BIGSAS/DAAD 2022 Graduate School Scholarship Programme for Female African Scholars

Published: 06 Dec 2021 2,294 views

The Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies, BIGSAS, invites outstanding female African scholars based on the continent to join an international community of early career researchers working in the field of African Studies. BIGSAS provides a centre for creative and innovative doctoral training based on the inter- and multi-disciplinary research environment of the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bayreuth.

In 2022, BIGSAS is awarding two scholarships within the Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP) provided by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). For these, BIGSAS will nominate candidates who have successfully passed the application procedure. The final selection on the scholarship will be made by the DAAD. The scholarship periods begin in October 2022 at the earliest (including a German language course starting in summer 2022, if applicable). The scholarships are awarded for a total scholarship period of up to four years.

BIGSAS/DAAD Graduate School Scholarship Programme

Requirements for BIGSAS/DAAD Graduate School Scholarship Programme

Applications can only be taken into consideration if the following documents are provided (in English, French or German) and meet the requested specifications. We do accept one PDF file per category not exceeding 2 MB.

• Project proposal, including the aims of the dissertation, a detailed work and time schedule for the project, ten pages at a max. Please include your name, page number and title of the proposal on each page. The proposal should also include a one-page summary of the proposal in English.
• Motivation letter, one page, explaining why you apply for BIGSAS.
• Soft copy of your written and graded Master’s or equivalent thesis.
• Two recommendation letters, authors need to be from the applicant's academic background and mentioned with title and university/institute. Letters have to be signed personally by the authors.
• Curriculum Vitae, showing your academic progress and qualification(s) in detail.
• Supervision agreement with a Member of BIGSAS detailing the framework conditions of the doctoral relationship (download the form in English or German language here). Please make sure that all necessary boxes are filled in. Otherwise, the agreement is considered incomplete.
• Self-declaration that you have not been accepted for a doctorate at another university or are enrolled at another university or university of applied sciences.
• Secondary School Graduation Certificate / Higher Education Entrance Certificate
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent degree including complete pages of the transcript of records (e.g. Licence ou Maîtrise, a certified copy is requested).
• Master's Degree or equivalent degree including complete pages of the transcript of records (e.g. DEA or DESS, a certified copy is requested).
• List of academic publications (if available).

NOTE; Applicants must have a very good Master’s or equivalent degree. The last Master’s or equivalent degree must have been obtained within the last six years at the time of nomination by BIGSAS. The application must be accompanied by two reports (letters of recommendation) from teaching faculty members at the home universities.

Application Documents

• Project proposal
• Motivation letter 
• Soft copy of your written and graded Master’s or equivalent thesis.
• Two recommendation letters
• Curriculum Vitae
• Supervision agreement 
• Self-declaration that you have not been accepted for a doctorate at another university or are enrolled at another university or university of applied sciences.
• Secondary School Graduation Certificate / Higher Education Entrance Certificate
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent degree 
• Master's Degree or equivalent degree 
• List of academic publications 

Application Deadline

How to Apply