International Master of Science in Rural Development

Deadline: 15 March

About

The Erasmus Mundus programme is a cooperation and mobility programme in the field of higher education organised by the European Commission. It aims to enhance quality in European higher education and to promote intercultural understanding through co-operation with third countries.

The joint International Master in Rural Development (IMRD), part of the European Erasmus Mundus programme, offers the opportunity to study the European vision on rural development in its diversity of approaches and applications, on a scholarship provided by the European Union.

The objective is to train specialists in integrated rural development, focused on socio-economic and institutional aspects, not only from the European Union but also from developed, developing and transition countries outside the European Union through a 2 year master programme (120 ECTS) jointly organised by six European leading institutes in agricultural economics and rural development.

The Master program is offered by:

• Ghent University (Belgium)
• Agrocampus Ouest (France)
• Humboldt University of Berlin (Germany)
• Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia)
• University of Pisa (Italy)
• Wageningen University (The Netherlands)

in collaboration with

• University of Pretoria (South Africa),
• ESPOL (Ecuador)
• University of Agricultural Sciences of Bangalore (India),
• China Agricultural University
• Nanjing Agricultural University (China)

The methodology consists of a combination of basic and specialized training in technical, economic and social sciences, a case study of one month, an individual master thesis and a high extent of student and scholar mobility.

The main language of instruction will be English, but elective courses will be available in Spanish, French, German, Dutch or any of the national languages of your host institute.

Scholarship

— Per academic year a tuition fee of 8,000 Euro is paid to the consortium. This tuition fee includes a worldwide insurance cover.

— Each month the student receives an installment of 1,000 Euro (for 24 months)

— A lump sum of 7,000 Euro is available for the students for installation and travel costs during the two academic years. This lump sum will be transferred in different installments.

Eligibility

Applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree of minimum 3 years with good overall scores (at least a second class or equivalent, preferably higher) from a university or recognized equivalent. Candidates are expected to have basic science training (demonstrable in the transcripts) in the following fields:

— mathematics and/or statistics;

— agronomy and/or biology and/or environmental sciences; and

— social sciences and/or rural development and/or economy.

Candidates who cannot present a combined training of these fields will be evaluated on their aptitude, based on experience and knowledge of these fields, as demonstrated by CV or other evidence.

Command of the English language is a very important criterion for admission. There are three possibilities to supply this proof: TOEFL, IELTS and CEFR.

Application

Applying for the EMJDM Student Scholarship goes through the completion of both steps of the  Erasmus Mundus scholarship application form, prior to the deadlines for both the online as the hard copy application form.

The selection of the awardees is prepared and decided in and by the IMRD Management Board. After its nomination, the final selection is approved by the European Commission.

 Deadline

15 March