Harvard University Center for African Studies is offering fellowship program for mid-career professionals who are educationally disadvantaged by past laws and resource allocations in South Africa. South African citizens are eligible to apply for this fellowship program.
Building on Harvard University’s longstanding scholarship and education on Africa, the Center for African Studies fosters the creation and dissemination of knowledge about Africa and African perspectives, across the University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Professional Schools.
President Derek Bok established the Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program (HSAFP) in 1979 to address the needs of South Africans who were denied access to advanced education by the apartheid system. This program was established, and is still intended, for mid-career professionals educationally disadvantaged by past laws and resource allocations in South Africa.
Course Level: Fellowship is awarded to pursue the following programs:
Degree Programs: Mid-Career Master in Public Administration, Harvard Kennedy School, Master of Laws, Harvard Law School, Master of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health.
-Non-Degree Programs: Advanced Management Program, Harvard Business School, General Management Program, Harvard Business School, Program for Leadership Development, Harvard Business School, Special Student Status, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Visiting Fellow Status, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Study Subject: Fellowships are for a year of study in one of Harvard’s Professional Schools or Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
List of Subjects: Fellowship-Eligible Programs are:
-Degree Programs
(a) Mid-Career Master in Public Administration, Harvard Kennedy School
(b) Master of Laws, Harvard Law School
(c) Master of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health
-Non-Degree Programs
(a) Advanced Management Program, Harvard Business School
(b) General Management Program, Harvard Business School
(b) Program for Leadership Development, Harvard Business School
(d) Special Student Status, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
(e) Visiting Fellow Status, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
-Degree Programs
(a) Mid-Career Master in Public Administration, Harvard Kennedy School
(b) Master of Laws, Harvard Law School
(c) Master of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health
-Non-Degree Programs
(a) Advanced Management Program, Harvard Business School
(b) General Management Program, Harvard Business School
(b) Program for Leadership Development, Harvard Business School
(d) Special Student Status, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
(e) Visiting Fellow Status, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Scholarship Award: The fellowship provides for payment of all tuition for the full period of enrollment at Harvard. The fellowship also funds the round trip airfare between the fellow’s home and Boston, as well as a monthly stipend. Fellows typically elect to stay in university graduate dormitories. Please note that housing costs in the Boston/Cambridge area are extremely high, and the stipend only covers bare necessities. The monthly stipend must also be used to pay for other expenses such as medical and dental insurance, medicines, taxes, food, winter clothing, books and supplies. Fellows are held personally responsible for the payment of all bills other than tuition fees and airfare. Please be advised that Harvard will require fellows to purchase American medical insurance. This insurance does not cover the range of services covered in South Africa. Separate insurance must be purchased for dental coverage. Charges for non?covered expenses and prescription drugs are very high.
Scholarship can be taken at: Harvard University Center for African Studies, USA
Eligibility: In order to apply for fellowship, applicants must follow the given criteria:
The HSAFP was conceived largely to provide educational enrichment for men and women in mid-career, that is, individuals in various occupations who have shown considerable skill in their chosen fields and leadership and are expected to benefit from advanced training. Thus candidates who have just completed, or who have not yet completed, a first degree are not selected unless this degree has been pursued concurrently with, or subsequent to, experience in the workplace. Fellows usually range in age from 30 to 45 years.
-Fellows submit their applications directly to the Harvard South Africa Fellowship Program at Harvard University. A committee of HSAFP alumni, Center staff and the CAS Faculty Director will interview the short-listed applicants in South Africa. Successful candidates must then apply to and be admitted at the specific Harvard school where they intend to study.
-Applicants should determine well in advance whether, if awarded a fellowship, they can be granted leave by their employers for Harvard’s academic year. They should generally plan to be in residence at Harvard from September until June. However, some programs require fellows to begin residence on July 1st. No candidate should accept an interview unless assured that such leave will be granted. The Center does not wish to assign fellowships to anyone who subsequently finds it impossible to use the opportunity.
Nationality: South African Citizens are eligible to apply for this fellowship program.
College Admission Requirement
Entrance Requirement: Applicants will evaluate candidates based on their credentials and if an applicant already has a masters or PhD degree this does not disqualify them from receiving the fellowship. Admission to a formal Harvard degree or other program remains solely within the authority of the Admissions Committee of the particular Harvard school or program and not with the Center for African Studies. Harvard’s Law School, School of Public Health, and Kennedy School of Government all offer one-year master’s degree programs open to holders of the relevant bachelor’s degree.
Admissions committees for master’s degrees may require candidates to take the Graduate Records Examination or the equivalent professional test. The deadlines for submission of all admission materials to Harvard vary from mid-December to early January.
Test Requirement: Admissions committees for master’s degrees may require candidates to take the Graduate Records Examination or the equivalent professional test.
Supporting Material: In addition to the application for the scholarship, the applicant must submit the following documents:
-Application form submit the HSAFP application January 2016.
-Transcripts- Submit transcripts from all post-secondary institutions applicants have attended. Applicants may upload these or have them mailed directly.
-Transcripts must show the grades and course titles for all their post-secondary coursework. Copies of diplomas are NOT required.
-Letters of Recommendation
-Two letters of recommendation must be submitted.
-Letters of recommendation should be attached to the HSAFP Recommendation Form.
-Letters can be submitted by email to Africa-at-harvard.edu
-Writing samples
-An academic essay and a personal statement must be submitted.
-Transcripts- Submit transcripts from all post-secondary institutions applicants have attended. Applicants may upload these or have them mailed directly.
-Transcripts must show the grades and course titles for all their post-secondary coursework. Copies of diplomas are NOT required.
-Letters of Recommendation
-Two letters of recommendation must be submitted.
-Letters of recommendation should be attached to the HSAFP Recommendation Form.
-Letters can be submitted by email to Africa-at-harvard.edu
-Writing samples
-An academic essay and a personal statement must be submitted.
-Academic Essay: Briefly describe an important issue relevant to their field of interest and South Africa, where possible. Propose a theoretical framework or strategy to address this issue. Applicants seeking admission into the Special Student or Visiting Fellow GSAS Programs should use this academic essay to describe their research and attach a description of their relevant coursework. Minimum 500 words, Maximum 1000 words.
-Personal Statement: Tell us something about theirself – in particular, why applicants wish to study at Harvard University and how doing so connects with what they have done in the past and what they plan to do in the future with their career in South Africa. Applicants seeking admission into the Special Student program should use this personal statement to explain how coursework and research opportunities at Harvard University will strengthen their doctoral work and teaching at their home institution. Minimum 250 words, Maximum 750 words.
-The Academic Essay and the Personal Statement should be typed in a standard font and font size (10 to 12 point). Essays should also be double-spaced.
-Include applicants full name on the top of each page and their signature at the end of the Academic Essay and the Personal Statement.
-Resume/CV: Include a copy of applicants most recent resume/CV with their application.
How to Apply: Applications should be sent via e-mail and also by post.
Application Deadline: Application deadline is April 4, 2016.
