Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) in Thailand

Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) in Thailand

The Asian Scholarship Foundation (ASF) announces the opening of the 2008 competition for the IFP in Thailand scholarship grants.
The International Fellowships Program (IFP), with funding from the Ford Foundation, provides opportunities for exceptional individuals who wish to undertake advanced studies and who will use this education to make outstanding contributions in their respective fields, furthering development in their own communities and greater economic and social justice worldwide.

To ensure that IFP Fellows are drawn from more diverse backgrounds, IFP actively recruits candidates from social groups and communities that lack systematic access to higher education.


Fellowship Provisions

In 2008, IFP Thailand provides up to Fourteen (12 fellowships for Master's degree study and 2 fellowships for Doctorate degree study) graduate-level awards each year in an appropriate university program anywhere in the world, including Thailand, administered by designated IFP strategic university partners (SUPs).

The provisions of the IFP grant include:
• Tuition fee for full-time enrollment in an accredited university;
• Support for up to two years towards a master’s degree in any academic discipline or field of study that is consistent with the Ford Foundation priority areas;
• Intensive foreign language studies for not more than one year, plus basic skills training in research methodology and computers prior to enrollment; and
• Assistance in choosing and enrolling at the selected university.

Eligibility Requirements
• Applicants must be Thai citizens or permanent residents of the Northeast or members of ethnic minority groups in Northeastern Thailand who are currently residing and working in the Northeast;
• Hold a bachelor’s degree from a college or university in the Northeast (graduates from Ramkhamhaeng University and Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University will also be considered);
• Have at least three years of full-time work experience in community service or in development-related activities relevant to the proposed field of study;
• Must not be enrolled in the degree that he or she applies for the fellowship;
• Propose a graduate degree program that will directly enhance their capacity to excel in an academic, policy, practical or artistic discipline/field corresponding to one or more of the Ford Foundation’s priority areas;
• Present an action plan that will apply their studies to social problems or issues in Thailand
• Commit to working on these issues after the fellowship period; and
• For the applicant of Ph.D. degree study, at least 3 years at work experiences after Master's degree completion is requried.

Preferred Fields of Study

Applicants may choose to pursue an academic discipline or field of study related to one of the following program areas:
• Arts and Culture
• Civil Society
• Community Development
• Development Finance and Economic Security
• Education and Scholarship
• Environment and Development
• Governance
• Human Rights
• Media
• Social Sciences and Humanities
• Sexuality and Reproductive Health
• Work-Force Development

Application Procedure
Application forms and all required documents must be submitted to the Asian Scholarship Foundation (ASF) on or before February 29, 2008.

Applications are then reviewed and qualified candidates are invited for interviews in June 2008 in Khon Kaen. A language assessment test is administered to determine any needed language enhancement training.
An independent Selection Committee evaluates all applications, interviews qualified candidates and makes the final selection of the finalists for endorsement and approval of the IFP Secretariat in New York. The announcement of selection result will be made in July 2008.

The application deadline for the 2008 competition is February 29, 2008.

>> More information in Thai Language >>