Malta Government Scholarship Scheme for Foreign Students

Overview

Malta is witnessing a significant overall expansion in the higher education sector. In a knowledge-based economy, it is imperative to have a strong base of Masters and Doctorate programmes researching innovative and creative hypothesis that ultimately bring intellectual and economic growth to society.

High quality postgraduate education is of central importance to a number of objectives among others:

•The increase of research and development activity in Malta;
•The development of new academics and fields of study and research;
•An ever more highly skilled workforce;
•The precious impact and social benefit of groundbreaking discoveries.

Postgraduate education forms an increasingly important part of any country’s economic and social agenda. It is a key element in lifelong learning. For this purpose, the Malta Government Scholarships Post-Graduate Scheme for 2011 (MGSS-PG 2011) aims at providing more opportunities to promote further specialisation at higher levels of education particularly at a Masters and Doctoral level.


The key objectives of the MGSS-PG 2011 are to:


•assist exceptional applicants to pursue further levels of academic research;

•encourage and promote more participation at a postgraduate level of academic research, both locally and internationally;

•contribute towards research in identified areas of national priority;

•increase research activity at the University of Malta;

• increase the capacity and level of research, innovation and development activity in Malta.

Eligibility

1	In order to apply for the MGSS, an Applicant should by closing date of these Applications, that is 15 June, 2011:
	1.1	(a)	Be a Maltese citizen who has been residing in Malta for the past five (5) years. Provided that for the purposes of calculating this 5 year requirement, consideration shall not be given to such period of time during which such Maltese citizen has been residing outside Malta for study, health or work purposes or any other purpose which the Board may consider, or
		(b)	Be a Maltese Citizen who is a worker or self-employed person in Malta, or
		(c)	Be a national of an EU/EEA state or a family member of such EU/EEA national (as defined in LN 191 of 2007 and in LN 205 of 2004 respectively for EU and EEA nationals), provided that such person has obtained permanent residence in Malta in accordance with LN 191 of 2007 and in LN 205 of 2004 respectively for EU and EEA nationals, or
		(d)	Be a national of an EU/EEA state who is in Malta exercising his/her Treaty rights as a worker, self-employed person or person retaining such status in accordance with LN 191 of 2007; or
		(e)	Be a third country national who has been granted long-term residence status under LN 278 of 2006.
	1.2	Be applying throughout 2011 for either Masters Degree studies equivalent to MQF Level 7 (where the programme of studies exceeds two [2] years) or Doctoral Degree studies equivalent to MQF Level 8.
	1.3	Scholars who started their programme of studies on full-time basis (whether Masters or Doctoral) from 1st January 2010 onwards, may apply as well provided that during 2011, the applicant is in the second year of studies of either a Masters or Doctoral programme which is at least three (3) academic years long. The course has to be on full-time basis throughout. For the sake of clarity, the Masters or Doctoral programme cannot end before October 2012. In the case of Masters, if the programme of studies includes a Foundation Year or an academic year which helps the applicant to qualify for the Masters programme, such an academic year shall not be considered as part of the Masters programme. In the case of Doctoral programmes, the part of M.Phil studies is recognised to be part of the Doctoral programme.
	1.4	Applicant must not be in possession of a degree at the same level of that they are applying for (Applicants with doctoral degrees from the Faculty of Laws and Faculty of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Malta, are eligible to apply under this scheme, and shall apply for a Masters or a Doctoral level Scholarship).
	1.5	Hold by application deadline the following qualifications from a recognised Higher Education Institution:
		Applicants for Masters degree scholarships:
		• an Honours degree at EQF Level 6 of at least a second class standard, or • a post graduate qualification (excluding Masters) with a first general degree of at least a second class standard.
		Provided that Applicants with a General Degree of Grade 1 classification, for which no Honours Degree was available in Malta, can also apply.
		Applicants for Doctorate degree scholarships:
		• an Honours degree at EQF Level 6 of at least a second class standard, or • post graduate qualification (excluding Masters) with a first general degree of at least a second class standard, or • a Masters degree.
	Provided that Applicants with a General Degree of Grade 1 classification, for which no Honours Degree was available in Malta, can also apply.
-	Provisional applications will also be accepted from Applicants in their final year of studies who will receive their qualifications’ results after the closing date but by not later than 15 September 2011 at noon (Local Time).
-	It is the responsibility of Applicants, in possession of qualifications awarded by foreign Universities/Higher Education Institutions, to produce an evaluation report on comparability of qualifications issued by the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC) within the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family (as per Mutual Recognition Of Qualifications Act – Act XVIII of 2002). A copy of the said report issued by the MQRIC, or the designated authority in case of warrants, should be attached to the application, with the original presented at the interview. Applicants not in possession of this report may still apply, provided that they submit a copy of the report to the receiving MGSS Board as soon as it becomes available and in any case by not later than 15 September 2011.
		-	Applicants whose qualifications are obtained from a foreign University or Higher Education Institution listed on the website of MQRIC as Approved Institutions (http://www.mqc.gov.mt/mqric), are not required to produce the evaluation report on comparability of qualifications as long as the course is listed as one of the regular courses of the University.
-	Applications submitted by employees of the Public Service/Public Sector require the endorsement of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry concerned through the Head of the relative Department subject to written confirmation whether leave of absence for the duration of the course has been granted. Clause 14.3 of these regulations will apply to those with approved paid leave of absence for the duration of the course.
		-	An employee who has fees waived by the University or paid by any other source (whether public or private), and retains the salary during studies, is not eligible to apply under this scheme.
-	Applicants in possession of other national/ESF (or a combination of both) public grants or national/ESF/Commonwealth (or a combination) scholarships for the same course or programme shall be deemed ineligible for the MGSS scheme. In the event that an Applicant is granted a MGSS Scholarship and the Director for Lifelong Learning discovers, after the grant of such MGSS Scholarship, that the Scholarship Awardee had, at any point in time, whether prior to the award of the MGSS Scholarship, or after such award, accepted any such national/ESF public grant or national/ESF/Commonwealth scholarship, the Scholarship Awardee shall be liable to refund the Amount/s up to then granted to him/her in full, and this without prejudice to any other legal action which may be taken with this regard.
	Provided that any scholarships or any other supplementary grants awarded to the Scholarship Awardee shall be notified to and approved by the MGSS Board, whether such are awarded to the Applicant prior to the MGSS Scholarship or throughout the duration of the Scholarship. For the sake of clarity, any scholarships or supplementary grants awarded at any time to the Applicant in relation to the course of studies for which the Scholarship shall be granted shall be approved by the MGSS Board. Applicant should also consult Clause 14.5 and Sub-Clauses 14.5.1 and 14.5.2.
-	Applicants, who have not already commenced their studies, are expected to do so by 31 December 2011.

Types of Scholarships

-	The Malta Government Scholarships Post-Graduate Scheme shall support:
	(a)	Full-time Masters (exceeding twenty four [24] calendar months and up to thirty six [36] calendar months) or full-time Doctoral postgraduate courses (of up to forty eight [48] calendar months). Joint degrees or split-site programmes may be considered as long as documentation is provided indicating the lead degree awarding institution. See Clauses 4.1.2 and 4.1.3 for other conditions.
	(b)	Masters and Doctoral programmes offered on a part-time or distance learning basis shall be considered, provided that the duration of the course for Masters exceeds twenty four (24) calendar months but does not exceed sixty (60) calendar months and for Doctoral programme which does not exceed eighty four (84) calendar months. See Clauses 4.1.2 and 4.1.3 for other conditions.

Priority Areas of Study

-	In consultation with the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) it has been established that the following areas should be considered as High Priority Areas of Study. For the purpose of Article 13 (Value of Awards), the following are considered to be High Priority Areas of Studies:

• Aerospace	Aeronautics, aircraft maintenance and composite structures. Meteorological studies.
• Education:	Quality of curricula. Quality assurance. Specialisation in inclusive educational services and special needs. Educational Psychologists. Counsellors
• Environment:	Energy efficiency and alternative energy (solar energy, solar cooling, wind energy, bio-energy/biofuel, energy from waste and energy efficient buildings). Water (conservation of rainwater, consumption efficiency, regeneration of the aquifer and efficient desalination). Waste (Waste Rehabilitation Technologies). Soil erosion Marine Sciences, Marine Management, Maritime affairs and fisheries. Climate change. Physical sciences, in particular seismology and atmospheric monitoring.
• Crops and Food Biotechnology:	Food and water safety and Quality. Including production, packaging, testing and preserves. Increasing Nutritional Value and higher concentrations of known nutrients and disease-fighting compounds. Higher Quality Crops with Pathogen-resistant properties Better Packaging To Reduce Spoilage Reduced Health Risk of certain foods Research on crops for use in the production of fuels and plastics
• Health Biotechnology:	eHealth, telemedicine and bio-informatics as relating to local health, including diabetes, asthma, obesity, heart disease, cancer. Bio-imaging and nuclear medicine. Medical Devices. Clinical trials and pharma process development. Development of human genetics and geneaology databases to support clinical trials including, pharmacogenetics. Biotechnology particularly bio-generic production and contract research as a follow-on for generic pharma industry. GMO research and analysis. Health and Well Being Technologies including Alternative Medicine and Natural Remedies, Aromatherapy, Holistic Therapy’ (eg natural resources to overcome pains and aches using honey, olive extracts, herbs etc). Orthodontics.
• ICT:	Software development related to bridging technologies in security, hardware, telecommunications, health, marine and specialised applications. Software technologies related to hardware and other telecommunications equipment related to satellites, switches, GIS. ICT and security. Microelectronics. Hardware Software. Telecommunications and Satellite Software. Specialised applications such as GIS. R&D in the Marine Software industry.
• Digital Games Production:	Digital Entertainment including animation for movies, scientific displays, edutainment.
• High Value Added Manufacturing:	Digital manufacturing. High tech materials. Nanotechnology. Production Design.
• Social science & Humanities:	Science education and popularization. Science-society studies. S & T curricula. Research and innovation policy. Innovation Economics and econometrics. Research and Innovation Statistics. Knowledge transfer. Intellectual property management. Technology entrepreneurship.

-	The MGSS Board may further receive recommendations from the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family with regards to the list of Priority Area of studies according to national needs and criteria. This will be incorporated in the selection criteria to be used by the MGSS Board.

Tenure and Placement

1	Awards are tenable at any local or international university or higher education institution for a specific programme of study or research. Only those institutions recognised by the Maltese authorities shall be taken into consideration by the MGSS Board.
2	It shall be the responsibility of Applicants, applying for qualifications awarded by foreign Universities/tertiary education institutions, to produce an evaluation report on comparability of qualifications issued by the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC) within the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family (as per Mutual Recognition Of Qualifications Act – Act XVIII of 2002). A copy of the said report issued by the MQRIC, should be attached to the application, with the original presented at the interview. Candidates not in possession of this report may still apply, provided that they submit a copy of the report to the receiving department as soon as it becomes available and in any case by not later than 15 September 2010 at noon (Local Time).
	-	Applicants whose course is at a foreign University or Higher Education Institution listed on the website of MQRIC as Approved Institutions (http://www.mqc.gov.mt/mqric), are not required to produce the evaluation report on comparability of qualifications as long as the qualification was obtained after following a regular course of study.
	The MQRIC may be contacted as follows: Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC) 16/18 Tower Promenade, St. Lucia, SLC 1019 Tel. No.: (+356) 2754 0051 Fax No.: (+356) 2180 8758 E-mail: mqc@gov.mt

All correspondence is to be addressed to: The Secretary Malta Government Scholarships Scheme Board Room 415, Directorate for Lifelong Learning Great Siege Road, Floriana, VLT2000. Malta Tel. No.: (+356) 2598 2250 / 2598 2230 Fax: (+356) 2598 2123 E-mail: pgscholarships.meef@gov.mt Website: www.education.gov.mt/mgss.htm

Application Forms

-	Applicants are invited to apply using the appropriate Application Forms which are available from the Customer Care Office, Directorates for Education, Great Siege Road, Floriana, VLT2000, or online from the following link http://www.education.gov.mt/mgss.htm.
-	The Applicant shall complete in full and sign one application formand submit it to the MGSS Board together with the following: i) Four (4) copies of the Applicant’s University/College transcripts (detailed); ii) Four (4) copies of the unconditional letter of acceptance from the University applied for (see Clause 8.2 if such unconditional letter of acceptance is not available by application deadline); iii) One (1) original and three (3) copies of the Appendix (ie the Proposal) iv) One (1) copy of the MQRIC evaluation reports (where applicable); v) One (1) copy of Identity Card; vi) In case of Applicants with disability one (1) copy of the special identity card issued by KNPD (Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b’Dizabilita`) vii) In the case of Applicants going through a period of special circumstance, documentation is to be presented to support their special circumstance.
-	The MGSS Board shall penalise Applicants who fail to submit a proper Proposal with the Application Form.
-	Three (3) Reference Letter forms for academic referees are to be sent by the Applicants to their respective referees of their choice, who in turn should send the completed form (and any other reference letter they may wish to submit), in a sealed envelope to: The Secretary Malta Government Scholarships Scheme Board Room 415, Directorate for Lifelong Learning Great Siege Road, Floriana, VLT2000. Malta Tel. No.: (+356) 2598 2250 / 2598 2230 Fax: (+356) 2598 2123 E-mail: pgscholarships.meef@gov.mt Templates of these forms may be collected from the Customer Care Office, Directorates for Education, Great Siege Road, Floriana, VLT2000 or downloaded from the websitewww.education.gov.mt/mgss.htm.
-	Applications for scholarships are required to arrive at the: Customer Care Services Directorates for Education Great Siege Road Floriana. VLT2000, Malta. Tel. No.: +356 2598 2463 Free Phone: 1571
-	Late applications shall not be considered by the Malta Government Scholarships Scheme Board.
-	All Applicants are to request an acknowledgement for receipt of application from the receiving office if the form is submitted by hand. Alternatively, applications sent by mail are to be sent by registered post. The Applicant has to ensure that the application is received by the respective deadline. The MGSS Board nor the Directorate for Lifelong Learning assumes any responsibility for Applications not sent by registered mail.
-	The application deadline is Wednesday 15th June 2011 at noon (Local Time).

Value of Awards

-	Value of award for full-time Masters Programme in Malta or outside Malta:
	• For Masters Courses provided by a recognised University, the Scholarship grant will be Euro 6,000 per annum, provided that for courses listed in Clause 6.1 as falling under Priority Areas of Study,additional funds may be allocated by MGSS Board if proof is provided by the Applicant that the Tuition fee exceeds Euro 6,000 per annum. The additional funds that may be allocated cannot exceed Euro 7,000 per annum, that is, the total Scholarship cannot exceed the sum of Euro 13,000 per annum. The additional funds will be limited to cover pro-rata that part of Tuition Fee that exceeds Euro 6,000 per annum. • Applicants will be expected to follow courses exceeding two (2) years up to a maximum of thirty six (36) calendar months may be considered by the MGSS Board.
-	Value of award for full-time Doctoral Programme in Malta or outside Malta:
	• For Doctoral programmes provided by a recognised University, the Scholarship grant will be Euro 8,500 per annum, provided that for courses listed in Clause 6.1 as falling under Priority Areas of Study,additional funds may be allocated by MGSS Board if proof is provided by the Applicant that the Tuition Fee exceeds Euro 8,500 per annum. The additional funds that may be allocated cannot exceed Euro 13,500 per annum, that is, the total Scholarship cannot exceed the sum of Euro 22,000 per annum. The additional funds will be limited to cover pr-rata that part of course fee/s that exceeds Euro 8,500 per annum. • The above mentioned additional funds may be allocated during the first three (3) years of Doctoral programme if Applicant holds a Masters Degree at the beginning of this programme OR may be allocated during the second, third and fourth year of studies of Doctoral programme if Applicant does not hold a Masters Degree at the beginning of this programme. No additional funds may be allocated during the other years. • The MGSS Board may allocate additional funds to two (2) successful Scholarship Awardees if part of the research is undertaken at a Research Institute approved by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST). The research has to be approved by the University as part of the programme of studies undertaken by the Scholarship Awardee and endorsed by the same University. The research must be related to one of the Priority Areas of Study as listed in Clause 6.1. The additional funds that may be allocated cannot exceed Euro 13,500 per annum, that is, the total Scholarship cannot exceed the sum of Euro 22,000 per annum. The amount of additional funds allocated to the Scholarship Awardee will be determined by the MGSS Board and the MCST. The Ranking Order published by the MGSS Board will be used to determine the two (2) successful awardees for this award on research. • Applicants will be generally expected to follow programmes lasting not more than three (3) years. However programmes of a longer duration up to maximum period of four (4) years will be considered by the MGSS Board. • The MGSS Board may consider under exceptional circumstances to extend by a further 12 months the period of completion of the studies in the case of studies leading to a Doctoral Degree. If this extension is granted by the MGSS Board, the scheme does not allocate any funds during this extension.
-	Value of award for part-time or distance learning Masters programmes in Malta or outside Malta:
	• For Masters Courses provided by a recognised University through distance learning or on a part-time basis, the Scholarship grant shall be Euro 6,000 for the entire duration of the course. The grant shall be split in equal instalments over the whole duration of the course.
-	Value of award for part-time or distance learning Doctoral programmes in Malta or outside Malta:
	For Doctoral courses provided by a recognised University through distance learning or on a part-time basis, the Scholarship grant will be Euro 12,000 for the entire duration of the course, provided that for courses listed in Clause 6.1 as falling under Priority Area of Study,additional funds may be allocated by MGSS Board if proof is provided by the Applicant that the Tuition Fee exceeds Euro 12,000 for the entire programme. The additional funds that may be allocated cannot exceed Euro 13,000 for the entire programme, that is, the total Scholarship cannot exceed the sum of Euro 25,000 for the entire programme. The additional funds shall be limited to cover pro-rata that part of the Tuition Fee that exceeds Euro 12,000 for the entire programme. The grant shall be split in equal instalments over the whole duration of the course.

Further Information

For further queries, please contact: The Secretary Malta Government Scholarships Scheme Board Room 415, Directorate for Lifelong Learning Great Siege Road, Floriana VLT2000, Malta. Tel. No.: (+356) 2598 2250 / 2598 2230 Fax No.: (+356) 2598 2123 E-mail: pgscholarships.meef@gov.mt Website: www.education.gov.mt/mgss_pg.htm

Downloads

	MGSS 2011 Post-Graduate Courses Regulations
	MALTA GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME LETTER OF REFERENCE
	MGSS 2011 Post-Graduate Courses Application Form

Please quote Scholarization.blogspot.com on your application when applying for this scholarship

Other Recommended Scholarships

Join us and fill in the form below with your email address to get free scholarship information:

Privacy Guarantee: we will not share your personal information with anyone.