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The International Master of Science in Rural Development (IMRD) is a two-year master's program jointly organized by several universities worldwide and internationally recognized institutions in agricultural economics and rural development. [1]
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The program is part of Erasmus Mundus and funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency. It is organized by 6 core European partners and 9 associated partners from outside Europe. [2] European partners include: Ghent University, Humboldt University of Berlin, Universidad de Córdoba, Agrocampus Ouest, University of Pisa, and Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra.
The partners outside of Europe are: University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore (India); University of Arkansas (USA); Can Tho University (Vietnam); Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (Ecuador); China Agricultural University; Nanjing Agricultural University (China); University of Pretoria (South Africa); Seoul National University (South Korea); Korea University (South Korea). [1]
The program, which starts in early September each year at Ghent University, prepares students to address challenges in the socio-economic, natural resource, and agricultural sectors of rural communities. It employs a multi-disciplinary approach, utilizing comparative studies of European Union and non-EU rural development models, and offers study options that expose students to different rural development models globally. [2]
IMRD is a two-year (24 months) MSc program divided into 5 obligatory modules. Students are required to obtain at least 120 ECTS credits upon graduation; the master's dissertation accounts for 30 ECTS credits. Students are encouraged to collect data for their thesis in their home country, or in one of the non-European IMRD-VLIR partner universities and countries. [2]
The International MSc in Rural Development methodology consists of 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. Non-European students study mainly in the European Union, and European students study within and outside the EU. [3]
All tracks are also open to self-sponsoring students or students with other scholarships, and specific scholarships are awarded each year by the IMRD consortium for all tracks.[ citation needed ]