Recipients of Massey University doctoral scholarships will see a significant increase in the value of their scholarship from next year, due to a funding boost as part of the University’s strategic initiatives.
Four strategic initiatives were launched this year to ensure the institution excels in the increasingly competitive tertiary education sector, including accelerating key aspects of the new University Strategy and Research Strategy and increasing support for postgraduate research.
As part of the research strategic initiative, funding has been approved by the Senior Leadership Team that will result in the waiving of tuition fees for Massey University doctoral scholarship recipients enrolling from 2019, increasing each scholarship’s value by around $8000. This will take the total value of a Massey doctoral scholarship to $33,000 in stipend and fees for a full-time student.
Dean, research Associate Professor Tracy Riley says the scholarship increase is one of several changes to doctoral scholarships that will take effect next year as part of the newly-produced Scholarship Strategy that focuses on excellence and equity.
“Considerable work has been undertaken in the past year to refine and enhance our scholarship offer, all of which is aimed at increasing our support for students and boosting our research competitiveness in relation to other New Zealand universities,” Dr Riley says.
From next year, the University will offer doctoral scholarships to part-time doctoral students. Dr Riley says the move aligns with the University’s overall strategy, which promotes excellence alongside equity and places equal importance on pure and applied research.
“We know that 16 per cent of our current doctoral students are studying part-time and many of them choose to study part-time so they can continue to work in their chosen profession while pursuing their doctorate in applied subjects such as veterinary science or nursing.”
At the same time, the University will continue to award doctoral scholarships to those pursuing research in areas that are considered strategically important to the University.
Recipients of Massey University Vice-Chancellor’s Doctoral Scholarships also stand to benefit from the changes. From next year, the annual stipend will increase to $30,000, plus fees, for three-years of full-time study, making it the the highest value centrally-funded scholarship for doctoral students offered upon enrolment by any New Zealand university.