The Alphawood
Scholarships are part of the £15 million SoutheastAsian Art Academic Programme at SOAS, University of London, which has been
funded by Alphawood Foundation, Chicago. The aim of the academic programme is
to advance the understanding and preservation of Buddhist and Hindu art in
Southeast Asia through study and research, and to build and support a network
of organisations and individuals in the Southeast Asian region who share and
support this vision.
It is intended that
the greatest impact of the scholarship programme will be felt in the Southeast
Asian region. The scholarships panel will therefore look to make awards to
students who intend to support the aims of the programme through employment,
teaching, further study or any other relevant activity in the region. The
cohort of Alphawood Scholarship students will use their learning, skills and
talents in galleries, museums, heritage organisations, universities, government
departments and other institutions in the Southeast Asia region, particularly
in the countries of Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar/Burma, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam where Buddhist and Hindu art is
prevalent. Over the five years of the scholarship programme students and alumni
will make a significant and positive impact on the understanding and
preservation of art and architecture in the region.
The Alphawood
Scholarship will cover tuition fees in full, and a generous maintenance
allowance towards the costs of living and studying in central London, as well
as flights to and from the UK at the start and end of the course. Visa
costs will also be covered. The maintenance allowance will be provided in line
with the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) guidelines for London
(Doctoral) and will be calculated pro-rata for programmes of less than a year.
It is expected to cover the cost of accommodation.
The purpose of the
scholarships programme is capacity building therefore support will be available
to successful candidates who require extra English language or academic
preparation courses at SOAS before they start their course. Requirements will
be assessed on an individual basis after the scholarships have been awarded and
will be based on the candidates existing English language abilities.
1.
Candidate Eligibility
Criteria
To be eligible for
these scholarships you should:
- Normally
be resident in one of the following countries: Brunei, Cambodia, East
Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar/Burma, Singapore, Thailand or
Vietnam. Applications will be considered from candidates who are not
normally resident in these countries as long as you can show your
intention and capacity to return or relocate to the region to pursue
employment, teaching, further study or otherwise intend to make a positive
impact in the Southeast Asia region. - Demonstrate
your interest in Southeast Asian art, particularly Buddhist or Hindu art,
and your intention to pursue employment, teaching, further study or
otherwise make a positive impact on the preservation or advancement of
Southeast Asian art in the region after your studies at SOAS. When applying for your
course please include evidence of this in your personal statement. - MA
applicants only: you must write your dissertation on a theme connected
with Southeast Asian art. When
applying for your course please include evidence of this in your personal
statement.
To be
considered for the scholarship you must have received an offer for your course
before the scholarships are awarded in March.
2.
Eligible Course of Study
Alphawood
Scholarships are available for a range of taught courses and research courses
at SOAS.
Postgraduate
Taught Courses
Scholarships will be
available for students of the following programmes within the School of Arts:
Postgraduate
Certificates and Diplomas:
- Postgraduate
Asian Art Course Certificate (all modules are eligible however please note
that the Southeast Asian Art module runs every other year, running next in
2016/17). - Postgraduate
Diploma in Asian Art (a combination of three modules from the Diploma,
must include the Southeast Asian art module).
Modules start in
September, January and April every year. Each module is assessed by two essays
and an exam. Applicants must have a BA or BSc to be eligible and can already
hold an MA.
Taught Master’s
(MA) Programmes:
- MA
Arts of Asia and Africa - MA
Contemporary Art and Art Theory of Asia and Africa - MA
History of Art and/or Archaeology - MA
Religious Arts of Asia
In addition, the
scholarships are open to those taking the following MA programmes where the
major course relates to Southeast Asian art:
- MA
South East Asian Studies - MA
Pacific Asian Studies
The MA is made up of
3 taught course units and a compulsory one unit dissertation. The 3 units may
be made up any combination of full units or half units. Each course is assessed
by written work and presentations. There are no exams. The dissertation of
10,000 words will be submitted in September 2016. Students must have a BA or
BSc and in many cases a previous MA is desirable.
Postgraduate
Research
The scholarships are
open to full-time MPhil/PhD applicants whose research topic focuses on
Southeast Asian art.
For applicants who
are considering applying for an MPhil/PhD study we strongly recommend taking an
MA first to adjust to the UK system and develop a strong research proposal that
may form the basis of the MPhil/PhD application the following year.
3.
English Language Requirements
Please note that
successful candidates will be asked to provide approved English Language test
results (IELTS or Pearson) to demonstrate that they hold the minimum UK Borders
Agency requirement to obtain aTier 4 (General) Student visa.
You must
book your English Language test at a test centre that has been approves by
UKVI. If you take the test at a centre that is not approved by UKVI your
results will not be valid for your visa application. To find out which centres
are approved by UKVI please follow this link.
Successful
candidates may be offered support to ensure that they reach the minimum Englishlanguage requirements set by SOAS to study at Postgraduate level. These are
the Presessional English language courses and the English Language for Academic
Study course (ELAS), both are held at IFCELS Department at SOAS (International
Foundation Courses and English Language Studies). The minimum English language
level to join a programme at IFCELS is IELTS 4.5 (with 4.5 in writing) or PTE
41 (with 41 in writing).
The candidates
requirements will be assessed on an individual basis after the scholarships
have been awarded and will be based on the candidates existing English language
abilities.
4.
Candidate Assessment
Candidates will be
assessed:
- By
a Selection Panel comprising five academic members of staff. - On
academic merit and promise. Financial need may also be taken into
consideration. - On
past experience in the field of Southeast Asian art, as well as the
candidate’s intention to make a significant impact on the preservation and
advancement of the field.
Academic references,
transcripts and statements, and other relevant information in your application
will be considered to assess the above criteria.
5.
Scholarship Application Deadline
You must
submit a scholarships application form and a complete application to your
chosen programme of study (including references) by the application deadline.
Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
Both applications
must be received no later than 18th December 2015.
6.
Scholarship Application Process
There are 2 steps
to the application process.
STEP 1 Apply for
your course:
- If
you are applying for the Postgraduate Diploma/Certificate, please down
load and complete the application for admission. Please send the completed form to Denise Acford (da33@soas.ac.uk). - If
you are applying for a Taught Master’s (MA) please complete the Postgraduate online application form (you will be asked to set up an account and
upload documents using our online admissions system). Please read our Guidance Notes
for the online application process carefully before you start your
application, which are available in the Taught Masters application
section. - If
you are applying for an MPhil/PhD, please complete the Postgraduate Research online application form (you will be asked to set up an
account and upload documents using our online admissions system). Please
read our Guidance for applying for MPhil/PhD carefully before you start your
application.
You should use
the Personal Statement section in your application form to demonstrate your
interest in Southeast Asian art, particularly Buddhist or Hindu art. Please
also demonstrate your intention to pursue employment, teaching, further study
or otherwise make a positive impact on the preservation or advancement of
Southeast Asian art in the region after your studies at SOAS.
STEP 2 Apply for
an Alphawood Scholarship:
If you have
submitted an application for your course you can apply for the Alphawood Scholarship
viathis link to the online application form.
7.
Notification of Results
Successful
candidates will be notified in February 2016. If you have not heard from us by
the 27th February 2016 you should assume that your application was
unsuccessful.
Successful
candidates will be asked to provide evidence of their English language test
results by 20th April 2016.
For more
information about the Alphawood Scholarships or the Southeast Asian Art
Academic Programme please contact:
Email: simone.green@soas.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7898 4025
