Apply for Funding
Doctoral Awards
Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) Program: Doctoral Scholarships and
SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Program
Important change regarding eligibility of subject matter
Due to changes in eligibility of subject matter, applicants are advised to review the guidelines to ensure that they are applying to the appropriate agency. |
Context
Objectives
Value and Duration
Eligibility
Evaluation and Adjudication
Application Process
Administrative Regulations
Related Funding Opportunities
More Information
Through its Doctoral Awards program, SSHRC offers two types of funding for doctoral students:
- SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships; and
- Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) Program: 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 scholarships. Students registered in a degree program at a university that did not receive an allocation must apply directly to SSHRC.
If you are interested in a research experience outside of Canada and hold a Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS at the master’s or doctoral level, or a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Vanier CGS) at the doctoral level, you are eligible to apply for a
Michael Smith foreign study supplement
through the Canada Graduate Scholarships program.
The SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships and Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarships programs 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 programs, together with the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master’s
Scholarships and the SSHRC Postdoctoral
Fellowships programs, help train Canada’s research leaders of
tomorrow.
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 scholarship and the SSHRC fellowship, applicants successful in the 2010 competition must take up their awards in May 2010, September 2010 or January 2011. 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. This also applies to students who have been accelerated from a master's program into a doctoral program without obtaining the master's degree. In the case of students who are applying for, or registered in, a combined MA/PhD program, SSHRC will not include the first 12 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 2008 to the end of August 2009 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 |
Eligibility to Apply in the 2010 Competition (Deadline Fall 2009)
To qualify to apply to both the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships and the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS
Doctoral Awards programs, 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 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;
- not be applying in the 2009-10 academic year to
NSERC or CIHR;
- not be pursuing a degree program that combines undergraduate and graduate
degrees.
You need not be assured of admission to a program at the time of application.
*If you are or will be registered in a combined MA/PhD program, you may apply to the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master’s Scholarships program for the first or second year of the master’s portion of the degree, provided you have not exceeded 12 months of graduate-level study as of the proposed start date of the award. If you will have completed more than 12 months of graduate-level study as of the proposed start date of the award, you may only apply to the Doctoral Awards program.
Eligibility to Hold an Award
Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarships are tenable only at recognized
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 program (or a combined MA/PhD 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 the Value and Duration section 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.”
Federal government employees are eligible to hold an award only if on an unpaid leave of absence (no salary or special allowances permitted). A qualifying or "make-up" year of study is not eligible for support.
Program Eligibility
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.
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 all 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 5, 2009, 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. We recognize that some universities may have to do a preliminary preselection at the department level because of the large number of applications involved. |
Step 2: In early January 2010, SSHRC Fellowships and Institutional Grants Division program staff forward all eligible applications 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 of the outcome of their application. |
Step 3: In early February 2010, the
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 of the outcome of their application. |
| Step 4: All A-list applications are entered into the national competition, where they are evaluated by one of five
multidisciplinary
selection committees. Results will be announced by the end of
April 2009. Results will be announced by spring 2010. Results are not provided by telephone or email. |
 Candidates eligible for both the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship and the 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:
- Ensure that you meet the requirements specified in the Eligibility
and Value and Duration sections.
- Complete and submit only one application form, together with the required attachments. You will find the application instructions inside your application when you begin to create it online.
- Determine your current registration status from the table below and submit your completed application to the appropriate institution.
| Registration Status |
Where to Submit Application |
| In fall 2009, 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 or from which you have taken an approved leave of absence. |
| In fall 2009, you are registered in a degree program at a Canadian university without a
quota. |
SSHRC (at address below)
|
| In fall 2009, you are registered in a degree program at a foreign university.* |
SSHRC (at address below) |
| In fall 2009, you are not registered in a degree program at a university, but intend to undertake doctoral studies. |
SSHRC (at
address
below) |
*Students registered concurrently at a Canadian and a foreign
university must apply through the Canadian university, if that university has a quota.
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.
SSHRC reserves the right to determine the eligibility of applications
based on the information provided in those applications. The Council also
reserves the right to interpret the program regulations set out in its
published materials.
Related Funding Opportunities
Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships
The Vanier CGS program program is designed to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by offering a significant financial award to assist them during their studies at Canadian universities.
Canada Graduate Scholarships—Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements
This tri-agency program supports Canadian graduate students in building global linkages and international networks through exceptional research experiences at research institutions outside of Canada.
Queen’s Fellowship
The Queen’s Fellowship is awarded to one outstanding Doctoral Fellow entering a program in Canadian Studies in Canada.
Aileen D. Ross Fellowship
The Aileen D. Ross Fellowship is awarded to an outstanding SSHRC Doctoral Award or Postdoctoral Fellowship holder conducting research in sociology, specifically for research on poverty.
William E. Taylor Fellowship
The William E. Taylor Fellowship is awarded annually to the most outstanding recipient of a SSHRC Doctoral Award.
Sport Participation Research Initiative—Doctoral Award Supplements
Designed to help support SSHRC Doctoral Award holders doing policy-relevant research on participation in sport in Canada
Please address questions about these programs to:
Doctoral Awards Program
Fellowships and Institutional Grants Division
SSHRC
350 Albert Street
P.O. Box 1610
Ottawa, ON K1P 6G4
Tel.: 613-943-7777
Fax: 613-943-1329
Email:
fellowships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca
|