Every year, the Swedish Institute hands out hundreds of scholarships to international students coming to Sweden to pursue master's studies. Some of these scholarships are reserved for early career professionals in developing countries whose talents are crucial for the sustainable development of their country of origin.
The scholarships, awarded under the Master Programme for Key Personnel in Developing Countries (MKP), target specific skills for specific nationalities. This year, several exciting new master's programmes focus on sustainable development. Here are some of them:
Design for Sustainable Development at Charlmers University of Technology.
In this programme, students are taught innovative design, but with the additional constraint that the result must be affordable, energy efficient, material efficient, and also environment friendly. Some courses are taught in coordination with African universities, and the programme aims to integrate design with development research.
Urban Forestry and Urban Greening at SLU, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
As cities continue to grow, green areas in urban settings become more valuable. This programme approaches urban green areas from the persective of landscape architecture and forestry, with the aim of creating a more sustainable and vivid society.
Maritime Law at Lund University
Sea routes are crucial to international trade and development. It is therefore important to train lawyers who are expert at all aspects of maritime law, as this programme does. Courses are held in cooperation with the World Maritime University, which is nearby.
Environmental Engineering at Luleå University of Technology
Environmental engineers are experts in sustainable development, able to analyse development issues from an ecological perspective. This programme teaches students about water supply systems, energy use, transportation in urban areas and waste handling systems for production and consumption.
Coastal Zone Management at Gotland University
Coastlines are an important source of wealth for countries via fishing, tourism and shipping. Developing coastal resources sustainably reduces the risk of pollution, erosion, and disappearing fish stocks. This programme looks at such issues, focusing also on the importance of regional and global cooperation.
If your country of origin makes you eligible for the Master Programme for Key Personnel in Developing Countries, do hurry, as the application deadline for most of the programmes is the beginning of February for non-EU citizens.
You can find the entire, updated list of eligible programmes and nationalities on this page.