Minor Field Studies - degree project abroad

Minor Field Studies (MFS) is a scholarship, financed by Sida (The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency), for students who wish to conduct a field study as part of their degree project on undergraduate/bachelor or graduate/master level, connected to global development issues.

The scholarship is a fixed sum of 35,000 SEK and is intended to cover parts of the costs during the field study, such as visas, accommodation, travel, vaccinations, etc. It can also be supplemented with study funds from CSN. The scholarship is personal and cannot be shared between students.

An MFS project can be conducted in any field of study, under academic supervision from Linnaeus University. You also need to find a contact person in the host country before you apply. 

Through the scholarship students can conduct a field study in a low or middle income country for a minimum of 8 consecutive weeks (56 days), to gather material for their degree project. The period is counted from the day of arrival in the host country until the day of departure from the host country. Please note that field studies cannot be combined between multiple countries.

Through MFS you will gain international experience, new perspectives on your field of studies and knowledge about Swedish development cooperation. At the same time you can get a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you. The aim is to make you prepared to work with development related questions with a global perspective.

MFS scholarships are only available for students who are Swedish citizens, students with a permanent residence permit (PUT), or citizens of other Nordic countries who have been registered in the Swedish population register for at least one year.

Swedish development cooperation focuses on creating better living conditions for people living in poverty and oppression. Sweden's development cooperation and humanitarian aid are goverened by the government, through strategies that can apply to a country, a region or a specific thematic area. Agencies such as Sida, which is both an administrative authority and an expert authority, are responsible for implementing the strategies and for organizing the work carried out.

Thematic priorities

The direction of Swedish development cooperation is determined by the government through the policy framework, which is to ensure that Swedish development cooperation is at the forefront and is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable and gender-equal. The reform agenda for development cooperation, Development assistance for a new era – freedom, empowerment and sustainable growth, was presented on 14 December 2023 and sets seven thematic priorities:

1. Reducing poverty through job creation, trade and education
2. Improved health for the most vulnerable
3. Promoting freedom and combating oppression
4. Increased and more effective climate aid
5. Increased freedom and empowerment of women and girls
6. Strengthening synergies between aid and migration policies
7. Strengthening humanitarian support to save lives and alleviate suffering

Läs mer om regeringens reformagenda:

Development assistance for a new era – freedom, empowerment and sustainable growth

There are two types of aid: development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Development cooperation is long-term support for the development of other countries. Humanitarian aid is emergency support in emergency situations.

Read more about The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

You can do an MFS in a number of low- and middle-countries around the world, where Sweden conducts development cooperation. You can find a list of those countries at Openaid, Countries and regions. 

Please note that you can not recieve an MFS scholarship to go to a country or region to which the Swedish Foreign Ministry (UD) advises against travelling. 

Possible MFS countries are countries where the Swedish government has active strategies for development cooperation. The strategies describe which countries and thematic areas that Swedish development cooperation prioritizes, as well as the goals to be achieved. 

There are two types of strategies:

1. Geographic strategies: apply to individual countries or regions.
2. Thematic strategies: focusing on specific issues, such as human rights, democracy or development of the justice sector.

How can I link my MFS to the strategies?

1. Start by selecting a country or region from the list on Openaid.

• Scroll down to the "Strategies" section. Here you will see which strategies apply to the current country.
• Select the strategy or strategies that are most relevant to your project

2. Study the strategies

Read the selected strategies carefully to understand which priorities and objectives are stated for the country or region.

3. Is your project relevant to any of the thematic areas in the strategy?

Consider whether your project is linked to any of the thematic priorities in the strategies. For example, if you are planning a project in Latin America, refer to the Strategy for Latin America Regional 2021-2025, which emphasizes human rights, climate and migration. Read the specific objectives under each thematic priority area.

4. Link your project to strategic objectives

Ensure that your project is linked to one or more objectives within the thematic areas of the strategy.

5. Specify the link in your application

Indicate in your application:

• Which strategy the project is linked to.
• Which objective within the thematic priority of ​​that strategy the project addresses.

To be eligible for the MFS scholarship, applicants must: 

• be registered as a student at Linnaeus University at the time of the
  application.
• be a Swedish citizen or have permanent residence permit in Sweden or be permanently living and registered in the Swedish population register since at least a year at the time of the application.
• connect the field study directly to a degree project at
  undergraduate och graduate level (bachelor or master) at Linnaeus
  University, which must be examined at Linnaeus University.
• not have started a research education.
• not have received the MFS scholarship on the same level of studies previously.
• have a good knowledge of English. It is a plus if you also know an official language of the host country. The feasibility of the project can be affected by the applicant’s relevant language knowledge.

It is important that you consult your academic supervisor at your faculty before submitting your application, in order to get advice on how to create a high-quality project plan.

• The application should be sent by e-mail to registrator@lnu.se, with the title "MFS ansökan HT 2026 Dnr: LNU-2025/4517”.
• The application must be written in English and contain all parts below. Please attach each part in pdf format.
• If you want to write together with another student, it is acceptable to submit the same project plan and budget, but the other parts of the application must be submitted individually, as the MFS scholarship is personal. Students applying in groups of three must specifically describe why they need to be three people to carry out the field study in question.

The application must contain

Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Creating a strong MFS application takes time and commitment. At the time of application, you may not have previously written any major academic work and it may therefore feel difficult to use and describe theory and method. Get help from your program coordinator and your academic supervisor to brainstorm ideas.

Below you can find tips that the MFS assessment group has developed over the years and that may be helpful as you work on your application.

Ethical considerations

It is important to consider the ethical aspects of your study when it comes to respect of people and the environment, as well as how the study may affect the local context and any persons connected to it, such as translators, assistants, or interviewees/respondents. You should also look into whether the host country requires that special ethical permits be sought in order to conduct the study.

Risk assessment

You should have a clear idea of ​​the risks that the study may entail for your and the affected persons' personal safety in the host country, and how you should avoid exposing yourself or others to risk.

Topics may be controversial or taboo in the country you have chosen. Remember to consider the problems of interviewing through an interpreter and the requirements of an interpreter, if one is needed. Does the interpreter have sufficient language skills?

Discuss ethical aspects in your project plan and make a risk assessment.

Also keep in mind that

• data that is central to the study may be extremely limited or non-existent.
• be familiar with the topic before conducting the field study.
• literature needs to be available.
• don't leave things to chance - make detailed plans instead.
• do what is appropriate within the time frame you have in the field country and keep the level of ambition reasonable (the purpose of an MFS study is not to save the world or to design a policy proposal that the country's leadership can use to improve the lives of the country's population).
• give the project plan a clear focus but at the same time allow it to be flexible.
• read and be inspired by travel stories of previous MFS students (in Swedish). Do not copy their complete approach, but use their experiences as a kind of reference or inspiration. You can also cite previous studies that may be close to what you would like to study. Correct citation is very important here.

The application will first be checked to see if it is complete and if the student meets all eligibility requirements, and has taken into account the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' travel advice.

The application is then assessed by a university-wide assessment group, consisting of one representative from each faculty at Linnaeus University. The assessment is based on the document MFS General Terms and Conditions 2025-2028 (in Swedish) and places great emphasis on the academic quality of the application, how feasible the project is and how it relates to any of the strategies that the government has established for Swedish development cooperation.

Finally, the Vice-Chancellor decides on the allocation of scholarships. Applicants will receive the application results and more information approximately six weeks after the application deadline. All students who meet the formal requirements will receive a written assessment that can develop the field study, the degree project, or a new application for an MFS scholarship.

Welcome to read travelogues written by previous MFS students (in Swedish).