Lowongan Kerja Master Scholarships in Environment, Biodiversity, and Ecosystems at Vrije Universiteit Brussel

These VUB-scholarships are NOT eliagible for the specialization ‘Human Ecology’ (applications through VLIR-UOS) and are NOT eligible for the ‘Master of Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management‘. Applications for this specialization can be done through VLIR-UOS.

• Number of scholarships: 5
• Programme eligible for scholarships: Master of Biology
• Application deadline : January 31, 2011
• Duration: 2 years, start 26 September 2011

Expenses covered by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel

1. Scholars participating in a Master Programme will receive a monthly allowance of 1.000 euro*. This allowance is intended to cover room and board, individual transport and scholar’s personal expenses.
2. A monthly allowance of 60 euro* will be paid for the spouse and per child whether or not they accompany the scholar to Belgium (notes: (1) payment only upon receipt of a notarised copy of marriage and/or birth certificate(s); (2) possible travel expenses incurred by the scholar’s family will not be covered by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel).
3. Per academic year the scholar will be paid a lump sum fee of 275 euro for teaching materials (including the printing of the dissertation or reports).
4. The scholar will be paid once a lump sum fee of 275 euro covering shipping costs of teaching material received during the programme (paid at the end of the programme).
5. Upon arrival, the scholar will receive a one-time installation fee of 500 euro.
6. International travel: the scholarship includes one one-way economy class airline ticket to travel to Belgium at the beginning of the programme and one one-way ticket to the scholar’s home country at the end of the programme. A two-year programme also includes a round-trip ticket for summer travel to the scholar’s home country. The reservations of the tickets are made by Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
7. Annual tuition fee will be reimbursed after payment by the scholar.
8. Insurance: the Vrije Universiteit Brussel will provide medical, third-party liability, accident and repatriation insurance for the scholar. Insurances are paid directly by Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
9. The scholar will receive a one-time preparation fee of 150 euro to cover visa costs.

*The amounts indicated in this publication may be adjusted in line with the Belgian indexation figures.

Remark

As stated above, the scholar will receive a monthly allowance for his/her spouse and per child even if they stay in their home country. We recommend that scholar’s families stay in their home country, since experience has shown that they often experience difficulties with living in Belgium, viz. being away from their other relatives and with no specific activities in which to get involved in. As mentioned above, scholars participating in a two-year course who pass their first year exams will receive an airline ticket allowing them to take home leave for holidays and if applicable, to undertake at the same time fieldwork or data collection for their second year dissertation.

If the scholar wishes to bring his/her spouse and/or children along, we strongly recommend that he/she first comes alone and brings his/her family to Belgium after he/she has found suitable accommodation, since this can sometimes prove difficult. More importantly, it will be almost impossible for his/her family to obtain a visa for Belgium if the scholar cannot prove that suitable accommodation for the family is available in Belgium prior to departure from the home country.

General Admission Requirements

The general criteria listed below have been drawn up by the Bureau for Development Cooperation of Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Programme and course supervisors decide upon specific selection criteria per programme.

• Only residents from selected developing countries are eligible for a VUB scholarship. This list is based on the List of Developing Countries situated in Africa, Asia and Latin-America from the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

South Africa and Cuba (Upper Middle Income Country) are also eligible for scholarships.

• Candidates must comply with the specific admission requirements for the programme they apply for.
• Calls for scholarships are made for specific Master and/or Advanced Master programmes. Candidates are allowed to apply only once a year.
• Candidates may not be older than 35 years of age at the moment of application.

Selection Procedure

A Scientific Committee, installed for each specific study programme eligible for scholarships, will evaluate the candidate’s academic qualifications and data provided through the application form. The committee will assess candidates’ eligibility for the programme and pre-select a number of candidates. All candidates will be notified of the outcome of this first selection phase.

Pre-selected applicants will be asked to send a complete file comprising original or original certified copies of the required official documents. These documents will be screened by the Admission Board of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel to check if they comply with admission requirements.

The Bureau for Development Cooperation takes final decision in the selection procedure, based upon scientific priority ranking and Admission Board’s approval. The selection is submitted for endorsement to the rector of the university.

Instructions for Applicants

Step 1: Submission of the application form

Applicants MUST use the requested application form.

• Application form
• Instruction on how to use the application form

No later than January 31, 2011 the thoroughly completed application form should be submitted.

You will have to upload several documents in this form:

• a passport photo
• a copy of your passport or valid ID
• a copy of your diploma’s and transcripts of records (grade sheets) translated to English or French
• You can already start by saving these documents on your hard disc. Please upload these documents one by one. Please pay attention to the instructions for recommendation letters (see below).

Recommendation letters

• Two r ecommendation letters have to be sent by the concerning authors by scan and mail to development.cooperation[at]vub.ac.be, with reference ‘Your name and first name, application for a VUB-scholarship’.
• If you have no time to complete the application form at once, you can always log in again (until the above mentioned deadline) and edit the pages that were not completed yet.
• Candidates who apply through this on-line form are applying for a scholarship as well as admission to the programme. There is no need to apply separately for an academic admission. The number of scholarships is limited and only the very best students will receive this grant. So it is possible that you will be granted academic admission without scholarship.

All applicants will be informed about the results of the pre-selection of their application by e-mail before February 28, 2011.

Remark

INCOMPLETE OR LATE APPLICATION FILES WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

Step 2: Submission of required documents (ONLY by pre-selected applicants) for details, please see the website http://www.vub.ac.be/english/infoabout/education/vubscholarships.html

Source:
http://www.vub.ac.be/english/infoabout/education/vubscholarships.html