Faculty of Arts

PhD Fieldwork Grant Scheme

Guidelines & Application Procedures

~ providing assistance for primary and essential fieldwork requirements ~

Scheme Guidelines (What constitutes PhD Fieldwork?)

“… that the primary sources of data and information required for the research (or teaching) are not co-located with the principal location of research resources such as office, library, laboratory, museum, gallery, and that the data can only be obtained by undertaking work at a field location. The sources of data must be studied in their specific locational context, otherwise the purposes of the research cannot be achieved.”

Eligibility

Candidates in the following schools should apply directly to their school for PhD Fieldwork funding using the guidelines on this page, and must provide a copy of their complete application to Faculty prior to departure:

Candidates from other Schools within the Faculty lodge their application directly with the Arts & Music Student Centre (Room 104, Old Arts Building) based on the guidelines on this page.

Candidates who have received funding under the scheme are not eligible for further fieldwork funding through the Faculty’s Fieldwork Funding Scheme.

Candidates are eligible to apply to the scheme for fieldwork only within three years from the commencement of the full-time candidature (pro rata part-time).

Candidates jointly enrolled in another Faculty (with Arts being the host Faculty) will receive pro-rata funding.

Candidates enrolled in another Faculty with co-supervision in Arts may be eligible to receive pro-rata funding. 

Support for funding must be obtained from the relevant Head of School in the Faculty of Arts.

Funding

Funds are limited and competitive for this scheme.

Schools are required to contribute a minimum of 30% of the budget.

What the scheme funds:

Projects in which the primary data for the PhD thesis can be collected only in a field location (for example, a fundable project may require access to particular communities, physical landscapes, indigenous languages, archaeological sites, or oral histories).

What the scheme does not fund:

Application requirements

The application must include the following components:

Applications from the School of Social and Environmental Inquiry, School  of Languages and Linguistics, Archaeology (School of Historical  Studies) and the Asia Institute must also include an itemised and justified budget and correspondence from the school to the candidate advising on the total allocation from the School.

All applications will be considered on their merits.

Grants will be approved subject to eligibility and the availability of funding.

Closing Dates

Applications from candidates in the four schools that have special fieldwork requirements (as nominated above) should consult their schools for application closing dates.

For all direct applications to Faculty, there are two rounds per year:

Applications lodged directly to Faculty are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Retrospective applications

Out-of-round applications will not be considered but will be accepted retrospectively and assessed as such during the following round of applications.

Application forms

What else should my application include?

Overseas Travel to High Risk Destinations

Approval of all PhD Fieldwork will be contingent upon the current DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) advice in respect to level of safety of the overseas destination.

Applications which include travel to a destination issued with a DFAT warning must also include a request for “Special Circumstances Approval”. All such requests will be referred to the Academic Registrar and must be accompanied with documentation of the grounds for this special consideration. The University's "Overseas Travel Policy" and DFAT advice is available here.

Human Ethics Approval

Candidates who intend to conduct any form of fieldwork involving human subjects that requires review by the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) or its Sub-Committees must attach evidence of ethics approval as part of their application.

Insurance – Student Cover

To accommodate the Travel Insurance needs of all University of Melbourne Students engaged on University Approved Travel, a NEW “Student” Travel Insurance Policy (No: 02.PP.014313) has been established.  Under this new Travel Insurance Policy, FREE Travel Insurance is provided for all University of Melbourne Students under one of 2 separate categories.  Please consider the Travel Insurance Policy carefully, and, if you are eligible, complete all formalities at least five (5) University Business Days prior to departure.

Alternatively, you may obtain travel insurance cover from any other preferred facility of your own choosing.

Approval

All applications, so long as they meet the eligibility criteria for the grant, will be "Conditionally Approved" in the first instance. A copy of the complete application, including Cover Sheet, Guideline form form Off Campus Travel Work Policy form, Special Circumstances Approval (if appropriate), final Travel Itinerary, Budget Proforma and Contact Details overseas must be forwarded to Faculty before departure.

Incomplete applications may result in a delay in assessment of your application.

Further enquiries

Arts & Music Student Centre
Rm 104 (Ground Floor) Old Arts Building
Tel: +61 3 8344 5321/+61 3 8344 6395
Fax: +61 3 9347 0424
Email: arts-research@unimelb.edu.au

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