Study and Scholarships Info in Austria

In Austria there is a wide variety of institutions of tertiary education. Since 1993 Austria also offers Fachhochschul-Studiengänge (degree programmes) in addition to the universities and private universities. The postsecondary sector also includes the teacher training colleges and institutes, the colleges and institutes for the training of religious education teachers, the post-secondary colleges for the training of vocational teachers and the post-secondary colleges and institutes for the training of teachers for agricultural and forestry schools. An overview of all fields of study at the Austrian universities and universities of the arts can be found at the Austrian Study Guide; the current Fachhochschule degree programmes can be found in the FH Studyguide. This electronic study guide provides information and contact addresses of all Austrian study programmes (in German and English) on the web.

Study and Scholarships Info in the Netherland

Most international students in the Netherlands have a great time while experiencing a new culture and a challenging academic environment. However sometimes not everything goes as planned. Students can run into problems. The types of problems students could face are varied, but can generally be solved at the host institution. And this is the first place to turn to to resolve the issue. However sometimes, you, the international student, do not know where to turn to or who to contact. This may happen, for example, if the problem lies outside the institution.

To help international students get the help they need, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has asked Nuffic to set up a helpdesk. This new helpdesk will have a specific mandate to provide foreign students in the Netherlands with the information they need to deal with a problem they are facing. Nuffic will not deal directly with the problem itself, nor will it offer solutions, or mediate on anyone’s behalf.

In practice, this means that the ‘International Student Helpdesk’ will mainly be giving information about the criteria and the rules that apply in a given situation, about the way certain things work in the Netherlands, about who can be contacted for help, and about how to file a complaint if that is what the student wishes to do.

The helpdesk will not give any information about what courses or scholarships are available in the Netherlands. This sort of information can be found at www.studyin.nl.

If you want information about Nuffic scholarships, or if you have a problem with a scholarship, please contact the scholarship desk directly. If you want information about visas or credential evaluation, you should contact these desks directly too.

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Study and Scholarships Info in Germany

Many German institutions of higher education can look back on a centuries-old tradition. The oldest university in Germany today was founded in Heidelberg in 1386. Until the Second World War German universities played a leading role internationally in many of the science and humanities disciplines. During the period of National Socialist rule, however, a large number of particularly distinguished academics were forced to leave the country and it took some time before the universities were able to regain their academic standing in the world. The unification of Germany brought together two diametrically opposed academic systems. Research and teaching in the new Länder have undergone a thorough structural change and now contribute significantly to the lively German economic scenario.

There are more than 330 institutions of higher education spread all over Germany, with no less than 117 universities, 159 "Fachhochschulen" (universities of applied science) and 56 colleges of music and fine arts. During the Winter semester 2003/04 almost 1.9 million students were registered, of whom 227,000 came from abroad and 359,000 were in their first-year.

The spectrum of study options is extremely broad. Apart from the classic disciplines it is also possible to study mining in Germany; Lüneburg offers "Applied Cultural Studies", Cologne has an institute for media studies, while at Rostock you can study agricultural ecology, to name but a few subjects from the varigated pallet totalling over 10.000 degree programmes in all. In the last few years inter-disciplinary science and research have become significantly more important.

Public (state-maintained) universities in Germany do not generally charge tuition fees. Some Master's programmes and the additional fees charged by some of the federal states are exceptions to this rule. Click here for further information

Study and Scholarships Info in US

Usefull Links for Study info in US

Overviews of the U.S. Education System
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/edlite-about.html
http://www.edupass.org

Academic Exchange and Educational Organizations

http://www.iie.org
IIE's homepage contains information on exchange programs, fellowships, and services.

http://www.nafsa.org
Site of NAFSA: the Association of International Educators. Contains resources/advice for foreign students on study abroad, financial aid, immigration policies, study programs and advising centers.

http://www.ciee.org/study/index.htm
Council on International Education Exchange. CIEE's study abroad programs throughout the world. Offers an International Student Identity card.

http://www.cies.org/
Council for International Exchange of Scholars. Information on the Fulbright Senior Scholar Program.

Advising Resources

http://exchanges.state.gov/education/educationusa
U.S. State Department. Overview of the Educational Information and Resources Branch and its programs.

http://www.amideast.org/aq
The Advising Quarterly Online. Password protected site with access to old and current editions of the Advising Quarterly, the AQ Research Service, and a library of links.

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-study-us.html
The United States Network for Education Information (USNEI) has a wealth of information on U.S. education and education around the world. The site also contains information about specific programs and institutions, scholarships, accreditation, visiting the U.S. and related links.

http://www.bibl.u-szeged.hu/oseas/europe.html
Site of OSEAS (Overseas Educational Advisors) Europe. It has a virtual Educational Advising Office with information on education in the US, financial aid, English language programs and visas. Provides links to other related sites.

http://www.ed.gov/
U.S. Department of Education homepage. Provides links to other educational sites.

http://www.bls.gov/oco
The Occupational Outlook Handbook online. Contains descriptions of careers, education requirements and training, and sources of additional information.

Unaccredited Institutions and Diploma Mills

Postsecondary Educational Institutions and Programs Accredited by Accrediting Agencies and State Approval Agencies Recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education: U.S. Department of Education Accreditation Web site designed to help students avoid online diploma mills. Provides a searchable list of institutions accredited by federally approved organizations.

Avoid Fake-Degree Burns by Researching Academic Credentials: Report from the Office of Personnel Management and the Federal Trade Commission with guidelines on unaccredited degrees and tips for spotting diploma mills.

http://www.ossc.state.or.us/oda/unaccredited.html
The state of Oregon's Student Assistance Commission, Office of Degree Authorization. Information on accreditation, diploma mills and unaccredited institutions. Provides a list of unaccredited institutions, some of which are diploma mills, whose degrees cannot be used in the State of Oregon. Links to other State sites.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship/index.html
Federal Trade Commission Web Site. How to spot fraudulent scholarship organizations. Provides six tell tale lines that should make students suspicious and cautious. Also provides a list of organizations that are currently defendants in scholarship fraud.

Regional Accreditation Organizations

http://www.chea.org
Council for Higher Education Accreditation Directories, links to regional accrediting agencies and a searchable database of accredited institutions of higher education by name, state, and accreditation association.

Journals

http://www.chronicle.com
Chronicle of Higher Education. Requires a paid subscription and a password.

PhD Scholarship Department of Civil Engineering

University of Strathclyde is coordinating an EC-funded Marie Curie Research Training Network on Advanced Modelling of Ground Improvement on Soft Soils (AMGISS), see ARGISS http://www.ce.strath.ac.uk/amgiss/ for details. As part of the AMGISS network, we hope to fill the following research vacancy that is not funded directly by the network. The applicant will, however, benefit the international networking and training opportunities of the AMGISS network, including research training and secondments with the network partners and their academic and industrial collaborators.

*Start date October 2006.

*The studentship will consist of a tax-free scholarship of £12,500 per annum and the tuition fees at home/EU student level for three years. The fellowship is funded by the Faculty of Engineering.

*Topic of research:*
The PhD project deals with finite element modelling of embankments on soft soils, considering various foundation methods, such as preloading, vertical drains and stone columns/lime-cement columns. The numerical simulations willbe done by 2D and 3D version of PLAXIS, using recently developed advanced soil models that account for plastic strain induced anisotropy, bonding and destructuration and this may involve constitutive model development and numerical implementation.

*Requirements:
*A good undergraduate degree in civil engineering, geotechnical engineering or a related topic. An MSc degree in Geotechnical Engineering and/or industrial experience would be an advantage.

More information from Dr Minna Karstunen (email:minna.karstunen@strath.ac.uk,Tel. +44 141 5483252)