Application Deadline: Varying by Institution
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 of particular interest to junior executives from developing countries.
These degree courses, which consist of one to two years of concentrated study, provide young, academically-trained professionals in 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 Cooperation
•Engineering and Related Sciences
•Mathematics
•Regional and Urban Planning
•Agricultural and Forest Sciences
•Natural and Environmental Sciences
•Medicine and Public Health
•Social Sciences, Education and Law
•Media Studies
The courses are open to all eligible candidates. Applications are welcome 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 international sponsoring organi-sations.
In addition, a limited number of full DAAD scholarships are available. The DAAD only awards these scholarships for postgraduate courses supported in this funding programme.
Postgraduate courses for young professionals from developing countries
•Internationally recognised Master’s and PhD degree•Duration: 12-24 months for Master (depending on the particular institution) and 36 months for PhD
•Includes German Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences
•Support of selected programmes with a variety of scholarships (including German language courses)
•Funded by the BMZ (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development),but admission also open to self-financed participants or students financed through government or other sources
•Academic year 2020/2021
Selection criteria and procedures for DAAD scholarship recipients ensure that:
•priority target candidates have proven, development-related motivation and can be expected to make full use of their scholarship and education by taking on social responsibility later in their careers, acting as agents of change who stimulate and support development in their personal and professional surroundings (motivation, commitment to development),
•the candidates have the professional and academic qualifications necessary to ensure suc-cessful completion of the degree programme in Germany (final scores on previous academic examinations, language skills),
•women and candidates from disadvantaged groups who meet the required academic and professional standards and show proven commitment to development-related issues are especially targeted for programme admission.
The Typical Scholarship Holder:
•Works either for a public authority or a state or private company in a developing country and, as such, is 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 (normally four years) in a related subject.
•Has completed an academic degree with far above average results (upper third) and at least two years of related professional experience after the first degree (bachelor) at the time of application.
•His/her academic degrees should normally not be more than six years old.
Required Documents for a DAAD scholarship application (in the following order):
•Signed DAAD application form with current date (https://www.daad.de/medien/deutschland/stipendien/formulare/forschungsstipendium_en.pdf)•Personally signed CV (please use the sample europass form at http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/) with current date•Personally signed Letter of Motivation (with reference to current occupation and choice of postgraduate programme(s), two pages maximum) with current date.
•IMPORTANT: When applying for more than one postgraduate course (maximum 3 courses), you have to submit one motivation letter explaining why you are applying for these specific courses and why you chose that priority.
•Academic Letter/s of Recommendation from your university; the letter must have a letterhead, signature and official stamp and must be of current date (not in a sealed envelope)•Letter of recommendation from your current employer; the letter must have letterhead, a signature and official stamp and must be of current date (not in a sealed envelope)
•Certificate(s) of Employment from the employer(s) that proof a minimum of two years of rele-vant working experience (after the bachelor degree) at the time of application and if possible, a guarantee of re-employment from your current employer upon returning home.
•Pro of of Language Skills: English – IELTS or TOEFL (Note: The institutional TOEFL is not accepted) German – required for courses taught in German
•Copies of Academic Degrees (certified translation if necessary)
•Copies of Academic Transcripts, incl. grading-scale (certified translation if necessary)
•Applicants from the People’s Republic of China are asked to submit an APS Certificate with their application documents.Note: Some courses may require additional documents.
For detailed information, please see the relevant course description on the following pages and on the respective websites.
Application and Selection Procedure
•Step 1:You send your complete application directly to the according postgraduate course.
•Step 2:A selection committee suggests potential candidates for a DAAD scholarship. •Step 3:The suggested candidates will be contacted by DAAD to upload their complete application to the DAAD Portal.
•Step 4:The selection process will be finalized and the suggested candidates will be informed accordingly
IMPORTANT:Make sure that you have a copy of each document of your application ready, as those documents (as PDF files) have to be uploaded to the DAAD Portal in case you are suggested for a DAAD scholarship!
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the DAAD Development-Related Postgraduate Scholarships