Erasmus Mundus Scholarships in International Masters in Rural Development

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree Student Scholarship & IMRD

Course(s) Offered: Several fields
Course Level: Postgraduate (masters)
Provider: European Commission
Country to Study in: Europe

Scholarship Description
The joint International Master in Rural Development (IMRD), part of the European Commission’s Erasmus Mundus JMD programme, offers the opportunity to become an international expert on rural development in its diversity of approaches and applications.

Being an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree, the IMRD programmes is entitled to – each academic year – award a limited number of Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) Student scholarships to promising nationals of Erasmus+ Partner Countries. The aim of these scholarships is for these promising students to finance their participation to the IMRD programme.

The scholarship is administrated by the IMRD Consortium which disburses the scholarship awardee with the respective payments on a timely basis which is mutually agreed upon through the signing of a Student Agreement/Contract. Payment of the scholarship only occurs upon arrival in Ghent (Belgium) and after the signing of the Student Agreement.

Eligibility
Applicants which have the official nationality of an Erasmus+ Partner Country, and who meet the IMRD admission requirements and have been be academically admitted by the IMRD Management Board to participate the IMRD programme. Other eligibility requirements of the program include:

• Applicants must have at least a Bachelor’s degree of min. 3 years from a university or recognized equivalent in preferably bioscience engineering or agricultural sciences, (preferably agricultural economics) with good overall scores (at least a second class or equivalent, preferably higher).
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate through their transcripts basic science training in: (i) mathematics and/or statistics; (ii) agronomy and/or biology and/or environmental sciences; and (iii) social sciences/sociology and/or rural development and/or economics.
• Language requirements:
  The English language proficiency can be met by providing a certificate (validity of 5 years) of one of the following tests:
  – TOEFL IBT 80
  – TOEFL PBT 550
  – ACADEMIC IELTS 6,5 overall score
  – CEFR B2 Issued by a European university language centre
  – ESOL CAMBRIDGE English CAE (Advanced)
  Language of instruction is not accepted anymore, except applicants who are nationals from or have obtained a bachelor and/or master degree in a higher education institute with English as mode of instruction in USA, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or Canada, and in the latter case a certificate that the mode of instruction was English has to be submitted.

Selection Criteria:
EMJDM Student Scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit. Notwithstanding, the Selection and Award Committee takes the following 3 points into consideration:

• a fair gender balance amongst the scholarship awardees
• a fair geographical balance (ideally max. 2 scholarships per nationality)
• the choice for the Thesis Partner University in order for a fair balance amongst consortium partners (max. 1 EMJMD scholarship per Thesis Partner University per intake)

The IMRD 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.

Eligible Groups
Citizens of countries labelled as Partner countries under the EMJMD Consortium agreement

Participating Institution(s)
Through IMRD you can study at least one semester at the following universities:

A). Within Europe

• Ghent University (Belgium)
• Humboldt University of Berlin (Germany)
• Agrocampus Ouest (France)
• University of Pisa (Italy)
• Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia)

B). Outside Europe

• ESPOL (Ecuador)
• China Agricultural University (China)
• Nanjing Agricultural University (China)
• University of Arkansas (USA)
• University of Pretoria (South Africa)
• University of Agricultural Sciences of Bangalore (India)

Fields of study
Rural Development, Agricultural Economics, and related technical, economic and social sciences

Number of awards
Not specified.
[The Erasmus Mundus program of the European Commission offers a limited number of Erasmus Mundus scholarships each year.]

Sponsorship duration
Two years

Scholarship benefits
The Erasmus Mundus scholarship covers the:

• 2 year Programme Costs for the IMRD programme (= 2 x 9,000 => 18,000 EUR)
• 2 year full worldwide insurance coverage
• contribution to travel and installation costs (either 5,000 or 7,000 EUR)
• 24 monthly subsistence allowances (= 24 x 1,000 => 24,000 EUR)

All other costs are at charge of the student. The EMJMD Student Scholarship does not include:

• visa costs
• study material
• transportation costs from one mobility to another

Method of Application
In the application procedure, you first apply for academic admission. When you are academically admitted, you will be sent the links to the scholarship application forms.

Apply for admission to the consortium and a scholarship by registering here and completing the application form here. For all questions in relation to the scholarship procedure and other questions regarding tuition fee, accommodation, visa matters, etc. please contact applications.itc@ugent.be

It is important to visit the official website (link to it is below) for complete information on how to apply for this scholarship

DEADLINES:
Complete the IMRD-form before 1 March 2017 to be taken into account for a scholarship! The deadline applying for academic year 2017/2018 IMRD Program is March 1, 2017

PLEASE NOTE:
The selection of awardees of these scholarships, is conducted by the IMRD Management Board. They take their decision carefully after assessing all complete application files of the academically admitted candidates for the IMRD programme who applied correctly and timely for the EMJMD Scholarships.

Application Deadline: 1 March 2017
Open to International students: Yes

More Scholarship Information and Application (Scholarship Webpage)
More Scholarship Information and Application(Program Webpage)

Related: Scholarships in Europe for International Students