Study in Denmark
Denmark: The happy place for any student
Along with being touted as one of the happiest countries in the world, Denmark is also rising as a preferred destination for international students.
Made up of a collection of islands and peninsulas, Denmark is situated at a northern tip of mainland Europe. With a population of 57 lakh people, Denmark consistently ranks as one of the highest scoring nations on the United Nations’ Human Development Index, which looks at life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators. Germany is situated to the south, while a bridge across the oresund straits connects Denmark to its Swedish neighbours. Along with its popular pastries and bacon, the nation is also blessed with an accommodating climate of cool winters and balmy summers.
Denmark is amongst the popular international study locations in Europe, thanks to its low study costs, high-quality English-taught degree courses and innovative teaching methods. The very good standard of living and diversified study subjects make Danish universities important contenders on the international higher education market. Lifelong learning is a key principle in Denmark. The idea goes back all the way to the 19th century Danish clergyman and philosopher NFS Grundtvig, who argued that a prerequisite for active participation in a democratic society is education for all citizens on a lifelong basis.
Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense, Roskilde and Lyngby are some of the popular study destinations in Denmark. Copenhagen, the capital city and central hub of Denmark, is a popular student city and is home to two of its most well-regraded universities, the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Business School. Just north of the city is the Technical University of Denmark, and the cities of Aarhus and Aalborg on the western Jutland peninsula each have their own highly-regarded learning institutes. English is the most common second language in Denmark and many university courses are taught in English too.
Regarded as one of the happiest countries in the world, for Denmark, its human resources are the only raw material in a world that is becoming more and more globalised.
In fact, Denmark invests more than 8 per cent of its GDP on education – much more than the OECD-average at 6 per cent. It believes that education is a must to survive in this world today. Also, Denmark is amongst one of the few nations in the world that use more than 3 per cent of GDP on R&D.
In addition to being happy, in Denmark, a student can also have the chance to pursue a quality education in a friendly, safe and innovation-driven environment. Denmark is ranked 2nd in the EU Innovation Scoreboard and considered to be an innovation leader in Europe together with Sweden, Germany and Finland. When it comes to higher education, the percentage of students completing a higher education programme in a year is 62% (2014), where women are at 69% and men at 55%, i.e. more women than men are getting a higher education degree today in Denmark.
INTERNATIONALISATION OF EDUCATION
Great importance is attached to the internationalisation of education and training in Denmark. The objective is to prepare pupils and students to meet the challenges of a globalised world by including intercultural understanding and international competencies in the entire educational system.
It is the aim of the Danish Government that the educational system should give the young people the knowledge and the competences useful in their future life and employment. Education programmes must be of high quality and relevant to the labour market. In order to face the challenges of globalisation, educational institutions should be of high quality with strong academic environments which can attract talented students and researchers and meet the labour market needs.
STUDYING IN DENMARK
A student can apply to Denmark through the following three means:
- A student exchange agreement between higher education institutions;
- An international double or joint degree with participation of Indian and Danish higher education institutions;
- As a guest student with or without own funding.
MASTER’S LEVEL
At the Master’s-level, in the year 2014,13 per cent of students were foreign nationals. On full degree courses at Master’s-level, most international students are from Denmark’s neighbouring countries. In 2014, almost 3,000 students were from Norway and 2,500 from Germany. 80 students were from India.
The Danish Government provides funding for a limited number of scholarship to higher education institutions for highly-qualified non- EU/EEA students. The funds are administered by the universities and each university decides which students it wants to award a government scholarship.
PHD LEVEL
The 8 Danish research-based universities enroll approximately 2400 PhD students each year and 25 per cent are of foreign nationality. 128 Indian nationals were enrolled at PhD level at Danish universities in 2014 and that makes India amongst the top 5.
There are several funding options in Denmark, India and Europe. Innovation Centre Denmark in India based at the Embassy of Denmark publishes a funding guide each year that describes the funding opportunities at Master’s, PhD, postdoc and faculty level.
Internationalisation at all levels of the education and training system is supported and promoted by the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education – a government agency within the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.
THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
Higher education programmes are offered at different types of institutions, each with well- defined profiles and qualities. The three main programmes are:
- University level programmes: Research-based education programmes at Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD level in all fields of science and research at the highest international level. The top Danish universities are Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, The Technical University of Denmark (DTU), and Copenhagen Business School (CBS). DTU is ranked as one of the top engineering institutions in the world. CBS is also ranked as one of the top business schools in the world.
- Professional Bachelor’s programmes: The programmes have a strong focus on professional practice and provide students with theoretical knowledge and its application to professions and industries. The programmes include a period of work placement. Most programmes provide access to further studies in the same field. The programmes are offered by so-called university Colleges. Main programmes are related to professions such as teachers, nurses, social workers, technical and mercantile educations, information technology as well as media & communications.
- Academy profession programmes: The programmes prepare students for performing practical, vocational tasks on an analytical basis and may lead to employment in middle-management positions. They combine theoretical studies with a practice-oriented approach in the form of work-placements. The programmes are offered at so-called Business Academies. The main focus is on technical and mercantile educations.
PROGRAMMES AND COURSES TAUGHT IN ENGLISH
Danish higher education institutions offer more than 700 programmes and over 1,300 individual modules taught entirely in English. All of these are internationally recognised and of high quality. Whether one is interested in a research-oriented programme or more hands-on vocational training, there are plenty of options in Denmark. A student can choose between several programmes taught entirely in English. Options also include degree programmes, exchange programmes, short-term programmes and summer schools.
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMES ONLY FOR INDIAN STUDENTS
Novozymes-Holck Larsen Scholarship Programme: Per Falholt, the then Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Novozymes, stated at the inception of the scholarship programme, “India has a large population of talented scientists. Novozymes has a need for talented scientists with a global mindset. Denmark also educates excellent biotechnologists, who could benefit from going on an international assignment. My dream is to connect Indian and Danish science in the field of biotechnology. I’m sure the programme will benefit both our countries and Novozymes.”
The scholarship programme includes the Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University.
- Bachelor’s students – internship programme-4-6 weeks;
- Exchange of PhDs/ Postdocs/ MSc students – 3 to 15 months;
- Exchange of senior scientists – 1 to 9 months;
- Mobility both, from Denmark to India and from India to Denmark.
New scholarship programme: A new scholarship programme for Indian students sponsored by the Government of Denmark has been forwarded to the Government of India, when an agreement is made, the programme will be announced at the webpage of the Embassy of Denmark in New Delhi.
A VIBRANT COUNTRY
Denmark is home to vibrant cities with cultural events such as Aarhus Festival, the Aalborg Carnival, the largest carnival in Northern Europe, and the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. There are also many areas of outstanding natural beauty throughout the nation, including the UNESCO listed hunting landscape on the North Zealand peninsula and the chalk cliffs of Moens Klint on the Moen peninsula.
In addition to being happy, in Denmark, a student can also have the chance to pursue a quality education in a friendly, safe and innovation- driven environment.