International Master of Science in Rural Development

[1] The International Master of Science in Rural Development (IMRD) is one of the prestigious Erasmus Mundus programs under the framework of the European Education system. IMRD is a 2-year master's program jointly organized by 16 worldwide European leading institutes in Agricultural Economics and Rural Development in collaboration with several partners from Belgium, Italy, Slovakia, Germany, France, the United States, China, India, South Africa, South Korea, Vietnam, and Ecuador. The program is headed by the Ghent University in Belgium, with partner universities including Humboldt University of Berlin (Germany), Universidad de Córdoba (Spain), Agrocampus Ouest (France), University of Pisa (Italy), Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia), Can Tho University (Vietnam), among other universities.[2][3]

IMRD offers the opportunity to study European visions on rural development and rural economics in their diversity of approaches and applications and to make comparative analyses of EU and non-EU agricultural and rural development strategies and agricultural policies. IMRD is amongst others supported by the Erasmus Mundus and EU-Atlantis Eka free programs of the European Union, and the Flemish Interuniversity Council for University Development Cooperation (VLIR-UOS) under the International Courses Programmed (ICP). The objective is to train students from European and non-European countries, from developed, developing, and transition countries to become specialists in Integrated Rural Development with a focus on socioeconomic and institutional aspects.[4][5]

IMRD is a two-year (24 months) MSc. course program divided into 5 obligatory modules through which the students are required to obtain at least 120 ECTS upon graduation, of which the obligatory master dissertation (thesis) stands for 30 ECTS. With regard to the thesis, students are highly recommended to collect data in their home country, or in one of the non-European IMRD-VLIR partner universities and countries. Following are the 5 obligatory course modules:

1. General Entrance Module (Semester 1)
2. Advanced Module I (Semester 2)
3. Case Study (summer course)
4. Advanced Module II (Semester 3)
5. Thesis Module (Semester 4)

Alongside, students are highly encouraged, though not obliged to conduct an internship during their study for which they can obtain either 6 or 12 ECTS (depending on the content and finality of the internship). For each study track, fixed internship possibilities are provided by Belgian ODA-supported NGOs and in the non-European IMRD-VLIR partner universities and countries.[6]

The International MSc in Rural Development provides students with:

• Awareness of the multifunctional role of rural areas and agriculture and an integrated vision of the development of rural areas;
• Knowledge of different approaches to Rural Economics and Development and ability to apply these in diverse situations in developing, developed, and transition countries.
• Ability to apply adequate instruments, methods, and innovative tools to analyze, evaluate and solve problems related to Agricultural Economics and Policy, Food Systems, Rural Development, and Countryside Management.
• Ability to develop innovative tools and instruments for the multifunctional development of rural areas.
• A general formation in both technical and social sciences disciplines and advanced competence in at least two Rural Development related disciplines.
• Ability to dialogue with different actors of the socio-professional world as a consequence of their pluri-disciplinary training.
• Critical reflection skills and the necessary communication skills for integrated teamwork for dealing with Rural Development challenges.

The methodology consists of a combination of basic and specialized training in technical, economic, and social sciences, divided over three study periods, a case study of one month in the European summer period, and an individual master’s dissertation research project in the fourth study period. The program includes a high extent of student and scholar mobility, making it possible to learn from specialists within and outside of Europe. Non-European students study mainly in the European Union, and European students have opportunities to study within and outside the EU.[7]

All tracks are also open to self-sponsoring students or students with other scholarships. For all tracks specific scholarships are awarded each year by the IMRD consortium. Application for the program scholarship is highly competitive.