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Details of funding for postgraduate courses are available in the funding section of the Board of Graduate Studies website; there are individual sections for UK, EU and overseas students. See also the information provided by the Department, here.  Please note that the deadlines for receipt of your application, in order to be eligible for many funding opportunities, may be mid-December or mid-January of each year, for admission the following October. Early application will also give you a better chance at a place at your chosen college.

The University offers two partial studentships (scholarships) specifically for postgraduate study in Assyriology and Mesopotamian studies (languages, archaeology, history): the C.H.W. Johns and the M. Munn-Rankin Studentships. Applicants for MPhil courses in Assyriology and Mesopotamian Archaeology and for PhD research in Mesopotamian topics are eligible for awards from both funds. 

 

C.H.W. Johns Memorial Fund and Studentship

This Studentship is worth approximately £4000 annually. Applicants must be registered, or have applied for admission, as a full-time postgraduate student in the University, for a higher degree course (M.Phil) or research (Ph.D) in Assyriology, Mesopotamian archaeology or a closely related field.

Margaret Munn-Rankin Fund for Assyriology

This Studentship is worth approximately £4000 annually. The Studentship will be used to meet the university tuition fees of the successful student(s) in whole or in part; its value will be the income of the Fund for that year or the amount of tuition fees payable for that year, whichever is less. Applicants must be registered, or have applied for admission, as a full-time postgraduate student in the University, for a higher degree course (M.Phil) or research (Ph.D) in Assyriology, Mesopotamian archaeology or a closely related field.

Applications for these studentships consist of a c.v., a research proposal (PhD) or statement of research interests (MPhil) not exceeding 1000 words, and the application form.

 

Please create a single pdf file of all the requested materials, label the file clearly with your name, and email it to the Assyriology Coordinator at jt812@cam.ac.uk. If you have difficulty accessing email, you may post materials to the Assyriology MPhil Coordinator, Department of Archaeology, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK.

 

The deadline is 14 January of any year.  Applicants will normally be notified of the outcome in May.

 

Only a single copy is needed of all application materials; applicants will automatically be considered for an award from both funds. Assessment of applications will be made on the basis of the application materials supplied, plus the Applicant Portal application and references supplied for admission.  Applicants will be normally informed of the outcome of their application to the Assyriology funds in May.

Please ensure that your Applicant Portal admissions application is submitted to the Board of Graduate Studies by 14 January at the latest.

Graduates of any university are eligible and there is no citizenship requirement for either fund. Any award may be held for a maximum of four years; any MPhil awardee continuing to the PhD will be eligible for an award for a further three years at PhD level but must make a new application between MPhil and PhD. A PhD awardee will usually hold the studentship for three years, subject to annual progress reports and confirmation of the supervisor. There is no scope for extending a PhD award beyond three years if the student goes 'beyond terms'.

The Johns Fund Managers will also consider smaller applications in aid of research (e.g., conference attendance, fieldwork, archive or museum visits) in Assyriology and Mesopotamian archaeology. These awards are available to undergraduate and postgraduate students and to members of the university doing research in the relevant fields. Applications, which should take the form of a cover letter describing the research, a c.v. and a detailed, justified budget (estimates are permissible for future expenditures), should be emailed to jt812@cam.ac.uk or posted to the Assyriology Coordinator, Department of Archaeology, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DZ.