Sean McBride Fellowship 2022-2023; Applications now open

News

Sean McBride Fellow, Ms Evangeline Helu, arrives in Dublin at the start of her Masters programme in September 2019.

The Government of Ireland is working with the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation in Namibia to provide capacity building in the area of international relations/conflict resolution.

Seán McBride was a former Minister for External Relations in Ireland and also served as the UN High Commissioner for Namibia during an important period in Namibia’s history pre-independence. In celebration and in memory of the contribution of Seán McBride, and towards deepening the links between Ireland and Namibia, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs – through the Embassy of Ireland in Lusaka – is offering one fellowship for master’s degree level study in Ireland in the areas of international relations and conflict resolution.

This scholarship has been established as part of a broader range of initiatives and engagements to further strengthen collaboration and cooperation with the Government of Namibia across a range of mutual interests.

The scholarship award covers course fees, required flights, accommodation, monthly allowances, insurance and other incidental expenses. Eligible master’s programmes in Ireland commence in the period August to September each year and, depending on the course, scholarships will run for between 10 and 16 months.

Eligible Countries: 

Namibia

Eligible Courses: 

A directory of eligible postgraduate programmes in the areas of international relations and conflict resolution are available in the Directory of Eligible Programmes.

Applications for this fellowship are open only to those working with the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation in Namibia.

Eligibility

• Be a citizen of Namibia and be residing in Namibia.
• Have achieved the necessary academic standard to be accepted onto a master’s level course of study in the subject areas of international relations or conflict resolution in Ireland.
• Have a minimum of two years' relevant work experience.
• Be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to the development of Namibia.
• Be able to take up the fellowship in the academic year for which it is offered.
• Be applying to commence a new qualification and not be seeking funding for a course they have already commenced or which will begin before fellowship awards have been notified.
• Meet any relevant procedural requirements of the Government of Namibia.
• Be able to demonstrate skills in academic English by achieving an appropriate score on a recognised test (e.g. IELTS 6.5).

An applicant will not be considered further in either of the following circumstances:

• They already hold a master’s qualification.
• They are currently working, or it is anticipated that they will work in the future, at our embassies or at headquarters. Those personnel who have worked with any of our embassies/missions in the past must allow a full year before becoming eligible to apply for a fellowship.

All successful applicants will be required to sign a commitment to return to their home country within 14 days of completing their studies in Ireland.

How to apply 

Please read the Application Guidance Note carefully before completing as eligibility criteria may differ from country to country.

 The application process consists of three stages:

• Stage 1   Preliminary Application;
• Stage 2   Detailed Application;
• Stage 3   Interviews.

Application forms can be downloaded from here. All Stage 1 applications must be emailed to Zambiafellowships@dfa.ie. Applicants who are selected to go forward to second stage will be required to sit an IELTS, or Duolingo English Test unless they are already in possession of an IELTS certificate or Duolingo test certificate that is dated 2020 or later at the time of application which shows the applicant has achieved the necessary score for the course they intend to apply to. Early preparation for the IELTS and Duolingo English test exam is strongly advised, even for native English speakers.

The deadline for receipt of Stage 1 applications is 1st August 2021.

Please include "Sean McBride" in the subject line of all emails

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