An Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate
Application Deadline 16 January 2011
TEEME is an international doctoral programme in early modern studies funded by the European Union. It is structured around a unique collaboration between university-based researchers in the Humanities and the cultural and creative sector in four EU countries (United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal, Czech Republic). The partnership will foster intercultural dialogue and disseminate the best research in history, literature and culture to the wider community. On these pages you will find our research profile, a description of the programme and its objectives, details of the consortium universities and the programme's associated partners, as well as information on the application process.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
The TEEME consortium wants you to make the best possible case for you and your project in your application.
The most important of the documents you are asked to submit is your research proposal. The assessors of your application will scrutinize this very carefully, so make sure that it represents your project and your ideas as accurately and as convincingly as possible.
We also place great emphasis on your CV, on your statement of purpose, and on your previous experience. There is no single route to a place on this programme; indeed, there are many experiences, academic or otherwise, that may have prepared you for a TEEME doctorate. We value diversity very highly and will honour all the knowledge and skills that you have acquired in a variety of different contexts.
Also important in your application will be the judgement of your referees: they will have to attest to the quality of your work and to your potential as a researcher, so select them carefully. Throughout the application we will be assessing the quality of your written expression, so we want to see you use the best English that you are capable of.
Our selection criteria are specified in the tab on The selection process (on this page). In what follows we give you some further advice on the individual documents you will be asked to submit as part of your application. All of them will have to be uploaded onto the web during the electronic application process (see the How to apply tab on this page), so make sure you have these documents in a format that allows easy uploads.
Please note: You will be applying through the University of Kent online application system. There is a generic online ‘application checklist’ available on the general admissions page which you are encouraged to consult for further advice on the various stages of the application. But please be aware that this checklist is used for over 200 different programmes of study within the University of Kent, so it may not at all points correspond to the advice given on this page. If you encounter any differences, the information on the TEEME pages is to be considered authoritative.
Application cover sheet
This cover sheet is mainly informative and will ask you for your personal details, your main places of residence in the past five years (required to check your eligibility in case you are applying for an Erasmus Mundus Fellowship), for your two preferred supervisors (please consult the participating staff page for an updated list of available TEEME supervisors), and for your suggested mobility pathway. You should indicate one alternative to your preferred pathway in which at least one of your chosen universities is a different institution. Please take particular care to give us your accurate contact details for the interview date on 18th February (phone number including international dialling code from the UK; skypename, if applicable. See also Important dates tab on this page).
Detailed transcripts
We will require these transcripts with a clear indication of your grades and degree classification. Please give us as much information as possible on your past academic experience to enable us to compare your record fairly with that of other candidates. Please also make sure that your record of transcripts is available in a format than can be uploaded onto the web during the online application process (preferably pdf). If you need to submit multiple documents you will have to put them into a single file first, as the system won't allow you to upload more than one file under this heading. Finally, if your transcripts are in a language other than one of the four consortium languages (English, German, Portuguese, Czech), you are required to submit certified translations.
Degree certificates
We also require copies of your degree certificates. Please proceed as above with your transcripts (ie, put all documents into a single file and, if required, include certified translations).
Current CV
Your CV should include all relevant information about your previous education and work experience. Please use the European CV format. We would also like you to include a list of publications in an annex to the CV, in case some of your work has already been published.
A certificate of language ability
Please have a look at our language policy. Applicants who are non-native speakers of English must demonstrate, through the acquisition of a recognized qualification, proficiency in English at level C1 (‘proficient user’), as defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). You can demonstrate this in various ways, for example with an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) certificate at level 7.0, or through a score of 100 (including a minimum 22 in both writing and reading) in the internet-based TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Please note that the paper-based TOEFL is not acceptable. Candidates whose native language is English will be required to demonstrate competence in another EU language at CEFR level B2 (‘independent user’). Please ensure that the documents attesting to your language skills are available in a format that can be uploaded on to the online admissions software.
Statement of purpose
In this statement you should try to explain why you want to study on TEEME and what you expect from the programme. There may be all kinds of reasons why you are interested in this doctorate – personal, academic, or otherwise – and the assessors will have no preconceptions about the ideal career path of a TEEME student. Every case will be assessed on its own merits, so please tell us in your own words what motivated you to put in an application for this programme – but make sure not to exceed the limit of 500 words.
Research proposal
In this proposal you should set out as precisely and clearly as possible the main topic of the research you wish to undertake on the TEEME programme. You should clearly state your main research questions, your proposed methodology, and the primary material you are aiming to examine as part of your project. Please read carefully through the mainTEEME research profile to ensure that your research fits with the objectives of the programme. We are expecting candidates to present convincing outlines for research projects that are comparative and interdisciplinary in conception, that bear a clear relation to present needs and debates, and that span at least two different linguistic, religious and/or ethnic cultures within Europe, or that relate one European with one non-European culture, in the period 1400 to 1700, or in later political or cultural uses and representations of early modern literature and history. Your proposal should also include a justification of your proposed mobility pathway (plus one alternative), so make sure you also consult the individual research profiles of the four degree-awarding institutions. Please also explain to us the reasons behind your choice of supervisors. The maximum length of this proposal is 1500 words, and we don’t expect proposals to be significantly shorter than this.
Referees
We will require the names of two referees who will attest to your academic standing and potential. It is your responsibility as an applicant to ensure that your referees respond promptly to requests for a reference.
If you require further advice on the application process please contact the general TEEME coordinator Bernhard Klein or visit http://www.teemeurope.eu.
