Postgraduate Courses for Professionals with Relevance to Developing Countries, DAAD Germany

From among the large number of postgraduate courses offered by German institutions of higher education, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) supports a carefully chosen selection of programmes which are of particular interest to junior executives from developing countries. These degree courses, which consist of one to two years of concentrated study, provide academically-trained young professionals in first leading positions from developing countries with the opportunity to engage in postgraduate education and training in their particular field or profession.

At present, postgraduate courses are offered in the following fields:

• Economic Sciences / Business Administration / Political Economics
• Development Co-operation
• Engineering and Related Sciences
• Mathematics
• Regional Planning
• Agriculture and Forest Sciences
• Environmental Sciences
• Medicine and Public Health
• Veterinary Medicine
• Social Sciences and Education and Law
• Media Studies

The courses are open to all eligible candidates. Applications are welcomed from professionals with personal financial resources, from those who are funded by their government or company, or from those who are recipients of financial support from internationalsponsoring organizations. In addition, a limited number of full and partial DAAD scholarships are available.

General Information about the Programme

• Postgraduate courses for young professionals from developing countries
• Duration: 12 to 24 months, depending on the particular institution, 36 months for PhD programmes
• Internationally recognised master’s degrees
• Includes German Universities and Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Science)
• Support of selected programmes with a variety of full or partial scholarships
• Funded by the BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development), but admission also open to self-financed participants or students financed through goverment or other sources
• Academic year 2013/2014

Prerequisites and Requirements

The typical scholarship holder

• Will come either from a public authority or a state or private company in a developing country and, as such, be engaged in the planning and execution of directives and projects with emphasis on development policies having a bearing on technological, economic or social areas
• Holds a bachelor’s degree (four years) in related subject
• Will have completed an academic degree with grades far beyond average and at least two years of related professional experience
• Is not older than 36 (for some courses the age limit is 32), respectively his/her academic degrees should normally not be older than six years. Concerning a possible age limit.

Language skills:

• For courses in German: DSH 2 or TestDaF 4; at time of application German skills at completed level A2 are required. In addition, German language courses at level A2 or B1 are highly recommended
• Exception: Candidates for some German-speaking courses need a very good command of German at time of application.
• Note: It is not possible to pass the required German language courses (DSH or TestDaF) without any basic knowledge in the German language, even with the preceding six months of intensive course in Germany
• For courses in English: IELTS (band 6) certificate or TOEFL (minimum score: 550 paper based, 213 computer based, 80 internet based)
• Note: Some courses may expect different level.

Proof of current work situation:
All applicants should state their current work situation at the time of application and submit a letter of reference from their employer(s), ideally guaranteeing re-employment after completion of the postgraduate course. A certificate of employment from the employer(s) should state the period of employment and inform about the applicant’s specific function and responsibilities during that time.

Statement of motivation:
Applicants must submit a statement of motivation explaining why they are interested in attending a particular postgraduate course with reference to their current employment.

Application formalities:
If you have no private financial resources or cannot obtain a scholarship from your government, company or an international organisation, you may apply for a DAAD scholarship – either full or partial. DAAD application forms are available from the German embassies or from the DAAD offices abroad or directly at the University or Fachhochschule.

Applications from Cameroon, Myanmar and Nigeria must be submitted via the German embassy.

Applicants from the People’s Republic of China are required to enclose two self-adressed address labels written in Chinese characters with their application documents.

Please note: Scholarships cannot be awarded without the official DAAD application form. Many courses, however, have their own forms, which must be submitted in addition to this. Applicants are requested to state whether they will be financing the desired degree course themselves or whether the course can only be taken with the assistance of a DAAD scholarship. Chances of admission to postgraduate courses will be greatly enhanced for academically qualified applicants with personal financial resources.

Applications via email will not be accepted.

Application deadlines for DAAD-scholarships:

• 31 July at the German embassies or at the DAAD regional offices (Please ask for possible modifications in your home country!) or
• 31 August at the DAAD section 431 in Bonn/Germany or
• 15 October at the respective universities in Germany. The application deadlines at the respective universities may vary from course to course. Please check the relevant deadlines in this booklet.

IMPORTANT: Late applications cannot be considered!

List of the required documents (in the stated order)

• DAAD application form (http://www.daad.de/imperia/md/content/en/deutschland/formulare/forschungsstipendium_en.pdf)
• Hand-signed CV (please use the europass template at http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/)
• Hand-signed letter of motivation (with reference to current occupation)
• Research exposé (if required by university)
• Academic letter/s of recommendation from your university; the letter must have a signature and office stamp and must be of recent date
• Professional letter/s of recommendation from your employer; the letter must have a signature and office stamp and must be of recent date
• Confirmation of employment from the employer in your home country (stating the applicant’s specific function and time of employment), and if possible, a guarantee of re-employment upon your return home
• Proof of language abilities: English – TOEFL or IELTS (Note: Institutional language tests will not be accepted); German – if available
• Certified copies of awarded academic degrees
• Certified copies of academic transcripts
• Certified copy of School Leaving Certificate

All papers must be submitted in identical duplicates. Applications which do not clearly state the desired degree course or which are not completed in full cannot be processed and will not be considered for the selection.

For each priority you have to send one application set, stating the course of your choice in order of priority.

For economic and environmental reasons, please avoid using sheet holders and plastic folders in your application. Thank you.

For more information, please visit official website: www.daad.de