International Master of Science in Rural Development – Erasmus Mundus Scholarship

Scholarship Overview

• The European Erasmus Mundus (EM) program offers scholarships to bachelor and masteral students who are interested in rural development and agricultural economics; and who wants to specialize further through an international masters degree
• Specifically, this International Master in Rural Development (IMRD), offers the opportunity for students to study the European vision on rural development in its diversity of approaches and applications
• The objective of IMRD program 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 program (120 ECTS) jointly organised by seven European leading institutes in agricultural economics and rural development.

Host Schools

• The host schools for the IMRD program are the following European institutes:
  • 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)
• The IMRD program is made possible in collaboration with the following non-European academic institutions:
  • University of Pretoria (South Africa),
  • ESPOL (Ecuador)
  • University of Agricultural Sciences of Bangalore (India),
  • China Agricultural University
  • Nanjing Agricultural University (China)

Fields of Study

• Rural Development and Agricultural Economics
• 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.

What does the scholarship cover?

• The EM scholarship covers the tuition fee and an additional amount is withheld for the administrative costs of the programme (registration, enrolment, subscription, administrative support, access to all faculty and university services, the organisation of the case study, the organisation of the thesis defence, etc.) and other expenditures directly linked to the organisation of the course.
• The scholarship also includes a full cover insurance for the total duration of the study.
• All other costs (travel to and within Europe, rent of accommodation, food, study materials, ….) are at charge of the student. The remainder of the scholarship is paid to the student in monthly installments. Payment of the scholarship starts after the arrival in Europe.

How many scholarships are given?

• Each academic year, a limited number of Erasmus Mundus scholarships are available for students and scholars to join IMRD.
• The number of scholarships to be granted has yet to be confirmed; however, as a general rule, there should not be more than 2 students who should come from the same country.

Which countries are targeted?

• EM scholarships into the IMRD programs are grouped into two categories, depending on the student’s country of origin.
• Erasmus Mundus Grants for EU students (Category B)
  • Countries belonging to the 28 EU member states, namely, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, UK, Sweden, Bulgaria, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania), Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein
• Erasmus Mundus Grants for non-EU students (Category A)
  • All countries EXCEPT those  listed above in Category B

Am I Eligible to Apply?

• The International MSc in Rural Development offers admission to applicants who appear to have the highest potential for graduate study and who, with the benefit of a graduate education, are the most likely to contribute substantially to their academic or professional fields through teaching, research, or professional practice.
• The minimum graduate admission requirements are:
  • 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.
  • A bachelor’s degree or a recognized equivalent academic degree of minimum 3 years study in bioscience engineering or agricultural sciences (preferably agricultural economics), in combination with knowledge in environmental sciences, economics, sociology and rural development studies.
  • Basic science training (demonstrable in the transcripts) in the following fields: (1) mathematics and/or statistics, (2) agronomy and/or biology and/or environmental sciences and (3) social sciences and/or rural development. 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.
  • Sufficient language knowledge proven by language certificates. The applicant must be proficient in the language of the course or training programme, i.e. English. Command of the English language is a very important criterion for admission.
• Admission decisions are based on a combination of factors, including academic degrees and records, the statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, test scores, language skills and relevant work experience, if any.
• Important consideration will be given to the appropriateness of the student’s goals to the those of the IMRD programme.

How to Apply – Next Steps

• Accomplish the IMRD’s on-line registration and application form and submit to the central IMRD secretariat electronically.
• Assemble your hard copy application file composed of the printed application form and all requested documents (secondary school leaving certificate, higher education diploma(s), including all transcripts of records, language certificate(s), curriculum vita, passport pictures, copy of passport, recommendation letters) and submit by regular or express mail to the IMRD secretariat before the deadline.
• Important: Do not send documents if you have not submitted an online application and have received an application number!

Closing Date

• The deadline for applying for Academic year 2013-2015 (IMRD Programme 2013-2015) is January 18^th, 2013 midnight (CET, Central European Time).        
• The postmark deadline for sending documents is January the 25^th 2013 (this means we will accept all documents sent by regular mail that arrive at our office before the 26^th of January, anything arriving on the January 26^th or later will be considered as not apllying for the EM scholarship).

Interested students may click on the following links for more information:

• A schematic diagram of the IMRD application process
• Application procedure for European and non-European students
• Overview of the Erasmus Mundus scholarship grant for the IMRD programme