Education & the RHS
Scholarships
The Martin McLaren Horticultural Scholarship & Garden Club of America Interchange Fellowship
This offers financial aid towards a year of study in fields related to horticulture, botany, landscape architecture and environmental studies.
This programme is an exchange, sponsored jointly by the Martin McLaren Memorial Trust in the UK and by the Garden Club of America (GCA) in the US, and administered and part-funded in the UK by the RHS. It enables a British graduate to attend the first year of a Master's course at an American university as the GCA's 'Interchange Fellow'.
An American student spends a year working and studying at leading horticultural centres in the UK.
The association of the Interchange Fellowship with the RHS provides the opportunity for the American scholars to make a wide variety of contacts through the longstanding wealth of experience that the RHS has established within British and international horticulture.
The Martin McLaren Horticultural Scholarship
The Scholarship was founded in 1948 and renamed in 1986 when the Martin McLaren Memorial Trust agreed to support it financially. Martin McLaren was a grandson of the first Lord Aberconway of Bodnant and a great-nephew of Gertrude Jekyll. His widow Nancy was Chairman of the Scholarship from 1986 to 1996 and continues as Vice-Chairman.
The fellowship year
The Interchange Fellow attends the first year of an American university's master's programme. A list of the universities from which the Fellow can choose will be available at interview and advice will be given to the successful candidate on selecting the place of study. Please note that it is not usually possible to gain an American Master's degree in one year. However, students have often procured funds from elsewhere in order to complete the course.
In addition to the course of study, the Fellow is expected to attend a number of meetings of the Garden Club of America and will be asked to give occasional talks on his/her work, the United Kingdom, British gardens, or other topics of interest. Garden Club members always give the Fellow a warm welcome, offering hospitality on arrival and at weekends and on national holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.
The Fellow is expected to submit a mid-year and an end-of-year report to the RHS, for possible publication in the Society’s journal, The Garden.
The award
The award covers: return travel to the USA; a pre-departure allowance to cover incidental expenses; tuition and accommodation at an approved American university, and a personal allowance for the academic year. Any additional funds for personal expenses exceeding the amount of the award are supplied by the candidate.
Eligibility
The Fellowship is open to British graduates with a degree in Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, Botany or similar subjects. Final-year students expecting to graduate in the summer may also apply. Applicants must normally be no more than 27 years of age at the time of application.
The scholarship is for a single unaccompanied person. The successful candidate must be able to depart for the USA in August.
Application and selection
Download an Adobe Acrobat pdf application form (291KB)
Alternatively, write to: The Scholarship Administrator, School of Horticulture, RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB; tel: 01483-212380; e-mail: mclarenscholarship@rhs.org.uk.
Applications, accompanied by references, must be returned to the RHS by 15 November each year. Interviews will be held at the end of November in London and finalists will be requested to attend the interview at their own expense. The successful candidate must sit the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) General Test, which is a requirement for all applications to universities in the US. Sample tests will be available and advice will be given on making university applications.
American university prospectuses can be viewed at the US/UK Educational Advisory Service, The Fulbright Commission, 62 Doughty Street, London WC1; www.fulbright.co.uk; tel: 020 7404 6994.
All travel arrangements to the United States are made by the RHS, and an allowance is made to cover expenses such as GRE exam and registration fees, insurance and excess luggage. The student is responsible for acquiring passport, student visa or other documentation with accompanying medical requirements, photographs etc.
The Garden Club of America
The Garden Club of America is a national organisation of clubs across the United States with more than 15,000 members. Founded in 1913, it has become a recognised leader in the fields of horticulture, conservation, historic preservation and civic planning. Education in these areas is a prime objective. Individual clubs have established nature centres, organised lectures on horticulture, environmental protection and conservation, and supported major flower show and civic improvement projects. The Interchange Fellowship is one of many scholarships awarded by the Garden Club each year.
The Martin McLaren Horticultural Scholarship in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society