tenable only in degree programs that include significant original, autonomous research that leads to the completion of a dissertation, major scholarly publication, performance, recital or exhibit that is peer reviewed at the institutional level.

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Application Process

Candidates eligible for both a Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship and a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship will be considered for both awards. All candidates will be assigned a rank order on the basis of the selection committees' recommendations. Top-ranked candidates will receive an offer of award. Whether the offer is for a Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship, a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship or a choice of either will depend upon the candidate's overall ranking and the relevant eligibility criteria.

In order to apply, you must do the following:

1. Ensure that you meet the requirements specified in the Eligibility and Value and Duration sections.
2. Complete and submit only one application form, together with the required attachments. Application instructions can be found inside your online application.
3. Determine your current registration status from the table below and submit your completed application to the appropriate institution.

Applicant Status	Where to Submit Application
In fall 2012, you are registered in a degree program at, or on an approved leave of absence from, a Canadian university with a quota.	The university at which you are currently registered.
In fall 2012, you are registered in a degree program at a Canadian university without a quota.	SSHRC
In fall 2012, you are registered in a degree program at a foreign university.*	SSHRC
In fall 2012, you are not registered in a degree program at a university, but intend to undertake doctoral studies.	SSHRC

*Students registered concurrently at a Canadian and a foreign university must submit their application to the Canadian university, if that university has a quota.

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Evaluation and Adjudication

Evaluation Criteria

Multidisciplinary selection committees evaluate applicants solely on academic merit, measured by:

• past academic results, as demonstrated by transcripts, awards and distinctions;
• the program of study and its potential contribution to the advancement of knowledge;
• relevant professional and academic experience, including research training, as demonstrated by conference presentations and scholarly publications;
• two written evaluations from referees; and
• the departmental appraisal (for those registered at Canadian universities).

Competition Process

For applicants registered at a Canadian university	For applicants not registered at a Canadian university
Step 1: The student submits his or her completed application to the relevant department head on or before the deadline set by the department.	Step 1: On or before November 7, 2012, the applicant submits to SSHRC his or her completed application.
Step 2: Members of the department appraise and rank all applications, then forward them, in their entirety, to the university's faculty of graduate studies. SSHRC recognizes that some universities may have to do a preliminary preselection at the department level because of the large number of applications involved.	Step 2: SSHRC staff reviews all applications and forwards those eligible to one of five multidisciplinary selection committees.
Step 3: The faculty of graduate studies preselection committee evaluates all applications by dividing them into two categories: A-list applications, which are recommended; and B-list applications, which are not. The faculty of graduate studies informs all applicants in writing of the outcome of their applications.	Step 3: Multidisciplinary selection committees evaluate all eligible applications by dividing them into two categories: A-list applications, which are recommended; and B-list applications, which are not. SSHRC informs all applicants in writing of the outcome of their applications.
Step 4: All A-list applications are entered into the national competition, where they are evaluated by one of five multidisciplinary selection committees. SSHRC will announce the competition results in spring 2013. Competition results are not provided by telephone or email.

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Administrative Regulations and Related Information

SSHRC reserves the right to determine the eligibility of applications based on the information provided therein. SSHRC also reserves the right to interpret the regulations governing its funding opportunities set out in its published materials.

All applicants and fellowship holders must comply with the Regulations Governing Fellowship and Scholarship Applications and with the regulations set out in the appropriate award holder's guide.

For descriptions of SSHRC terms, see Definitions of Terms.

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Related Funding Opportunities

For a complete list of SSHRC funding opportunities that may be of interest to doctoral students, please use the Funding search tool and select “Graduate student” as the type of applicant.

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
For the 2013 competition, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission will sponsor one Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship for a successful applicant undertaking research in the social sciences and humanities on a topic related to the regulation of peaceful nuclear activities in Canada. Topics may include, but are not limited to, those such as environmental assessment and aboriginal consultations relating to nuclear activities; socio-economic effects of nuclear activities; trust-building and decision-making in a regulatory context; or the perception, communication and/or management of risks relating to ionizing radiation. Applicants are invited to indicate their related interest in their application form. For more information about this scholarship, please contact:  

Regulatory Research and Evaluation Division
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Tel.: 613-995-2609
Fax: 613-995-5086
www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca

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Contact Information

For more information about SSHRC’s Doctoral Awards funding opportunity, please visit our Resource Centre. If you have additional questions, please contact:

Doctoral Awards
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
350 Albert Street
P.O. Box 1610
Ottawa, ON K1P 6G4

Tel.: 613-943-7777
Email: fellowships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca