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MFS - Minor Field Studies

Minor Field Studies, MFS, is a Sida-funded scholarship programme. This gives students the opportunity to be in a developing country to collect material for an essay or degree project for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.

The purpose of the programme is to prepare students for working in a global context and to give the HEI an opportunity to enhance and establish international contacts. As a student you can, for at least eight consecutive weeks (a minimum of 56 days), investigate questions of importance to the economic, social, political or educational development in the country you go to. You will develop and formulate the study yourself, together with your supervisor at MDU.

Please note that it is not possible to combine field studies in several host countries.

Agenda 2030 and the government’s reform agenda on Swedish development cooperation

The field study must have a clear connection to one of the 17 global development goals of the Agenda 2030, as well as to one of the government’s seven thematic priorities for Swedish development cooperation;

  1. Poverty reduction through job creation, trade and education,
  2. Improved health for the most vulnerable,
  3. Promoting freedom and fighting oppression,
  4. Expanded and streamlined climate aid,
  5. Strengthen women’s and girls’ freedom and empowerment,
  6. Strengthened synergies between aid and migration policies,
  7. Increased humanitarian support to save lives and alleviate suffering.

For more information about Agenda 2030 please visit:

THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org) External link.

Information about the government’s reform agenda:

Development assistance for a new era – freedom, empowerment and sustainable growth - Government.se External link.

Amount and budget

The MFS scholarship amounts to 30 000 SEK per student and is a grant which is not intended to cover all expenses during the field study period. The grant usually needs to be supplemented with for example a study loan.

Eligibility requirements for MFS

For you to be able to receive an MFS scholarship you must fulfil certain requirements:

  • You must devote your MFS study to a Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis at first- or second-cycle level and relevant to your programme or subject/topic. You must not have embarked on third-cycle (research) studies.
  • You must not have previously been granted an MFS scholarship or other Sida-funded scholarship for the same type of study as for this application.
  • You must be a Swedish citizen or have a permanent residence permit (PUT) in Sweden. Students from other Nordic countries who are not Swedish citizens must have been recident in Sweden for at least one year.
  • You must have a good knowledge of English. It is beneficial to have language proficency in the host county’s official language. A condition of being granted an MFS scholarship is that the essay/degree project is written in English.

The field study is conducted in a valid host country. Available host countries for MFS are listed on:

Countries and regions | Openaid External link.

Possible partner countries for aid-funded programs (in Swedish) Pdf, 275 kB.

Please note that MFS cannot be granted to a country or region that the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Utrikesdepartementet) advises against traveling to.

Countries the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against traveling to External link. (in Swedish)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Travel Information External link. (in Swedish)

Keep in mind that even if the Foreign Ministry has not issued any advice against travel, Mälardalen University can prevent students from undertaking field studies to a valid country or region if it is deemed to pose a great risk to personal safety and health of students.

Contact person and supervisor

As a student you are responsible for:

  • Informing your academic supervisor at MDU about MFS. The Swedish supervisor has the prime responsibility for the project work and the content of the thesis.
  • Finding and contacting a contact person in the field and informing this person of what is expected of them. The contact person in the field may be assosiated to a university, authority in the country, company, private organisation, or to a Sida- or UN-supported project. The contact person is a support who is there to help you with practical arrangements, contacts, tips about accommodation, transport, safety etc. Describe in your application what role your contact person has.
  • Please bear in mind that the contact person does not receive any compensation for this work, neither from Sida nor from the University. Therefore it is important that you reimburse the person for expenses which you have agreed on beforehand. Take these costs into account when calculating your budget for the project.

Instructions for supervisors and contact persons in the field 2024 Pdf, 571 kB.

Before you apply for a scholarship

  • It is important to apply well in advance, as preparations for a field study can be quite extensive.
  • Read up on MFS, the global development goals and the government’s seven thematic priorities in the reform agenda for Swedish development cooperation.
  • Consider how your thesis/study can connect to development issues and which ethical issues are relevant to your degree project.
  • Check that you meet the eligibility requirements for a scholarship.
  • Contact your International Coordinator at your School if there are any specific requirements regarding MFS for your programme/course, and which semester is suitable for conducting a field study.
  • Agree in advance with your academic supervisor on how your cooperation will look like when you are on site in the host country, especially if time difference and/or access to the internet can affect the way you can stay in touch.
  • In some countries, a research permit is required to carry out a field study. Therefore, look into whether you need a special permit and be aware that it may take time to apply for and have such a permit granted. In a possible permit application, you should avoid words such as research, assignment or work and instead state that you will do a study.

Mälardalen University does not accept applications from students from other universities.

This is how to apply for an MFS scholarship

The application call for the spring semester 2025 is open between 21 October and 18 November. Decisions on scholarships will be announced no later than 2 December. The decision cannot be appealed.

Please note that the field study must be completed by 30 April 2025.

For your application to be processed it must be complete and contain:

  1. An application form (see application below)
  2. A description of the project: your choice of country: note that an MFS scholarship is not granted for going to a country that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (UD) advises against. See links above. A time plan for the field work of at least eight weeks’ (56 days’) continuous stay in a country of residence. Arrangements for the work, method, accommodation, purpose, description of the subject, and also alternative arrangements for both the date of the trip but also for the method for the field study. The alternative arrangements shall account for how you plan to deal with changes if/when they arise, both before and during the field study.
  3. A plan for the budget (including travel cost, part of the living expenses, any trips within the host country, vaccinations, any costs for equipment, printing of the thesis)
  4. A transcipts of records
  5. Confirmation from supervisor at MDU that certifies the relevance and academic quality of the field study
  6. Confirmation in English from the contact person in the field (formal invitation or certificate/contract such as email exchange). If submitting an email exchange, make sure to include both your initial email requesting a contact person and the contact person’s reply confirming the request.
  7. Copy of your passport or birth certificate showing citizenship
  8. A PUT document (permanent residence permit), if applicable
  9. In cases where two students are writing the thesis/degree project together, it must be clear from the project description who is doing what during the field study. Please bear in mind that all MFS applications are individual. If there are two of you writing the thesis together you apply and are assessed separately.

Application Form Minor Field Studies Pdf, 519 kB.

Selection and decisions

Each application is assessed on the basis of Sida's guidelines for the scholarship programme and concerns academic relevance, feasibility, connection to the global development goals, one of the government's seven thematic priorities for Swedish development cooperation, budget, language level, security situation in the country, and more.

What happens if I am granted a scholarship?

  • You will receive a letter with practical information, an insurance contract and payment form. The insurance contract and payment form are to be signed and sent to the MFS executive officer. Only when both forms have been sent in can the grant be paid out.
  • MDU will draw up an insurance policy for you with Kammarkollegiet (the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency), a Student UT insurance. It may occur that a supplementary insurance may be needed. Read the insurance terms for Student UTInsurance during education abroad (Student OUT) - Kammarkollegiet External link. to decide whether the insurance is sufficient or not.
  • Keep yourself updated on the travel recommendations of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. External link.

Final report and thesis

On your return you will need to do the following:

  • Fill in the compulsory questionnaire, which is sent to your email on your return
  • Participate in a follow-up meeting with the MFS executive officer.
  • Write an thesisin English, equivalent to the C- or D-level and send a copy of it to the MFS executive officer.
  • Submit travel documents and a short travel report/diary about your experiences to the MFS executive officer.

Sida Alumni

Is a project to get more students to spread their various experiences from their own stays abroad and increase the public’s knowledge of global development issues.

Read more about Sida Alumni here: Sida alumni External link. (in Swedish)

More information