NFP - fellowships for master's degree programmes 2006 (Holland)

Introduction
The Netherlands� higher education sector offers a large number of international master�s degree programmes. They cover almost every field of study, allowing candidates to receive a postgraduate education and to earn either a Master of Arts degree, a Master of Science degree, or a Professional Master�s degree. A Master of Arts or a Master of Science degree is an academic degree, usually awarded by traditional universities on completion of a postgraduate research-oriented course of one to two years in duration. A Professional Master's degree is awarded by different types of institutes of higher education and focuses on more professionally-oriented teaching programmes.
Professional Master�s degrees are usually of shorter duration than a research-oriented Master's degree programme.
The duration of the programmes varies between 9 and 24 months. The fellowships, which are granted for the duration of the programme, cover the tuition fees plus the costs of international travel, subsistence, books, and health insurance.
Eligibility
An applicant for an NFP fellowship for a master�s degree programme must:
� be a national of and working in one of the 57 developing countries on the list;
� have been unconditionally admitted by a Dutch institution to one of the master�s degree programmes on the course list. This means that the applicant must have met all the requirements set by the Dutch institution;
� have completed an NFP Master�s Degree Programme Application Form and have submitted all the required documentation to the Netherlands embassy or consulate;
� be nominated by the employer, who pledges to continue payment of the employee�s salary and to hold a job open while the employee is pursuing the Master's degree programme. It may be acceptable if the employer states that at least part of the salary will continue to be paid, and that the organization complies with all the other formal NFP requirements if the fellowships is awarded. It should be realized, however, that NFP allowances are not sufficient to support family members, either in the home country or in the Netherlands;
� provide statements explaining the motivation of both the applicant and the employer;
� not be employed by a large industrial, commercial and/or multinational firm;
� offer evidence of proficiency in speaking and writing the language of instruction. Candidates who have received their education in any language other than English must provide evidence in the form of a score in an internationally recognized test such as IELTS (a score of at least 6.0) or TOEFL (a score of at
least 550 points on the paper-based test). An exception to this rule is made for candidates who have received their education in the English language, and candidates who have attended a course or programme with a Dutch educational institution before, but no longer than four years ago;
� be available for the entire period of the programme and be physically and mentally able to take part in the entire programme;
� declare that they will return to their home country immediately after the study programme has ended.

For more information go to: http://www.nuffic.nl