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International Master of Science in Rural development (IMRD)

brings together leading universities and research institutes in Europe and offers the opportunity to study the European vision on rural development and to experience the diversity of approaches and applications of this European paradigm. The aim is to train specialists in integrated rural development not only from the European Union, but also from developed, developing and transition countries outside the European Union. The focus is on the socio-economic and institutional aspects of rural development.

More on course structure

1. 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:

• 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.
• 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. 

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.

2. Application procedure

NON-EUROPEAN STUDENTS :

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.

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.

SUBMIT ONLY THE STANDARD FORMAT RECOMMENDATION LETTER, OTHER RECOMMENDATION LETTERS ARE NOT READ OR CONSULTED AT THE TIME OF SELECTION.

Please consult the FAQ! for more detailed information on the application procedure

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.

3. Scholarships an 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.

• FINANCING THE PROGRAM AS A NON-EUROPEAN STUDENT

Applying for an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship
The Erasmus Mundus (EM) program of the European Commission offers a limited number of Erasmus Mundus scholarships for non-European students each year.

The application for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship does not need to be done separately.

When you apply in the first application round (generally between September and December of the year preceding the start of the academic year), you can indicate that you also apply for the EM scholarship.

The IMRD coordination selects the top students from the applicants and passes these names to the European Commission.

For more information on the application for 2009-2010 and the scholarships, see the application form. Consult the application section for more information on admission, exact dates and procedures.

Materials

Application options (30 kb)
Recommendation letter (1926 kb)
Recommendation letter (239 kb)