Erasmus Mundus Master Scholarship 2010 in Rural Development at International Master of Science in Rural development

Are you a Bachelor/Master interested in Rural Development and Agricultural Economics? Interested in a multi-disciplinary and mobile training in Europe, on a EU scholarship? Are you seeking a further specialisation through an International Masters Degree? THEN THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU!

The joint International Master in Rural Development (IMRD), part of the European Erasmus Mundus program, 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 (as of 2010-2011 also for European students).

The objective is to train specialists in integrated rural development, focussed 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.

The Master program is offered by Ghent University (Belgium), Agrocampus Ouest (France), Humboldt University of Berlin (Germany), the University of Cordoba (Spain), in collaboration with Wageningen University (The Netherlands), the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia) and the University of Pisa (Italy). As of 2010-2011 these will be joined by universities in China, Ecuador, India and South Africa.

The methodology consists of a combination of basic and specialised 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.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FEES

Students who wish to follow the International Master in Rural Development have different options for financing the programme. As of academic year 2010-2011, the European Union provides Erasmus Mundus scholarships not only to non-European students, but also to European students. The amount of scholarship is different however, and so are the deadlines for application. So make sure you attach yourself to the correct category of students, according to the definition of nationality below.

Erasmus Mundus and IMRD consider as European students:

• students who are nationals from the 27 EU Member States (Germany, Austria, Belgium, 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)
• students who are nationals from one of the EEA-EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway)
• students who have resided or carried out their main activities (studies, work, etc.) for more than 12 months over the past five years (preceding the start of the academic year) in any of the above countries.

All other students are non-European students.

Now that you know in which category you belong, consider the different options for financing your participation in the IMRD program:

1. If you are a non-European student:

• The Erasmus Mundus program of the European Commission awards each year a limited number of scholarships for non-European students to follow the IMRD Program. When applying for admission to the progam, you can apply for such a scholarship. For more information, click here.
• If you are granted admission to the program, but are not offered an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, or if you have missed the deadline for applying for the scholarship, then you can choose to follow the program as a “self-sponsoring” student. This means you cover the expenses of your participation in the program with funding from an alternative (non-Erasmus Mundus) scholarship, or with your own private funds or a sponsor you have found.

2. If you are a European student:

• As of the academic year 2010-2011, the Erasmus Mundus program of the European Commission will award a limited number of scholarships to European students to follow the IMRD Program. When applying for admission to the program, you can apply for such a scholarship. For more information, click here.
• If you are granted admission to the program, but are not offered an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, or if you have missed the deadline for applying for the scholarship, then you can choose to follow the program as a “self-sponsoring” student. This means you cover the expenses of your participation in the program with funding from an alternative (non-Erasmus Mundus) scholarship, or with your own private funds or a sponsor you have found.
• Non-scholarship European students can also apply for an Erasmus grant of the Life Long Learning program, even if they have previously already received such a grant. There is no guarantee however that you can obtain such a scholarship, since this depends on yearly decisions both at national and European level.

OVERVIEW OF THE APPLICATION AND SCHOLARSHIP SYSTEM

DEADLINES

Academic year 2010-2011 (program 2010-2012)

• Online applications: November 30th 2009, midnight (CET, Central European Time).
• Postmark deadline for documents: December 7th 2009 (this means we will accept all documents sent by regular mail that bear a postmark dated before or on the 7th of December, anything marked 8th of December or later will not be opened).
• Do not send documents if you have not submitted an online application and have received an application number.

ADMISSION CRITERIA

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:

1. 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: (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.
2. 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. With the exception of those who have a diploma (Secondary Education, Academic Bachelor Degree, Master Degree) issued by an institution officially recognized by the Flemish Government, applicants must be able to prove their proficiency in English. See the language section on the left.

Applicants generally have 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.

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. We also consider the appropriateness of your goals to the IMRD programme. In addition, consideration may be given to how your background and life experience would contribute significantly to an educationally beneficial mix of students.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The first step of the application procedure is an on-line registration and application form. Register in the IMRD database, complete the application form and submit it to the central IMRD secretariat electronically. Make sure you fill in at least all the obligatory fields, add as much additional information as possible and load electronic copies of your documents.

NON-EUROPEAN STUDENTS : REGISTER HERE TO START YOUR APPLICATION PROCESS 2010-2011.

The second step is a 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) by regular or express mail to the IMRD secretariat before the deadline. Download the recommendation letter/reference letter here: Word document or PDF document (same format as last year’s application). For more information on the recommendation letters – consult the FAQ!

IMPORTANT NOTE: because of the high number of applications, the IMRD management board is obliged to only consider those applications that are complete and contain all documents, translated if necessary. If your file is not complete, you will not be requested to add documents, but your application will not be considered for selection for admission and/or scholarship.

SPECIFIC NOTE FOR CHINESE STUDENTS

From the academic year 2007-2008 onwards all students from the P.R. China will have to obtain a certificate of academic screening issued by the Academic Evaluation Centre (APS) of the German Embassy in Beijing before being allowed to enrol at any higher education institution, language course or other preparatory course in Flanders. The APS certificate is also required for obtaining a student visa to Belgium. The APS certificate needs to be sent with the application in order for the application to be considered.

Students planning to study in Flanders are advised to contact the Academic Evaluation Centre in Beijing, info{at}aps.org.cn as soon as possible in order to make the necessary appointments and this before applying for a visa. The APS application form and more information can be found on www.aps.org.cn.

Every student accepted at UGent for next academic year will get the cost of their APS-screening reimbursed by the Ghent University-China Platform. For this, the student has to contact the China Platform after arrival at UGent to make an appointment.

Ghent University has a specific service for Chinese students, the China Platform. Click here for more information (also available in Chinese).

Source:
http://www.imrd.ugent.be/index.asp