The Kern Award Scholarship

The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues (University of Birmingham) offer a Master of Arts (MA) in Character Education. The MA Character Education programme is a part-time degree that is taught online (via distance learning) over a 3-year period, enabling those in full- or part-time employment to study alongside professional responsibilities. Teaching for the next cohort (2026/27) of students commences on 28^th September 2026.

The Jubilee Centre offers a tuition fee scholarship – The Kern Award Scholarship – to students from the U.S.A who are joining the programme in September 2026. The Kern Award is offered with the generous support of the Kern Family Foundation and covers the full tuition expense (all 3 years of study) for a select number of applicants. 

Who can apply?

To be eligible for the Kern Award Scholarship, applicants must;

• Be a U.S.A citizen or permanent U.S.A resident.
• Live and work in the U.S.A.

All students funded through the Kern Award attend an annual two-day residential (conference-style) event at a location in the U.S.A. At this event, students and graduates funded by the Kern Award attend teaching sessions and meet with fellow students and course tutors.

Eligible Countries

Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.A. and currently domiciled in the U.S.A.

How to Apply

There are two steps to apply for the Kern Award.

1. Applicants must apply and receive an offer to study on the MA Character Education. Applications are submitted via the University of Birmingham website page, here (see ‘Apply Now’). Within the application, you will be asked about funding. Please select ‘Other'.
2. Applicants must email Dr Paul Watts (MA Character Education Program Lead) to notify the Jubilee Centre of their intention to apply for the MA Character Education and Kern Award.

The Kern Award Scholarship will be offered to the strongest applicants who meet the eligibility criteria.

It is highly recommended that applicants outline the following in their application form:

• Professional (and personal) experience – what experience(s) do you bring to the programme?
• Passion, motivation and interest in the subject – why do you wish to study this degree? – how will studying this degree benefit you, your organisation and your community?

Further guidance on completing applications can be found here.

Once you have received an offer to study on the MA Character Education at the University of Birmingham, you will then be considered for the Kern Award Scholarship. A member of the Jubilee Centre team will write to you confirming the outcome of your application for the Kern Award. Please note that most applicants will be notified of the outcome in June/July 2026.