Open Society Institute/ Foreign and Commonwealth Office Chevening/

University of Oxford Scholarships 2005/6 for the

Master of Studies in International Human Rights Law

Scholarship Guidance Notes for Applicants

1. What do the scholarships offer?

The scholarships provide fully funded opportunities for part-time postgraduate study in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford. The course of study is taught over 25 months and consists of two six-week residential sessions in Oxford and three periods of online instruction using the internet and email. The scholarships are intended for human rights professionals from Bosnia Herzegovina and Serbia who would be unable, without assistance, to take up their place on this course. Subject to satisfactory progress, the scholarships lead to the award of a Master of Studies in International Human Rights Law.

Each scholarship provides course and college fees at the University of Oxford over two years, a stipend to cover living costs (whilst students are in Oxford only) and return air travel from the scholar’s home country for each residential session.

2. Who is eligible to apply?

The scholarships are open to applicants from Bosnia Herzegovina and Serbia.

Applicants should:

· be both nationals of and resident in either of the two selected countries;

· have completed a law degree to a high standard. The degree must be at a level at least equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree in Law awarded in the United Kingdom. In limited circumstances, applications from persons with other degrees who have extensive human rights-related experience will be considered;

· normally be under 35 years of age;

· have an excellent knowledge of English;

· have access to email and internet facilities.

A preference will go towards applicants who have not previously studied outside their home country.

3. How can I apply?

To apply for the course, you should follow the application process instructions on the course website at www.conted.ox.ac.uk/ihrlmst with two exceptions:

(a) Do not send your completed application form and supporting materials to the Graduate Admissions Office but to your local Soros Educational Advising Center (EAC) or Foundation at the address below by Friday 4^th March. The local office will collect all applications and forward them to the Oxford Graduate Admissions Office by Friday 18^th March.

(b) You are not required to supply English language test results at the application stage. If you are shortlisted for the scholarship you will then be asked to attend an IELTS test by your local Soros office. However, if you have taken an IELTS, TOEFL or CPE test in the last two years and have a certificate showing that you meet the mininum requirements (as described on the website) then you can include it if you wish.

4. How does the selection procedure work?

a) All completed applications received by your local Soros Educational Advising Center or Foundation by the deadline will be forwarded to the University of Oxford Graduate Admissios Office. Academic staff at the University will compile a short-list of candidates.

b) You will be informed by your local EAC or Foundation in March/April 2005 whether you have been short-listed. Short-listed applicants will then be invited for an interview and an English language test in their home country in April 2005.

c) Interviews will be carried out by representatives of OSI and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

d) The final awards will be decided jointly by the University, the FCO and OSI- Budapest. Candidates will be informed by June 2005. In addition, certain candidates may be offered reserve places for scholarships, which means that there is a possibility that they will be given a scholarship, if one of the successful candidates withdraws from the program.

e) Please note that the staff at your local Soros Educational Advising Center or Foundation are not involved at all in the decision-making process. They will tell you as soon as they can whether or not you have been successful. Please understand they will not be able to inform you until they have been told by the University of Oxford and OSI-Budapest.

5. How can I find out more about the University of Oxford?

· Read the University’s Graduate Studies Prospectus. Your local Soros Educational Advising Center or Foundation will be able to make a copy available for you to consult. You will not, however, be able to take this copy home.

· Visit the University’s Home Page at www.ox.ac.uk and the Graduate Studies Prospectus online at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/gsp/.

· If you wish to find out more about the course content, visit the course web site at www.conted.ox.ac.uk/ihrlmst

6. Who should I contact if I have any questions?

Please make use of all of the written documentation available to you: the course brochure, these scholarship guidance notes, the University’s Graduate Studies Prospectus, and the guidance notes for completing the application form.

If you have any queries about the scholarships or these guidance notes, then you should contact either

· your local Soros Educational Advising Center or Foundation or

· Krisztina Palicska, UK Programs Coordinator, Network Scholarship Programs, OSI-Budapest

Fax or e-mail only:

Fax: 00 36 1 327 3107

E-mail: kpalicska@osi.hu

If you have any academic questions, then you should direct these to Human Rights Programme Administrator at the University of Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education in the first instance

Fax or email only Fax: 00 44 1865 270314

Email iphumrts@conted.ox.ac.uk

7. Contacts of Local Soros Educational Advising Center/ National Foundation

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA Mr. Muhamed Serdarevic Open Society Fund-Bosnia & Herzegovina Students resource center SRCe Zmaja od Bosne 8 Sarajevo 71000 Bosnia Phone (387 33) 206 048 Fax (387 33) 212 032 Email muhamed@soros.org.ba

SERBIA Ms. Ivana Pantelic Belgrade Open School (BOS) Masarikova 5/XVI Belgrade 11000 Yugoslavia Phone (381 11) 3613 112 Fax (381 11) 3613 112 Email pantelici@bos.org.yu