prev next

UCO

MOVILIDAD

Becas Global-UCO-Asia 2012-2013

CALL FOR “GLOBAL-UCO-ASIA” GRANTS 2012-2013

Introduction

With a view to promoting and supporting the international mobility of our students, the University of Cordoba is offering grants for International Mobility in South Korea (Global-UCO-Asia: South Korea).

South Korea is one of the most technologically advanced and well-connected countries of the world. It has one of the most developed infrastructures worldwide and is a global leader in the shipbuilding industry and the production of new technologies. South Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.1% in 2010, the largest growth experienced by the country in the last eight years and far above the 0.2% growth recorded in 2009.

Education in South Korea is rated as one of the best in the world according to PISA reports. With over 200 public and private universities, it is among the countries with the largest number of higher education institutions. It is also one of the students’ favourite places to train abroad due to its broad academic offering, awe-inspiring culture and excellent grant programmes for international students.

South Korea’s universities are equipped with advanced technology, while its research laboratories are a model for other countries to follow thanks to the high investment the country makes in education. The universities’ admissions procedures are rigorous and each institution has different entry requirements. Even so, it is not difficult for foreign students to be accepted to one of South Korea’s universities. In fact, there is a high percentage of international students in their classrooms.

Objectives

The grant is intended to supplement the costs incurred or arising from academic mobility programmes established under international agreements signed recently between the University of Cordoba and the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, the EWHA Womans University, Chungnam National University (CNU) and Seoul National University in South Korea.

The mobility referred to in this call must be eligible for credit recognition in the student’s corresponding undergraduate degree qualification and/or master’s degree.

Brief summary of the host universities

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies: This institution was founded in 1954 as the only Korean university specializing in foreign languages. The Seoul campus comprises 34 departments, 10 faculties and over 27 research institutes. It is one of the most prestigious universities in Korea and is renowned for training future diplomats. Some of the most outstanding programmes offered at the university include Translation and Interpreting Studies (specializing in over 10 different languages), Business Administration, Law, Social Sciences, Education and International Relations, in addition to Environmental Science, Engineering, and many others. Most of the degree programmes it offers are similar to those offered by the UCO and a large number of subjects are taught in English.

More: http://www.hufs.ac.kr/user/hufsenglish/

EWHA Womans University: This was the first Korean institution of higher education created specifically for women. Founded in 1886, it was not until 1945 when the Korean government recognized the EWHA Womans University as an institution of higher education. In that same year it expanded its academic offering to include degrees in medicine, science, law and journalism. It now provides academic training in a wide range of fields such as chemistry, physics, food and agriculture, environmental science, biology, computer science, business administration, science education, English studies, history and the arts, among others. Like Hankuk University, most of the programmes offered are similar to those of the UCO and a large number of subjects are taught in English.

More: http://www.ewha.ac.kr/english

Chungnam National University: Chungnam National University (CNU) was founded in 1952 and is among the top five Korean universities and among the top 100 according to international rankings. CNU has thirteen colleges, among them the Colleges of Humanities, Social Sciences, Veterinary Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy, Law, Economics and Biotechnology. The postgraduate academic offering includes masters programmes in the humanities and social sciences, sciences, engineering, medicine and music and art. The CNU has more than 100 research institutes, some 170,000 undergraduate and graduate students and researchers and more than 900 teachers.

More: http://plus.cnu.ac.kr/english/index.jsp

Seoul National University: Seoul National University (SNU) is among the top seven universities in Asia and ranks 42 in the world according to the QS World University Rankings. Founded in 1946, SNU was the first national university in South Korea. Currently, the university has six colleges and six professional schools with more than 30,000 students. Its most outstanding colleges include the Colleges of Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Business Administration, Engineering, Agriculture and Life Sciences and Medicine, among others. It is also a prestigious research institution, which ranked number 20 worldwide thanks to its more than 4,000 articles published in research journals. It offers over 69 master’s programmes and more than 70 doctoral programmes. The institution has established some 700 cooperation agreements with universities in over 40 countries.

More: http://www.useoul.edu/

Date of mobility stays

Students may request a grant for stays during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Amount of grant

The University of Cordoba, through the Office of the Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Cooperation which will cover the costs of the grant, will award a maximum of €30,000 for this call. The number of grants available are:

- Hankuk University of Foreign Studies: 1 one-year grant and 1 half-yearly grant

- EWHA Womans University: 2 half-yearly grants

- Chungnam National University: 2 half-yearly grants

- Seoul National University: 2 half-yearly grants

Stays of one semester in length (half-year) may be extended depending on budget availability, prior approval by the Korean university and compliance with legal requirements.

The grant award will be made according to the following criteria:

  1. Travel expenses: Up to €1,000
  2. Living expenses: Up to €500 per month that the student remains in the country. The half-yearly grant will correspond to a five-month stay and the annual grant to a nine-month stay.
  3. Travel insurance (UCO Cum Laude) to be deducted from the total grant amount awarded.
  4. During the first week of the stay students will be accompanied by a teacher from the UCO.

Students will receive the aid granted under this programme according to the actual dates of the mobility stay. Students must provide a certificate issued by the host institution as proof of their stay.

Applicants who receive funding from a programme outside the UCO are required to declare the amount of funding received. Incomplete or inaccurate data may result in exclusion from the Global-UCO-Asia Grant Programme. Beneficiaries of the grant must notify the Office of International Relations (ORI) immediately of any modifications to their application that occur subsequent to receiving the award.

Requirements for applicants

To be eligible for the grant award, applicants must:

  • Be enrolled in an official undergraduate degree programme at the University of Cordoba during the duration of the grant and have completed at least 60 credits in the programme, or be enrolled in an official UCO master's degree programme.
  • Submit an application to participate in the Global-UCO-Asia grant call.
  • The Global-UCO-Asia programme reserves the right to approve the programmes of study to be undertaken by the student at the host university.
  • Provide proof of proficiency in English. Preference will be given to applicants who submit an official certificate that makes reference to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

After the grant has been awarded, students must:

  • Meet visa requirements for the stay in South Korea.
  • Provide a Learning Agreement signed by their mobility coordinator (undergraduate students) and/or academic director (master’s students).
  • Have medical insurance that is valid in South Korea. Proof of medical coverage must be submitted to the ORI prior to departure.
  • Take and pass the equivalent of at least 15 ECTS credits or complete a master’s thesis for stays of one semester and/or the equivalent of 30 ECTS credits for stays of one academic year.

Students will not be eligible for the Global-UCO-Asia grant under the current call if they receive aid in the same academic year as the stay from any other programme in which the UCO participates.

Submission of applications and deadlines

Applications should be addressed to the Director of the ORI and submitted to the General or Auxiliary Registry of the University of Cordoba from November 5th to November 23rd 2011 (inclusive).

Documents to be submitted to the Registry

  • Completed application form (anexo 1 ).
  • Proof of registration (photocopy)
  • Official language certificate

Selection criteria

  • The grants will be awarded taking into account the applicant’s academic record (on a scale of 1-10) and seeking a balance between applicants from different schools and degree programmes. The criteria used to evaluate the applicants will be posted on SIGMA on December 1, 2011. Students will be evaluated directly by the ORI staff based on their academic transcripts, which will be incorporated into the application file. In the event of technical difficulties, applications will be evaluated the following day or on successive days. Master’s students will be evaluated according to their overall grade point average in the degree qualification obtained prior to enrolling in the master’s programme.

  • Level of English, with preference given to applicants who submit an official certificate. Additional points will be added to the student’s grade point average (on a scale of 1-10) as follows:

    • Official Certificate B1: + 1 point
    • Official Certificate B2: + 1.5 points
    • Official Certificate C1: + 1.75 points
    • Official Certificate C2: + 2 points

  • Personal interview of the 15 applicants who obtain the highest score based on their academic transcript and official English certificate, seeking a balance between students from different schools and degree programmes.

Acceptance and payment of grant award

  • Grant beneficiaries must sign the grant acceptance document (anexo 2 ) and submit it to the ORI within a maximum period of 15 days from the day following the publication of the final resolution.
  • Payment shall be effected in two instalments directly to the beneficiary by bank transfer to an account held by the beneficiary.
  • The first instalment (80% of the total grant amount) will be made effective when the beneficiary submits the Certificate of Arrival (anexo 3 ) issued by the host university to the ORI of the University of Cordoba.
  • The second instalment (20% of the total grant amount) will be paid upon completion of the stay and after submitting the Certificate of Attendance to the ORI of the University of Cordoba  (anexo 4 ).
All aid received under this call is subject to current tax legislation where applicable.