Erasmus Mundus Scholarships in Agricultural Development and Management of Natural Resources

Erasmus Mundus Scholarships (AD and NRM)

Course(s) Offered: Agriculture, Rural development, Management of natural resources
Course Level: Graduate (masters, training)
Provider: EU Erasmus Mundus
Country to Study in: Europe

Scholarship Description
The Agris Mundus masters course in Agricultural development and Management of natural resources is a two-year training programme of 120 ECTS (European Credits Transfer System).

The Agris Mundus Masters course objectives are to train students to cope with the current global/international concerns in agriculture and rural development.

Graduates will be qualified to identify and critically analyse key factors shaping the development of crops, forests and animal production, the management of research and rural development projects and finally, the sustainable use of natural resources and the environment.

They will be trained to formulate and provide effective and appropriate responses to complex agriculture and natural resources related issues.

As the result of the selection of the Agris Mundus Master course by the Erasmus Mundus programme, the European Commission provides a number of scholarships.

Eligibility
There are two rounds of academic admission. You can apply for academic admission either at Round 1 or at Round 2, but Erasmus Mundus scholarships are only offered at Round 1.

All the students, irrespective of their country of origin or of the training track they take to, are subjected to the same criteria.

• Bachelor of Sciences (180 ECTS) in a field related to agricultural development or a BA in the Social Sciences or equivalent
• Verified excellent quality of the institution where this first degree was obtained
• Excellent academic background with marks identifying the candidate among the 20% best students of his former studies (BSc or BA degree with honours 1st class or 2nd class minimum)
• Strongly convincing letter of motivation
• 2 letters of support from referees.

Only candidates who are able to show evidence of a very good level and well-constructed motivation have a chance to be admitted.

Preference will be given to candidates with appropriate professional experience and strongly convincing recommendations by an academic or a professional body. Candidates who cannot show evidence of such criteria are invited to refrain from applying.

Eligible groups
There are two kinds of Erasmus Mundus scholarships, both offered at Round 1 and depending on your nationality and whether you have been living in Europe or not in the recent past.

1) Group A candidates

• Group A corresponds to nationals from another country other than the European Union Member States and Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein all together.
• Group A candidates who have been residents or have carried their main activities in one of the Group B countries for more than 12 months over the last five years, will also be considered within the Group B.
• Group A candidates may be awarded with an Erasmus mundus scholarship category A.
• for 2011-2013, among the selected 60 candidates admitted at round 1, 8 applicants have been awarded with an Erasmus Mundus scholarship category A.

2) Group B candidates

• Group B corresponds to nationals from the European Union Member States, or from Switzerland, Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein.
• Candidates from Group A countries who have been residents or have carried their main activities in one of the Group B countries for more than 12 months over the last five years, will also be considered within the Group B.
• 6 applicants have been awarded with an Erasmus Mundus scholarship Category B for 2011-2013.

At round 2, there is no allocation for scholarships.

Participating Institution(s)
Listed below are the members of the Consortium:

• Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR), the agricultural university in the Netherlands, with a strong experience in developing countries, specially in the domain of agricultural development
  
• University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Life Sciences, is one of the european leading university in the areas of food, health, plants, natural resources, environment with a recognised expertise in agricultural development in the third countries.
  
• University College of Cork (UCC), which hosts one of the well-known colleges in Ireland for agriculture and food industries
  
• Universita degli Studi di Catania, the university in Sicilia, Italy, with a high experience in mediterranean crops and animals
  
• Universidad Politecnica de Madrid the university in Spain which carries for years a deep involvement in the support to local development in Europe and the Americas.The UPM contribution to the Agris Mundus Master course is organized with the cooperation of Infodal Foundation
  
• Montpellier SupAgro, (Agropolis Montpellier) the specialised training institution in France for agricultural systems in the mediterranean, the tropics and the subtropics.

Field(s) of study
Master of Science (MSc) in Agricultural Development and Management of Natural Resources

Number of awards
Not specified

Sponsorship duration
Two (2) years programme

Scholarship benefits
Monthly allowance of Euros 1,000 per month (for 12 months) plus travel expenses, contribution to installation and any other type of costs worth Eur. 4,000 per year. For more, see this page.

Method of Application
To apply to the Scholarship, candidates have to apply online. NO APPLICATION BY POST WILL BE ACCEPTED. ONLINE REGISTRATION IS COMPULSORY!

Application forms and instructions can be downloaded from the On-line application procedure webpage.

The round of call for the cohort 2012-2014 is now open.

DEADLINES:
Round 1 (EM Scholarships + Admission for All Students): February 3rd, 2012;
Round 2 (Late Academic Admissions ONLY – No Scholarship Available At This Call): May 25th, 2012

PLEASE NOTE:
There are two rounds of academic admission. You can apply for academic admission either at Round 1 or at Round 2, but Erasmus Mundus scholarships are only offered at Round 1.

Being selected for admission or for a scholarship does not mean that you are fully admitted or that you will be definitely awarded with a scholarship. Conditions such as your English or Spanish level will be checked after the selection rounds mentioned above and may lead to the cancellation of your selection.

Candidates are not allowed to apply to more than 3 Erasmus Mundus master courses for the same academic year.

Whatever the round of selection you choose, information can be given by email to check your eligibility: send the application preparation form (.pdf or .doc only) + CV (in a single zip file).

Application Deadline: 3 February 2012
Open to International students: Yes

More Scholarship Information and Application

Related: List of Agriculture Scholarships for International Students