Doctorate Programs with the Confucius China Studies Program

We’ve received and publish this article written by Giovanni Ruscica, taken from his personal experience.

40 years of reforms and opening in China, along with its current One Belt, One Road initiative, have allowed this nation to emerge as a protagonist in a global contest.

Every year there are more people interested in traveling to China, motivated out of curiosity for a partially unknown world, for business, or for reasons of study.

In this last case, China offers countless opportunities to win a scholarship. The most popular are those from the Chinese government, the Chinese provincial governments, and the Confucius Institute. In addition there is another scholarship capable of financing periods of study in China.

Are you about to complete your masters program with the idea of a doctorate or are you a graduate student wanting to deepen your studies in China? Then this program is just for you!

Doctorate programs with the Confucius China Studies Program (孔子新汉学计划)

Founded in 2013 by the Confucius Institute with the aim of improving ever better relations between China and other nations, the Confucius China Studies Program (CCSP) is a program designed for young students which promotes the study of China, and its languages, culture and society.

The CCSP program includes 6 subprograms:

1. Ph.D. in China Fellowship, 来华攻读博士学位项目;
2. Joint Research Ph.D. Fellowship, 中外合作培养博士项目;
3. “Understanding China” Fellowship, “理解中国”访问学者项目;
4. Young Leaders Fellowship, 青年领袖项目;
5. Publication Grant, 国际会议项目;
6. International Conference Grant, 出版资助项目.

1. Ph.D. in China Fellowship

This scholarship covers the 3-4 years of a doctorate program chosen by the candidate. Accepting this scholarship doesn’t allow the winner to receive other Chinese scholarships, nor to work.

Funds

• lodging: 80,000 RMB a year;
• research: 20,000 RMB a year;
• a round trip economy class international air ticket;
• scholastic tax;
• other support provided by the host Chinese university;
• health insurance;
• group activities.

Minimum requirements

• not a Chinese citizen;
• be less than 40 years old;
• HSK level 5 certification or more. In the event of a tie between candidates, priority will be given to the one with the highest HSK score;
• candidates seeking another scholarship granted by the Chinese government can’t apply for this program.

Required documents

• scanned copy of your main passport page;
• scanned copy of your HSK certification;
• original HSK certification;
• an authentic translated copy in Chinese or English of your three year masters degree with transcriptions of your university results (you can just attach the supplemental diplomas);
• abstract of your masters thesis and other academic publications;
• a doctorate research plan written in English (max. 800 characters) and Chinese (max. 1500 characters);
• a letter of introduction written in English (max. 2000 characters) and in Chinese (max. 1500 characters);
• two reference letters written in English or Chinese by experts in their field;
• priority will be given to candidates who present a letter of recommendation by the Confucius Institute.

2. Joint Research Ph.D. Fellowship

This is a scholarship available for graduate students enrolled in a non-Chinese university who want to study in China for researching and drafting a thesis. The length of this program is between 6 months and 2 years.

Funds

• lodging: 80,000 RMB a year;
• research: 20,000 RMB a year;
• a round trip economy class international air ticket;
• scholastic tax;
• other support provided by the host Chinese university;
• travel and research expenses in China for the foreign spokesperson;
• health insurance;
• group activities.

Minimum requirements

• not a Chinese citizen;
• HSK level 3 certification or higher. In the event of a tie between candidates, priority will be given to the one with the highest HSK score;
• candidates seeking another scholarship granted by the Chinese government can’t apply for this program.

Documentation required

• a certificate of doctorate enrollment in English or Chinese;
• two reference letters written in English or Chinese by experts in the field;
• scanned copy of your HSK certificate;
• original HSK certificate;
• abstract of your graduate thesis and other academic publications;
• abstract of your doctorate thesis;
• a doctorate research plan written in English (max. 800 characters) and Chinese (max. 1500 characters);
• a letter of presentation written in English (max. 2000 characters) and Chinese (max. 1500 characters);
• scanned copy of the main page of your passport;
• priority will be given to candidates who present a letter of recommendation by the Confucius Institute.

Choice of universities

Checking the CCSP site, the candidate can apply for two universities from the following 16 members of the program at the same time:

1. Peking University 北京大学;
2. Renmin University of China 中国人民大学;
3. Beijing Normal University 北京师范大学;
4. Beijing Foreign Studies University 北京外国语大学;
5. Jilin University 吉林大学;
6. Shandong University 山东大学;
7. Nanjing University 南京大学;
8. Nankai University 南开大学;
9. Fudan University 复旦大学;
10. East China Normal University华东师范大学;
11. Sichuan University 四川大学;
12. Wuhan University 武汉大学;
13. Xiamen University 厦门大学;
14. Sun Yat-sen University 中山大学;
15. Beijing Language and Culture University 北京语言大学;
16. Shanghai International Studies University 上海外国语大学.

For each of these hosting universities you can look at a table containing important information about the more than 900 professors available, their field of specialty, their e-mail, the classification and length of the doctorate, as well as lastly, the university’s site.

Application procedure

Online application

Candidates can apply online through the CCSP site, filling out the application form after creating an account. This includes the following sections:

1. basic information;
2. education;
3. work experience;
4. linguistic abilities;
5. choice of universities;
6. research plan;
7. letter of introduction;
8. academic achievements and scholarships obtained;
9. reference letter;
10. uploading documents.

Sending the requiring documents by mail

Candidates must send all the required documents (in the case of the three-year and graduate diplomas and university grade transcript for the Ph.D. program in China Fellowship, it’s recommended that you only send the supplemental diplomas, since they won’t be given back to you) to the address:

Division of Sinology and China Studies, Confucius Institute Headquarters,
129 Deshengmenwai Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, China. 100088
汉学研究工作处，孔子学院总部/国家汉办，
地址：北京市西城区德胜门外大街129号，100088.

Timetables

Normally you can apply from September to February (the expiration for candidacy in 2019 was Chinese time). After registering on the site, you can monitor your application’s status in the reserved area.

It’s recommended to periodically check your email inbox (spam too) because, after evaluating your documentation, you should receive an email between the months of April and May to set an interview (in Chinese of course) via Skype. The final answer is given during the months of May and June.

Note: The online application is on Beijing time. All documents must be sent by mail before expiration.

Besides the HSK certification, you can also present almost any other Chinese certificate.

For applying to the Ph.D. in China Fellowship program, Masters students can apply even if they don’t have a Masters degree, just attach a transcription of the respective university grades.

Regarding scholarships, candidates will later have to transmit their Masters degree diploma.

If the candidate doesn’t have their HSK certificate at the moment, they’ll have to prepare to get one and send it before the program starts.

After choosing one or two representatives among the 16 universities it is strongly recommended to contact them to introduce yourself and tell them of your choice.

This way the professor might be willing to write a third letter of recommendation that the candidate could attach as an additional document during your candidacy, which would of course be a considerable contribution.

It is also possible to attach a letter of recommendation from an embassy or consulate in China.

When it comes to reference letters it is recommended, though not binding, to provide one from a Chinese professor and a foreign one. They also accept references written by graduate and doctorate students.

Skype interview

When you’re sent an email to set up an online interview you’ll be required to confirm that you’ve received the email, as well as the date and time of the interview (about 1 month after receiving the email), to add your Skype contact and give you access at least a half hour before on the day of the interview.

Once online, you’ll receive this brief message:

亲爱的同学，您好！请您在考试时间保持网络通畅，我将会提前15分钟再提醒您一次，然后提前5分钟联系您进行网络测试。面试开始后请用1-2分钟时间做一个自我介绍，自我介绍请围绕您的目前状况、教育背景、研究计划及研究成果展开，预祝您面试顺利！

Here’s the translation:

Dear student, hello! We ask that you stay online for the entire interview. We’ll re-contact you 15 and 5 minutes before the online interview to get your attention. At the beginning of the interview you are kindly asked to introduce yourself for about 1-2 minutes.

This should focus on your current situation, educational level, your research plan as well as your academic grades. We wish you the best on your interview!

After a brief self-introduction on the part of the candidate, the committee will take over talking.

The committee, made up of 2-3 professors will continue by asking more specific questions on your research plan and/or asking generic questions in the field. Please remember lastly that the candidate will receive their result in a little more than 1 month. On average the interview will last between 20-30 minutes.

3. “Understanding China” Fellowship

1. Visiting Scholar to China: offers teachers, researchers and doctorate students from non-Chinese universities the chance to do research in China along with Chinese researchers. The candidate cannot be a Chinese citizen.

2. Short-term visit: this is designed to finance a short stay to government officials, to educational and cultural entities, and non-government organizations.

3. Chinese Visiting Scholar: gives the opportunity to graduating Chinese students to take courses in economics, business, finance, law and Chinese culture in foreign schools. Winning students will then work in a Confucius Institute in a hosting state or one nearby.

4. Young Leaders Fellowship

This is a program that gives financial support for a stay in China to deserving youths who have a first level degree in the following fields: politics, economics, finance, law, education, culture, arts and the media.

Grad students and first level graduates who have a position within a student association in a non-Chinese university can also participate.

5. Publication Grant

This finances foreign students in the publication and translation of important monographs, doctorate thesis, or drawing up academic periodicals about studies in China. The candidate should not be a Chinese citizen.

6. International Conference Grant

This has the purpose of financing Confucius Institutes, universities, research institutes and students participating in university conferences on studies in China.

Note: If you have any doubts or questions, you can contact them via email at [email protected] oppure [email protected].

Biografy

I arrived in China in 2016 and, since then, I can’t manage to leave. I love calligraphy and Chinese fantastic tales, as well as lamien. I’m preparying to deepen my studies with a doctorate in ancient Chinese literature at the Fudan University in Shanghai. You can find me on LinkedIn.

Photo Credits: IOE at Global Confucius Institute Conference, Beijing by UCL Institute of Education