Applying for the ALGANT Doctoral scholarship
Information for candidates
The ALGANT Joint Doctorate programme is open to all interested graduated students in Europe and elsewhere. The European Union supports the course by financing some six scholarships for doctoral candidates outside the European Union, and four for European ones. Other sources of funding are also available and tuition fees are kept at a very reasonable level.
Every doctoral candidate will have to work on a research project under joint supervision at a minimum of two different institutions of the consortium.
Doctoral candidates interested in applying have to complete the application form (see below for a list of the documents required for the application).
Admission criteria
The ideal candidate must possess an academic degree from a program in mathematics lasting a minimum of five years (Master). A thorough proficiency in English is required.
Application procedure
Pre-application
We recommend that candidates submit a pre-application by January 29th, 2010. That is, we expect candidates to indicate their interest for the ALGANT joint doctorate programme and submit by e-mail* a preliminary description of a possible research project to be carried out at two different partner institutions (see preliminary description form). Candidates may select one of the research projects posted on the ALGANT web site. All of these projects have been discussed by the consortium members.
Application
After the pre-application deadline and a match-making period, applicants are invited to submit a complete application, containing details on their research project.
The application will require the following elements:
- The application form, together with a detailed description of the research project (see detailed description form). The deadline is February 28th, 2010.
- Certified copies of all academic records of all courses taken at every institute of higher education attended, with a translation in English, or French, Italian or Dutch.
- A copy of the highest degree obtained, stating credits, grades and workload.
- A detailed curriculum vitae.
- A personal letter of motivation explaining the candidate's interest in the ALGANT Joint Doctorate in particular and mathematics in general.
- Two letters of recommendation at least from academic staff members, in sealed envelopes sent to the ALGANT secretariat (a model is available).
- Proof of a thorough proficiency in written and spoken languages of the partner universities and/or English.
In individual cases the consortium's commission will decide whether any exceptional circumstances, compensations or alternatives should allow for deviation from the admission criteria above, or for the absence of some of the documents required. Candidates should always contact the ALGANT office when there is any doubt.
All documents have to be submitted in paper form to the address indicated on the application form. To speed up the process, an inofficial electronic version might be sent to doctorateALGANT@math.u-bordeaux1.fr
*Please use electronic mail for the pre-application; send it is by usual mail only if electronic correspondence is impossible. On the contrary, for the application we need paper documents; they may be accompanied by electronic copies.
Selection process
The ALGANT-DOC commission will select the best projects submitted by the application deadline. It is expected that candidates will be in a position to start work on the project at the beginning of the next academic year. After the selection, a doctoral committee will be in charge of monitoring the candidate's work.