Faculty of Health Sciences MERIT Conversion PhD Scholarships

Background

An increasing number of incoming PhD students to Faculty of Health Sciences have attained University Scholarships (VCRS/APA/UPA) based on previous research expertise from an Honours/Masters degree with H1 equivalency (H1E). However, potentially good research students who have not attained H1E because (i) their professional degree did/does not offer it, or, (ii) the undergraduate student failed to take up Honours at the time desiring direct entry into a profession, or (iii) for other reasons; these students have little opportunity to attain a full-time scholarship. Therefore they usually enter their Doctoral studies as part-time candidates, with the need to work full-time to support themselves. Yet some of these students would choose to undertake full time PhD study if the financial constraints were lessened.

Rationale

A scholarship program – Merit Conversion Scholarships – will be established to enable part-time PhD students to transfer to full-time status early in their candidature and thus increase their likelihood of completion and reduce time to completion.

Proposal

To establish a number of PhD scholarships at the current APA/UPA rate on a competitive basis, offered twice yearly to students intending full-time candidature in Semester 1 or Semester 2 after a previous 0.5-1.0 year FTE (1-2 calendar years) of PhD status.

Application

·         Students may apply in the Semester prior to their intended conversion to full time PhD studies

·         Students will fill out Faculty of Health Sciences MERIT Conversion PhD Scholarships Application Form to the Faculty Research Administration Office outlining their meeting of Criteria of Eligibility (below)

Eligibility

To be eligible, students would meet the following selection criteria:

·         be an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen or an Australian permanent resident by 31 October 2008;

·         have completed a Bachelor Degree with Honours or equivalent results or have completed a degree and with an outstanding record of professional and/or research achievements since graduation;

·         be undertaking a Research Doctoral degree in the current year;

·         not have completed a degree at the same, or higher, level as the proposed candidature;

·         have not previously held an APA, APA (Industry) or an Australian Government-funded postgraduate research scholarship (excluding an Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarship

·         not be receiving an equivalent award, scholarship or salary providing a benefit greater than 75% of the Merit Conversion Scholarships stipend rate, to undertake the proposed study. (Salary for work unrelated to the student’s research is not subject to this limit.)

·         Have been enrolled in a PhD program for a minimum of 0.5 year FTE, but not longer than 1.5 years FTE

·         Have completed their Annual Progress Review (APR) or Candidature Review (after 0.5 FTE) with an evaluation of Satisfactory and APR Panel descriptive comments indicating “outstanding/exemplary progress” (or similar)

·         have not taken any Suspensions of Candidature for reasons of poor progress

·         Present to Conversion MERIT Scholarship selection panel a summary of their research progress to-date, an action plan and timeline to completion if they were to be successful scholarship recipients

·         Be currently supervised by a academic working in Faculty of Health Sciences, on the University Registry for Primary Supervision, and with a good 3-year track record of RHD student completions

Tenure and Conditions

The Conversion MERIT Scholarship would be tenable for two to 2½ years of FT status, with a possible extension of 1 semester, similar to requirements for extension mandated by APA/UPA. To maintain their scholarship, candidates would demonstrate, on an annual basis as part of their APR:

·          That they meet tenure and conditions of current UPA awards (http://www.usyd.edu.au/ro/documents/scholarships/info_09.pdf) with the exception that Masters students (either current or intending PhD conversion) would be excluded

·         Continued satisfactory progress at their Annual Progress Interview

·         Continued FT status, without Suspensions by reason of poor progress

Benefits

·         Merit Conversion Scholarships award holders receive a stipend of $20,427 p.a. (2009 rate) which is currently exempt from taxation. The stipend rate is indexed on the anniversary of the commencement date of the award.

·         Merit Conversion Scholarships holders may take up to 10 working days sick leave and up to 20 working days recreation leave each year as part of the award. Recreation leave does not attract a leave loading. These leave entitlements will be forfeited on termination of the Merit Conversion Scholarship.