The call for applications is open for the 2013 Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarships Programme. This programme provides opportunities for mid-career professionals to receive master’s degrees in development-related fields at renowned universities around the world.
A World Bank release said that priority will be placed on public sector employees, women, and people of disadvantaged backgrounds with a high potential to impact the development in their own countries after completion of their studies. Recipients must be nationals of a World Bank member country.
Candidates must have several years (4-5) of working experience and must commit to returning to work in their home countries after completion of their studies to apply their new skills to their countries’ development.
The scholarship is policy-focused; and does not support technical degrees, MBAs, or law degrees.
The scholarship is fully funded by the government of Japan, and covers airfare, travel allowance, tuition, monthly living stipend for a 1 or 2-year master’s programme.
The programme does not support studies in the applicant’s home country.
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent and be born after March 31, 1973. Eligible applications are assessed according to academic excellence, professional experience, and relevance of programme of study. Eligible applicants should propose a programme of study related to development at the master’s level, in fields such as economics, health, education, agriculture, environment, natural resource management, or other development-related subjects.
The application form together with all supporting documentation must be received by the deadline of March 31, 2013. Applications sent by fax or email are not accepted.
All of the eligibility requirements, selection criteria, suggested universities, and the PDF application form can be found on the World Bank web site: http://go.worldbank.org/6KLLM2C0Q0
Because the purpose of the programme is to build capacity in the developing countries, recipients are barred from working at the World Bank Group or IMF for three years after completion of their academic programmes.
The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarships Programme was established in 1987 at the World Bank, with funding from the government of Japan.
The programme awards between 230-300 scholarships annually and has awarded over 5,000 scholarships since 1987.
