Call for Scholarship Applications to the University of Oxford

The Aziz Foundation is pleased to announce it is offering a Master’s degree scholarship at Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford for the 2018-19 academic year.

The scholarship offers a unique opportunity for an exceptional student active in British Muslim communities and keen to build bridges with all parts of British society. The student will have the commitment and intelligence to support and represent Muslim communities in wider society, as well as the credibility to bring and explain new learning experiences back to the community, and will thus create mutual understanding between Muslims and others and contribute to the creation of a more cohesive society.

The student will also partake in the Aziz Foundation’s Leadership Support Scheme (LSS), which will assist in developing their leadership qualities and skills, knowledge of community and society dynamics, and professional networks. Leadership training, pastoral support and mentoring are all elements of this comprehensive support system, which will also include targeted internships with key organisations in the public and third sectors.

The range of courses to be supported is very wide, including theology, philosophy, politics, economics, history, education and development studies (for a full list of courses please see below). The scholarship will cover tuition and living expenses for a year, up to a maximum of £25,000 in total. It may be applied either to a one-year Master’s degree course, or to one year (only) of a two year Master’s course.

Criteria

• Applicants should meet all of the following requirements:
• Have, or be expected to achieve, an upper second class or equivalent undergraduate degree from a reputable, internationally recognised university.
• Be active within a Muslim community and their wider local community, and demonstrate a desire to develop intellectual skills within a multi-faith/secular environment.
• Be able to demonstrate long-term commitment to community/societal development and good relations work through public leadership.
• Be eligible for Home/EU fee status at the University.

Application Process

If you meet the above criteria and would like to apply for this scholarship, please:

Step 1 – Apply to the University for a Course of Study

Complete a University/Department application form online by the deadline advertised on the page of the course for which you wish to apply.

This application must nominate Regent’s Park College as your first choice of College, and you should enter the Aziz Foundation Scholarship in the section where you are asked to list the funding for which you have applied. The scholarship is dependent upon your being accepted by the Department in question for the course of your choice.

Step 2 – Apply to the College for the Scholarship

You will need to submit:

• A statement of no more than 1,000 words setting out how you meet the criteria above, addressing also how you hope to use this scholarship for your future work.
• A tailored CV detailing your qualifications and work history (no longer than 2 pages).
• A short covering letter setting out which course you are intending to apply for, and if relevant, the focus/specialism of the course.
• A copy of the University application (referred to at Step 1 – it is possible to download this once completed).

Please submit the above documents by Thursday 19 January 2018 to Ms Bailey Thomas, Academic Administrator, Regent’s Park College, Oxford OX1 2LB, or by email to: academic.administrator@regents.ox.ac.uk

Step 3 – Attend the Interview

If called, please attend the interview with the College and the Foundation. Travel expenses will be reimbursed on production of receipts. Interviews will be held in late April 2018.

Please note that we will only contact you if you have been short-listed. If you do not hear from us, then please assume that in this instance your application has not been successful.

The Aziz Foundation welcomes informal enquiries from candidates considering an application. Enquiries should be made to grants@azizfoundation.org.uk

List of Eligible Courses:

British and European History
Classics
Development Studies
Economics
Economic and Social History
Education
English Studies
Environmental Change and Management
Fine Art
Global and Imperial History
Global Governance and Diplomacy
History of Art and Visual Culture
Historical Studies
International Human Rights Law
International Relations
Islamic Art and Archaeology
Islamic Studies and History;
Nature, Society and Environmental Governance
Philosophy;
Philosophical Theology
Politics
Politics Research
Social Anthropology
Sociology
Study of Religion
Theology
Women’s Studies
World Literatures in English