UK Scholarships

Open Society Institute - Budapest, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Staffordshire University Business School Scholarship Scheme for Students from Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro

MA in Economics for Business Analysis

Notes for Guidance
Aims:

The Open Society Institute, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Staffordshire University Business School jointly invite applications from university graduates with outstanding academic qualifications for ten scholarships on the MA in Economics for Business Analysis programme at Staffordshire University. The aim of this joint scholarship scheme is to assist 'capacity building' in the region by speeding up the training of professional economists needed in the process of transition to a democratic market economy. The scheme will enable young university graduates to pursue postgraduate studies in Economics in the United Kingdom with a view to returning to and working in the region after completing the programme.

Operation of the Scheme:

In the academic year 2003-2004 the scheme will be offered to candidates from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro. There are ten scholarships available in this round. The scheme offers the opportunity for the beneficiaries to study for a period of 13 months at Staffordshire University. The beneficiaries must undertake to return to the region for at least two years after the completion of their study programme.

Duration of Scholarships:

The scheme consists of two parts: an intensive MA preliminary course (mid-July 2003 to mid-September 2003) followed by the main Masters programme (September 2003 to August 2004). The preliminary course consists of four intensive modules: (macroeconomics, microeconomics, statistics and English for academic purpose) to ensure that all candidates have the necessary experience and knowledge of the subject. The second part, the main MA course, consists of two semesters of coursework (with four modules in each semester) followed by a dissertation written under the supervision of a member of staff. For further details of the programme, including the syllabi of the modules, please see the MA programme web-site.

Financial Details:

OSI and the FCO will cover the cost of travel between the home country of the candidates and Stoke-on-Trent (including the cost of obtaining a UK visa) and provide them with a maintenance grant (of £505 per month in 2003~2004) and a book allowance (of £200) during their stay in the United Kingdom. OSI, FCO and Staffordshire University will jointly cover the tuition fee, health insurance coverage (if necessary) and the cost of supervision on the MA. Staffordshire University will cover the cost of the intensive MA preliminary course.


Eligibility:

Applicants should:

  • Be citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo or Montenegro at the time of applying for the scholarship;
  • Hold a first degree (the equivalent of a BA degree) with good grades in economics or related disciplines;
  • Be under 35 years of age;
  • Be able to demonstrate their knowledge of English by passing a TOEFL (ITP) or IELTS test at an appropriate level by the time of taking up the scholarship; or by other means (such as having completed an academic programme in English at another institution).
  • Preference will be given to candidates working in Universities, Higher Schools, research institutions and the public sector.
  • Preference will be given to candidates who are likely to make a significant contribution to the economic development of their country.


Application Procedure:

Applicants must complete the joint OSI-FCO-Staffordshire University application form and submit it together with a number of additional documents, to one of the addresses specified therein.

Application forms may be obtained from: the local Soros Foundation office in Sarajevo, Podgorice and Prishtina or from: Miss Carol Byron, Research Administrator, Staffordshire University Business School, Postgraduate Centre, Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 2DF, U.K (email: c.byron@staffs.ac.uk). A copy of the Application form can be found at the end of this document. The electronic version of the document is available at:

http://www.staffs.ac.uk/schools/business/research/research.html

The application documents may be either typed or hand-written in dark ink. Copies (not the originals) of university diplomas and transcripts (list of subjects studied and the marks or grades obtained) must be enclosed with the application. The English translation of documents is not necessary at this stage. If candidates are accepted, they will subsequently be required to present the original documents with official translation for verification when they first arrive at Staffordshire University. Application forms, and two reference letters, must arrive at the local Soros Foundation office or the University, personally or by post or fax by Friday 24th January 2003.

Selection Procedure:


All applications will be sent to Staffordshire University Business School by the local Soros Foundation office. They will be considered by a selection committee who will prepare a short list of applicants to be invited for interview. Short-listed candidates will be notified by the second week of March 2003 and will be invited for interviews and, if necessary, the English language test. The language tests will be conducted at the end of March at the local Soros Foundation office and interviews will be arranged in early May 2003.

The final decisions as to which applicants will be offered scholarships will be made after the completion of all interviews. It is expected that applicants will be informed of the final decision by the middle of May 2003. Successful applicants are expected to arrive in Stoke on Trent by mid-July 2003.

Further Information about Staffordshire University:

Further information on Staffordshire University and the Business School may be obtained by visiting the University's Web Site and the Business School's homepage.

Candidates may also contact Miss Carol Byron, by telephone, fax or e-mail if they have any further queries about the operation of the scheme.

Direct line: 0044-1782-294258 Fax: 0044-1782-295808 E-mail: C.Byron@staffs.ac.uk

You can download the application form here.

For further details and an application please contact the appropriate scholarship program coordinator at the national foundation in your home country.