If my article in the November edition of Globetrotter was dedicated to high school students who wish to attend college abroad, this one is intended for university students thinking about pursuing graduate-level degrees away from home. The focus is again on programs and institutions that provide full financial support for tuition and living expenses.
1. Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees
The European Union (EU) is eager to sponsor intelligent and motivated students in their academic pursuits, so they have created a list of dozens of international and multidisciplinary master’s programs, which range from chemistry to economics and from law to marine science. These programs are not offered by a single university, but rather by a consortium of academic institutions, which allow the students to move between campuses and, in most cases, be awarded a joint master’s degree. Scholarships are available for both EU citizens and students from “Partner Countries”, which pretty much means everybody who is not from the EU. They cover tuition fees and give you a stipend to cover your living expenses. Some applicants may be eligible for travel grants and installation cost coverage as well. The application process typically starts some time in fall and ends in early winter, but this may vary from program to program. If you are a self-funded applicant, you can usually apply at a later date.
2. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
This is a graduate-level university established in 2009. They offer Master’s and PhD programs in different subfields of biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and computer science, all of which are primarily focused on research. There are more than 140 faculty member, who can potentially become your advisors, and the research facilities are commonly referred to as “some of the best in the world”. You may think that you cannot possibly live in Saudi Arabia, but you should know that the campus does not at all resemble what you may see on television or read in the news. People can dress freely, women are allowed to drive, the campus has all the possible amenities you can imagine, including a movie theater, several recreation centers and libraries, a bowling hall, a beach, a diving center, and even its own clinic. If you get selected to study at this university, you will be offered free tuition and housing, health insurance, a very generous fellowship, which is tax-free, and free access to all the facilities. Do not let yourself be turned away by the prejudice.
3. PhD degrees the US and Canada
You surely know that studying in the US or Canada is very expensive because of the high tuition fees and cost of living. If you are a PhD candidate in science or engineering, however, many institutions will offer you financial packages that cover the fees and allow you to live a semi-comfortable life. The conditions of this support vary, though, and it is wise to know where your support is coming from. Sometimes, you department may sponsor you and not demand anything in return except taking your courses and conducting research. In many cases, however, you will be expected to teach, proctor and grade, which can be a huge burden since you also need to make progress in your research projects at the same time. On the contrary, if your goal is to become a professor later on, you may greatly appreciate the teaching opportunities. If you join a lab that has sufficient funding, you may never have to do any teaching or research assistantships. All things considered, what looks like a great scholarship may entail duties outside of your projects, so make sure you are familiar with terms and conditions of any scholarship letter you may be awarded. Lastly, if you are looking for a Master’s degree, you will almost always have to seek outside funding. The same goes for areas such as medicine, dentistry and law, which are all considered graduate degrees in the US/Canadian education system.
If you are looking to study in a particular country or region, you will have to carefully survey the websites of the programs you are interested in as they may have funding, which is not advertised anywhere else. This can be a very time-consuming task, but it can pay off. Using this nitpicking approach, I found scholarships for science disciplines at K.U. Leuven (Belgium), for molecular biology at the University of Göttingen and Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (Germany), and for any master program at the University of Bern (Switzerland). Start early, plan well, choose wisely and you are bound to succeed!
