Tanzania - GERMANY POSTGRADUATE TRAINING PROGRAM - 2012 CYCLE (PhD studies in Germany)

The Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) is pleased to announce the second round PhD Scholarship for 2012 Cycle of Tanzania - Germany Postgraduate Training Program.

This training program which is funded jointly under the Tanzanian Government through the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training and the German Academic Exchange Programme (DAAD), aims in particular, to impact on capacity-building in public Universities in Tanzania through staff development. The program awards scholarships to candidates who qualify to undertake PhD studies in Germany.

1. Eligibility Criteria

The applicant must:

1. Be a citizen of the United Republic of Tanzania;

2. Be an academic member of staff in a Tanzanian public university;

3. Hold a good Masters degree having obtained an equivalent of a B+ grade or above from a recognized university institution;

4. Have obtained the Masters degree not more than within the past 6 years;

5. Be willing to undertake PhD studies in Germany.

2. Applicants should submit applications consisting of the following documents in TRIPLICATE:

1. Cover sheet

2. DAAD application form (with pictures attached)

3. Hand-signed Curriculum Vitae (use the Europass specimen form at http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu) and list of publications, if any

4. Confirmation of supervision by German university professor

5. Abstract of the research proposal on one (separate) page (please include name and title of the proposal)

6. Ph.D. proposal (10 – 18 pages; 1,5 spacing; 2,5cm space left, 2cm right)

7. Detailed work plan for 3 years including time schedule covering the whole period of the scholarship

8. Two recommendation letters from senior academic referees (immediate supervisors) at your university (in English; on particular recommendation forms provided by DAAD)

9. Application letter indicating motivation to undertake PhD studies

10. Letter of support from home University

11. DAAD health certificate (to be submitted on a later date upon request by TCU)

12. Certificates (each certified as true copy of the original certificate):

1. Masters degree certificate and transcripts for each year

2. Bachelor degree certificate and transcripts for each year

3. School leaving certificates with A-level and O-level certificates.

13. Confirmation of funding for (additional) research costs during field studies

3. Approaching German Professors via E-Mail

While there are no hard and fast rules as to how to write a successful email, here are some guidelines you may find useful when first making contact with a German professor.

(i) Make sure your e-mail does not contain any grammatical or typing mistakes. This includes minor errors such as capital letters or punctuation. Keep in mind that you want to convince the German professor that you are capable of producing academic work of the highest standard.

(ii) Avoid impersonal letters (“Dear Sir/Madam”). Research has shown that you are more likely to receive a reply if your mail is geared towards a specific person. Never ever send the same e-mail to more than one person!

(iii) Keeps in mind that being informal and using casual phrases are mostly not appreciated in first contacts.

(iv) Explain to the professor your reason for contacting him/her. The reason should be matching research areas (name them!) and not a general phrase like “I know you are a renowned professor”

(v) Attach a concise description of the kind of research you would like to undertake (cf. our leaflet: “How to write a research proposal”), but also show that you are open to discuss your project and to make alterations. You may also want to attach a brief cv so that the professor can get a more comprehensive picture of the person you are.

(vi) Do not approach the professor for funding in your first mail. At this state you only want to establish contact and to find our whether there is general interest in your topic.

Do not fee discouraged if some of your emails remain unanswered. Please understand that many professors are extremely busy and will only get back to you if they are seriously interested in your research proposal and can offer adequate supervision.

Important NOTE:

· Application forms and all documents should not be STAPLED and should be submitted in TRIPLICATE.

· The indicated ORDER OF DOCUMENTS has to be strictly observed and the documents have to be NUMBERED accordingly.

· All these documents and information are found in our website www.tcu.go.tz.

· The DEADLINE for receiving applications is on 2^nd April 2012 at 15:30 pm.

· Applications are to be submitted in soft and hard copy to the address below:

Executive Secretary,

Tanzania Commission for Universities,

Garden Road, Mikocheni,

Near TPDC Houses,

P. O. Box 6562,

Dar es Salaam

E-mail: es@tcu.go.tz