Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA) master s degree cholarships for Myanmar Candidates

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1 1. Background The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), through Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok, plans to provide master s degree scholarships for qualified Myanmar Nationals to study at Asian Institute of Technology (AIT). In this arrangement, 40+ master s degree scholarships per year (only if there are qualified candidates) are earmarked for 3 years, starting from August 2012 intake. NMFA prefers to have inclusive recruitments from different sectors in Myanmar. There is no reservation for preferred field of study, no quota for specific schools or specific sectors. Applicants can apply to any field of study available at AIT. As NMFA expects to see impact in short term, better chance for candidate who can demonstrate he/she will return and work in Myanmar after graduation from AIT. 2. Rationale for Support In light of the recent development in Myanmar, it is imperative that the development needs of the country be addressed. Higher education and research will provide such development support through enhanced human resource and strong capacity in the areas corresponding to the development needs of the country. The scholarship program will give access to higher education to the qualified Myanmar nationals from different sectors such as, but not limited to, public sector, political parties, civic organizations, ethnic communities, non-governmental organizations, and universities. Talented individuals who devote to return to Myanmar after graduation from AIT and contribute development of Myanmar shall also be welcome. While there is a great demand for skilled manpower, the opportunities for skills development through education and training are extremely limited. Many of the developing countries in Asia are still unable to provide their nationals with the necessary resources for higher education and training. In such context, scholarships are considered to be the most appropriate investments to develop human resources and strengthen institutional capabilities. 3. Objective The scholarships for Myanmar candidates aim to address the emerging need for capacity building, responding to the socioeconomic change in the country. Through higher education, qualified individuals will be equipped with knowledge, experience, and mindset relevant to the development needs of the country. 4. Master s Degree Program The Master s Degree program continues to be one of the cornerstones of AIT s renewed academic strategy towards sustainable development and good governance of the region with strong emphasis on the needs of the least developed countries. In order to carry this out, the provision of master degree scholarships continues to be the most important and effective tool to assist in human resources development and capacity building of the region. About NMFA scholarships for Myanmar Page 1 of 6

2 Norway will provide up to 120 scholarships for these AIT master s degree programs over 3 years starting from August Focus Areas The scholarships will be offered in any areas or fields of study relevant to the background and experience of the selected candidates. School of Engineering and Technology (SET) Civil and Infrastructure Engineering Group 1. Construction, Engineering and Infrastructure Management (CEIM) 2. Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering (GTE) 3. Structural Engineering (STE) 4. Transportation Engineering (TRE) 5. Water Engineering and Management (WEM) Industrial Systems Engineering Group 1. Mechatronics (MEC) 2. Microelectronics (MIC) 3. Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) 4. Nanotechnology (NT) Information and Communication Group 1. Computer Science (CS) 2. Information Management (IM) 3. Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (RS-GIS) 4. Telecommunications (TC) School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD) Bioresources Thematic Cluster 1. Agribusiness Management (ABM) 2. Agricultural Systems & Engineering (ASE) 3. Aquaculture & Aquatic Resources Management (AARM) 4. Food Engineering & Bioprocess Technology (FEBT) Development Studies Thematic Cluster 1. Climate Change and Sustainable Development (CCSD) 2. Gender & Development Studies (GDS) 3. Regional & Rural Development Planning (RRDP) 4. Natural Resources Management (NRM) 5. Urban Environmental Management (UEM) Energy and Environment Thematic Cluster 1. Energy (E) 2. Energy and Environment (EE) 3. Environmental Engineering and Management (EEM) 4. Pulp & Paper Technology (PPT) School of Management (SOM) Areas of Specialization 1. Finance (F) 2. Human Resource (HR) About NMFA scholarships for Myanmar Page 2 of 6

3 3. Marketing (M) 4. Entrepreneurship (E) 5. Technology Management (TM) 6. Public Management (PM) 7. Strategy (S) 8. International Management (IM) Interdisciplinary Programs 1. Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Management (DPMM) 2. Gender, Transportation and Development (GTD) 3. Offshore Technology and Management (OTM) 4. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) 5. Pre-Bridging and Bridging Program The Pre-Bridging and Bridging Program are designed to bridge gaps between their undergraduate academic work in their native languages and AIT s degree programs in which English is the medium of instruction. The Bridging Program also helps prepare students for graduate level academic programs and provides an orientation to the master s degree study, ensuring the students have a better chance in completing the AIT master degree. Some selected candidates may be required to participate in the pre-bridging program which will be provided at an AIT s partner institution in Myanmar for 4 weeks. Upon arrival to AIT, all candidates will again be required to enrol in a Bridging program at AIT for a period of 8 weeks maximum. 6. Scholarship Package This scholarship package will cover: a) Application Processing Fees b) Tuitions and Registration Fees for Pre-bridging (4 weeks in Yangon), Bridging (8 weeks in AIT), Master s Degree Programs (4 semesters in AIT) c) Monthly bursary and accommodation costs for Pre-bridging, bridging and master s degree programs d) Visa fees, medical insurance, book/printing/photo copy allowance, research grant (up to THB 40,000 per student at cost basis approved by academic advisor.) e) Return air ticket for Yangon-Bangkok-Yangon 7. Criteria for application To be eligible for admission to the regular master's program at AIT, an applicant must: 1. hold a Bachelor degree (normally from a four-year program), or its equivalent, in an appropriate field of study from an institution of good standing acceptable to AIT. 2. have undergraduate grades significantly above average; the minimum GPA About NMFA scholarships for Myanmar Page 3 of 6

4 requirement for admission to the master's program is 2.75 or equivalent at the Bachelor degree level. 3. preferably having relevant working experience in areas related to the field of study/program at AIT. 4. be committed to return to their respective work in Myanmar after graduation. 5. demonstrate basic proficiency in writing English before entry. The standard is a score of 4.5 on Academic Writing portion of the IELTS Test or 500 for a Paper-based TOEFL test. In case the applicant s English score is at the margin or a little below 4.5, AIT Language Specialist will assess and recommend for final admission on a case-bycase basis. IELTS 6.0 and above is required to graduate from AIT. 8. Recruitment Process and scholarships selection To make sure the relevant candidates are recruited through inclusive recruitments with the recommendation of different sectors, the following recruitment process shall be applied. Step 1: AIT shall assign in-country secretariat for annual recruitment process. Network Activity Group (NAG) has been assigned as AIT local scholarship secretariat for 2012 intake. Step 2: A voluntary Myanmar National Pre-screening Committee for Norwegian Scholarships shall be formed every year by AIT. Number of National Pre-screening Committee members may vary between 7-15 persons who can liaise or represent different sectors. Assigned in-country secretariat will act as the secretariat of National Pre-screening Committee. Step 3: Call for applications to apply to in-country secretariat. In order to be able to provide proper pre-bridging (4 weeks in Myanmar) and bridging (8 weeks in AIT) for successful applicants, application deadline will be 31 March 2012 for August 2012 intake. In addition to AIT admission requirements, each and every candidate requires to submit: a personal essay (3 pages) in Myanmar (Burmese) Language explaining the reason for applying to AIT and how they can contribute towards the future development of Myanmar in the short, medium and long term. Detial of required content and rating system shall be defined at the National Pre-screening Committee meeting. Applicants who already applied to AIT scholarships directly will be requested to submit their personal essay that is additionally required for this scholarship program. AIT is providing the AIT English Language test at Myanmar Egress which is recognized internally as equivalent to IELTS test. The AIT Local Scholarship Secretariat will provide more details about the English test. Step 4: National Pre-screening Committee, with the assistance of Secretariat, shall review and screen all applications. National Pre-screening Committee shall recommend the short list of applicants about 120 (at least 3 candidates for 1 scholarship i.e. 120 candidates for 40 seats) for Pre-selection workshops. About NMFA scholarships for Myanmar Page 4 of 6

5 Step 5: Candidates recommended by National Pre-screening Committee shall be invited to make individual presentation to the Pre-selection Interview Panel/Workshop conducted by AIT schools representatives from all 3 schools, representative(s) from AIT language center and AIT Norwegian Scholarships Coordination team members. National Pre-screening Committee members are also invited to join as panel members if he/she is available. Based on individual candidate s presentation, the panel shall produce a short-list of candidates (60-80 for 40 scholarships) and forward to AIT. Step 6: AIT schools will make decisions on final selection. Step 7: Admissions to AIT master s degree programs. There shall be equal opportunities for those with relevant working experience with average education background (acceptable by AIT s admission requirement) as well as those with excellent education background with limited or no working experience but dedicated to return and contribute development of Myanmar after their studies at AIT. 9. National Pre-screening Committee and expected input On an annual basis, AIT shall set up a National Pre-screening Committee for Norwegian AIT for Myanmar Nationals in coordination with local partners. To reserve privacy of committee memers for their professional input, the name list of National Prescreening Committee shall not be disclosed to public. The followings persons shall be invited to serve as National Pre-screening Committee members who can lisiase or represent: 1. state sector 2. legislative body 3. opposition parties or groups 4. civil society 5. think tank groups 6. ethnic groups 7. business organizations or professional associations 8. individuals those significantly contribute for the changes in Myanmar 9. one or more AIT alumni from Myanmar, with relevant experience, who familiars with AIT system as well as currently engaging with international/regional development activities 10. one or more AIT alumni who reside in Myanmar with experience in HRD and capacity building of Myanmar 11. AIT-Wetland Alliance Program (WAP) in Myanmar 12. AIT coordinating staff for AIT-Myanmar activities In case of one National Pre-screening Committee member may/can represent more than one role, total number of the committee may be reduced, but not smaller than seven (7) members. In case of necessary, AIT may invite more number of National Pre-screening Committee members, up to maximum of fifteen (15). About NMFA scholarships for Myanmar Page 5 of 6

6 In case, the committee member(s) may not be able to join all meeting(s)/interview panel(s)/workshop(s), his/her comment/contribution shall be collected via communications as well as through his/her personally delegated persons. Responsibilities/contribution of National Pre-screening Committee Members 1. Upon receiving the list of applicants together with individual essays forwarded by incountry local secretariat, each member of National Pre-screening Committee shall review essays and give a rating on individual applicants as per suggested criteria. 2. With the assistance of local secretariat, after the ratings are compiled, National Prescreening Committee shall recommend the short-list of applicants about 120 (at least 3 candidates for 1 scholarship i.e. 120 applicants for 40 seats) for Pre-selection workshops. 3. To participate, if required, as panel members at the Pre-selection interview panel/workshops together with representatives from AIT schools and language center. The workshop will shortlist candidates (i.e. 1.5 to 2 candidates for 1 scholarship seat) and forward to AIT for final selection/admissions. 10. Important Timeline for 2012 intake Time Frame Description/activity Remark 31 March Application deadline for Norwegian AIT for Myanmar 2012 AIT general application deadline for scholarship aid is 1 st May. 28 Apr-2May Inform pre-screen candidates to join workshop By in-country secretariat 3-4 May Pre-selection interview panel/workshop In Yangon 17 May Inform selected candidate to join Prebridging 21 May-15 Jun Pre-Bridging in Myanmar 4 weeks 16 June Arrival to AIT 18 Jun 10 Aug Bridging at AIT 8 weeks 13 Aug 2012 Class open for Aug 2012 intake Through in-country secretariat 11. In-country secretariat address AIT Local Scholarship Secretariat in Myanmar c/o Network Activities Group Head Office No. 70, Room (403/503), Yaw Min Gyi Condo Yaw Min Gyi St., Dagon Township, Yangon Tel: , ait.myanmar2012@gmail.com About NMFA scholarships for Myanmar Page 6 of 6