World Bank ACECoR Masters and PhD Scholarships 2020/2021 for young African Professionals

Application Deadline: September 30th 2020

The Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECoR) established under the World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence (ACE) for Development Impact Project and hosted by the Centre for Coastal Management, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, invites suitably qualified national, regional and international applicants into its MPhil and PhD degree programmes.

The overarching goal of ACECoR is to support technical capacity development of young African professionals to address issues of coastal degradation, as well as promote the sustainable utilization and management of marine and coastal assets within the sub-region.

ACECoR will carry out education and research programs in collaboration with academic institutions and industries at the national, regional and international levels to ensure a multi- and interdisciplinary approach to addressing coastal degradation across the sub-region.

The specific objectives of ACECoR are to:

• Enhance capabilities of young African scholars in the thematic areas of Coastal Geomorphology and Engineering, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Disaster Risk Management and Migration, Ecosystems and Biodiversity Science and Blue Economy, Governance and Social resilience.
• Provide demand-driven applied research data and innovation for relevant industries and sectors in above themes.
• Develop regional data support systems on marine and coastal issues.
• Create multi-sectoral networks for marine and coastal for integrated approach to resolving coastal degradation in West Africa.
• Provide career development for faculty through international exchange programme and in- service training.

Programme Descriptions

Master of Philosophy – MPhil

The ACECoR MPhil programmes are designed as intensive modular courses with a research component. Students admitted to the programmes spend a 12-month period of learning on course modules and another 12 months on research. Student research will be conducted under one or more of the five thematic areas of the ACECoR Project.

Doctor of Philosophy – PhD

The ACECoR PhD programmes are designed as 36-month intensive full-time research programmes. Students in the programme spend 24 months on field research and data collection and 12 months for organising and writing their thesis, including attending relevant seminars and conferences to gain critical knowledge and/or present preliminary research results. Student research will be conducted under one or more of the five thematic areas of the ACECoR Project.

The following ACECoR programmes are currently on offer

MPhil | PhD (Integrated Coastal Zone Management)

MPhil | PhD (Oceanography and Limnology)

MPhil | PhD (Fisheries Science)

The following programmes are under development and would be advertised in future

MPhil | PhD (Blue Economy)

MPhil | PhD (Coastal Engineering)

All ACECoR students are required to conduct their research in one or a combination of the five thematic areas of the Centre. Applicants whose research proposals focus on these areas stand a better chance of being awarded scholarships for their study programme at the University of Cape Coast.

• Blue Economy, Governance and Social Resilience
• Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
• Coastal Geomorphology and Engineering
• Disaster Risk Management and Migration
• Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Application Information

Applicants must qualify for admission to master’s and doctorate programmes at the University of Cape Coast. All programmes run at ACECoR are hosted in specific academic departments within UCC and have separate application procedures from the scholarship which is provided by the Centre. It is therefore important for prospective applicants to note that application into the programmes is independent from application for scholarship.

For the 2020/21 scholarship application process, applicants are not required to apply to UCC before applying for ACECoR scholarships. However, all successful applicants will have to complete the UCC admission process and be admitted to qualify for the award of scholarship.

To apply to ACECoR for scholarship, fill the online scholarship application form on the ACECoR website and upload the required documents. Omission of any of the documents will be deemed incomplete application and not considered.

Prepare these documents for your application.

• Confirmation page of application to UCC for the selected programme
• Certified true copies of academic certificates and transcripts
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Statement of Motivation
• Two (2) letters of recommendation (at least one from a former lecturer/supervisor)
• A 2-3 (for MPhil) or 3-5 (for PhD) page research proposal in the preferred area of research

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the World Bank ACECoR Masters and PhD Scholarships 2020/2021