Courses are held in English.
Non-EEA citizens need to complete the online application before 1 March for the following winter semester (starting in September).
Non-EEA citizens living in Belgium with a valid residence permit or EEA citizens who are not applying for a scholarship must complete the application before 1 June.
In order to follow the programme, students need to pay a participation cost, covering all activities the different universities should reasonably provide to enable you to complete your degree.
Covered: lectures, case study participation, tuition fee for all partners where you take courses.
Participation cost:
Rural areas today face multiple challenges, ranging from economic inequalities to environmental sustainability and social inclusion. The International Master of Science in Rural Development (IMRD) programme recognises the urgency of developing a new cadre of professionals capable of addressing these challenges holistically and of proposing solutions for social transformation that strengthen the role of rural areas. Therefore, the IMRD aims to train graduates who can not only support the development of rural areas as such, but also research and promote the contribution of rural areas to overarching societal challenges.
Overall objectives of IMRD are:
The academic programme covers two academic years that consist of two course semesters each and a case study in the summer.
The IMRD starts with a General Entrance Module in the first semester. The General Entrance Module (25 to 30 ECTS) is common for all IMRD students and takes place at UGent during the first semester. It consists of a basic skills and knowledge foundation package, in a combination of an obligatory course package of 25 ECTS. A set of courses that focus on theory of rural development and rural sociology, scientific communication skills, and basic research methods needs to ensure that each student has the required general theoretical and methodological knowledge to become a rural development specialist. Students follow two rural development labs and a seminars course jointly offered by the partners.
In Advanced Module I (semester two) and Advanced Module II (semester three), students further acquire specialised skills and interdisciplinary knowledge essential for them to later drive meaningful transformations in rural communities. Students take the Advanced Module I and Module II within one of the following three tracks:
Between the second and third semester, the students complete a compulsory case study (10 ECTS summer course). This is an important practical component of the programme, which is made possible by the international scope of the programme.
The fourth semester is dedicated to the Master's dissertation. Students are supervised by experts of the two partner universities at which they spent semester two and three as part of their chosen track.
All IMRD students are required to spend at least one semester at a minimum of three EU partner universities. Depending on the track and individual mobility choices, additional mobility requirements (case study, internship) may be necessary.
In order to follow the programme, students need to pay a participation cost, covering all activities the different universities should reasonably provide to enable you to complete your degree.
Covered: lectures, case study participation, tuition fee for all partners where you take courses.
Participation cost:
Included in participation cost
Financial aid in the form of scholarships (Erasmus Mundus, VLIR-UOS) can be awarded to top applicants.
Academic Bachelor's degree of min. three years from a university or recognised equivalent. This degree is preferably in the field of bioscience engineering or agricultural sciences with good overall scores. Other degrees can also be accepted if you meet the requirements below.
Applicants must demonstrate through a transcript of records that they have basic academic training in the following:
The English language proficiency can be met by providing a certificate (validity of five years) of one of the following tests:
Non-EEA citizens need to complete the online application before 1 March for the following winter semester (starting in September).
Non-EEA citizens living in Belgium with a valid residence permit or EEA citizens who are not applying for a scholarship must complete the application before 1 June.
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