EDMUND S. MUSKIE GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (MUSKIE)

The Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program (Muskie) is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State, and administered by IREX. Muskie provides opportunities for Master’s level study in the United States to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
* Participants are selected through an open, merit-based competition.

Eligible Program Fields for citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan:

• Business Administration
• Economics
• Education
• Environmental Management
• International Affairs
• Journalism and Mass Communications
• Law
• Library and Information Science
• Public Administration
• Public Health
• Public Policy

Eligible Program Fields for citizens of Russia and Ukraine:

• Business Administration
• Economics
• Law
• Public Administration
• Public Policy

Technical eligibility requirements:

Candidates will be considered without respect to race, color, religion, national origin, disability, or gender.

Competition for the Muskie Program is merit-based and open to anyone who:

• Is a citizen of and qualified to hold a valid passport issued by the country of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, or Uzbekistan;
• Currently resides in their country of citizenship
• Submits an application in their country of residence
• Is the recipient of an undergraduate degree (four- or five-year study) by the time of the application (undergraduate degree must be in law in order to apply to the Muskie Program in the field of law);
• Submits a complete application and two copies (for a total of three) by the application deadline (or submits the online application); 
• Is able to begin the academic exchange program in the United States in the summer of 2012; 
• Is able to receive and maintain a US J-1 visa; 
• Is committed to returning to their home country in Eurasia after completion of the program;
• Is proficient in spoken and written English at the time of the application. 

 Individuals in the following circumstances are NOT eligible for the Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program:

• US citizens and permanent residents of the United States;
• Spouses of US citizens and permanent residents of the United States; 
• Individuals currently participating in academic, training, or research programs in the United States;
• Individuals who have already been recipients of and participated in the Muskie Fellowship; 
• Individuals who are not citizens, qualified to hold a passport from one of the 12 participating countries; 
• Individuals currently residing or working outside their country of citizenship;
• Individuals who have participated in an exchange visitor program sponsored or funded by the US government (e.g., Public Affairs Sections at US embassies or other US government agency) for a period of more than six weeks and who have not fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement by the time of application; 
• Individuals who have applied for US permanent residency in the past three years; 
• Local employees of US missions abroad who work for the US Department of State or USAID are ineligible for grants during the period of their employment and for one year following the termination of employment; 
• Immediate family members (i.e., spouses and dependent children) of US Department of State or USAID employees for a period of one year following the termination of such employment. This provision does not disqualify self-supporting members of families who live apart from their parents; 
• Persons arrested for, charged with, or convicted of a crime as further detailed by ECA; 
• Current IREX employees and consultants and their immediate family members (spouses, parents, children, and siblings) are not eligible to apply for any IREX-administered programs, either as individuals or as the responsible party representing an institutional applicant. This provision does not disqualify self-supporting members of families who live apart from their parents.

The US Department of State and IREX reserve the right to verify all of the information included in the application. In the event that there is a discrepancy, or information is found to be false, the application will immediately be declared invalid and the applicant ineligible.

Applications not meeting the above technical eligibility requirements will not be forwarded to the selection committee.

Fellows will:

• Enroll in fulltime academic coursework for up to two years
• Create and implement a project during the first academic year that benefits the local community.
• Take part in internships following academic coursework.

The fellowship is fully funded and provides:

• J-1 Visa Support
• Round-trip airfare from fellow"s home city in Eurasia to host institution in the United States;
• Monthly stipend;
• Accident and sickness insurance;
• Tuition and mandatory university fees;
• Small incidentals allowance;
• Limited allowance for books; 
• A wide variety of alumni networking and training opportunities. 

Application Deadline: 5:00 PM, Wednesday, November 2, 2011

International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX)
265-a Chui Prospect, room 106, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic 720071