Applications available for Muskie Program

Moldovan university graduates can file applications for the 2012 cycle of the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program by November 2, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a press release from the International Research and Exchange Board (IREX) The Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State, which is administered by IREX. It was established by the United States Congress in 1992 to encourage economic and democratic growth in Eurasia. The Muskie Program is open to graduate students and professionals from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan for one-year non-degree, one-year degree, or two-year degree study in the United States. In order to be eligible for the 2012 Muskie Program, applicants must currently reside in their country of citizenship. All fellows selected by contest will attend classes full-time for one to two years and will be required to create and implement a project related to their professional interests that benefits the local community. Fellows will also be required to participate in a full-time summer internship after their first academic year, and in a virtual exchange program between citizens of the U.S. and the native country. The fellowship provides J-1 visa support, round-trip travel from fellows’ home cities to their U.S. host institutions, university tuition and mandatory university fees, accident and sickness coverage, monthly allowance for living expenses, limited book allowance, limited allowance for professional enrichment activities, and a wide variety of alumni networking and training opportunities. Eligible fields of study for the Muskie Program are: business administration, economics, education, environmental management, international affairs, journalism and mass communication, law, library and information science, public administration, public health, and public policy. Paper applications, including all supporting documents, are due to the IREX office in Moldova by November 2. Electronic applications are available on www.irex.org . The eligibility criteria and participation requirements are stated in the application form.