Minor Field Studies (MFS)

Minor Field Studies (MFS) is a programme where students who are reaching the end of their Bachelor’s or Master’s degree can gather material for their degree essay on-site, in a developing country. MFS means that a student studies issues of importance to economic, social, political or knowledge-based development in the country they travel to for at least eight weeks.

An MFS study can be done in all academic fields, from the humanities and social sciences to natural science, engineering and medicine. One aim of the programme is to prepare students for work in global contexts and organisations.

An MFS student receives a grant of SEK 27,000 to cover some of the costs of the overseas stay.

Which countries can I travel to?

It's possible to do MFS in a number of low and middle income countries around the world. These are all the countries available for MFS: 

Africa 

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Kenya, Congo-Brazzaville Rep, Congo-Kinshasa Dem. Rep, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagaskar, Malawi, Mali, Marocco, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, St. Helena (territory), Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Asia

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Philippines, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, China, Kirgizstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar/Burma, Nepal, North Korea Dem. Rep, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tadzhikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

Europe

Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldavia, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus

North America

Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat (territory), Nicaragua, Panama, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Oceania

Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Salomon Islands, Samoa, Tokelau Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna Islands (territory), Vanuatu

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Venezuela

What are the application requirements?

To be able to apply for an MFS grant you must

• study at a university or university college in Sweden
• not have started doctoral (third cycle) level education
• have good English skills
• be a Swedish citizen or have permanent residency in Sweden.

The degree essay that is the result of your MFS must be written in English or the official language of the host country.

How do I apply?

You apply for an MFS grant from one of the universities that have been awarded MFS grants by the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR). If your university does not offer MFS you can contact other universities and apply via them.

Universities have their own application forms and instructions. Talk to the International Office at your university to find out the rules and when to apply (application deadlines differ between universities).

Please note that students from other Nordic countries, who are not Swedish citizens, must have been a resident (registered) in Sweden for at least a year on the date they are granted the grant.

Grant amounts and budget

The MFS grant is SEK 27,000 per student. The grant is not intended to cover all expenses during the time abroad. It usually needs to be supplemented by other student financing.