International Master in Rural Development (IMRD): ERASMUS MUNDUS Track

Are you passionate to work for rural communities? If yes, this article on IMRD may be helpful.

International Master in Rural Development (IMRD) is a 2 years Master’s program that is jointly organized by 6 core European partners and 9 associated partners from outside Europe.

IMRD is focused to train professionals that can contribute to solving challenges related to the economy, natural resources, and agriculture in rural areas.

This opportunity is typically offered to recent graduates who want to shape their careers in development sectors, especially for rural development.

There are 5 mobility tracks to obtain the IMRD degree but this article is written for Mobility Track: Erasmus Mundus. The IMRD Erasmus Mundus track is fully funded which includes academic fees, monthly stipend, and travel allowance.

Benefits: 

The scholarship covers program participation cost, monthly allowance, and travel costs up to a total of 49,000 euro for a 2-year IMRD: ERASMUS MUNDUS program. 

Check the following link for scholarship details: Erasmus Mundus administrative and financial handbook (europa.eu)

• Full tuition fees
• 1,000 euro per month allowance as support for housing and general subsistence
• Travel allowance up to 3,000 euro year 
• A one-time installation contribution of 1,000 euro for Partner Country Students

Host Country: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Spain (For ERASMUS MUNDUS Track)

Host Institution(s): There are three focus areas: Economy, Society, and Environment, based on which your host institutions will be decided.

Check out the given table:

Note: Selected student must attend a minimum of two host institutions

IMRD Application Timeline:

The application window is open from September to February. The deadline to submit an online application form is February 28. After this deadline, candidates applying are not eligible for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship.

The initial results of the evaluation are notified within 15 working days after you submit the application. The Erasmus Mundus scholarship results are notified by the first week of April. 

Eligibility Criteria:

• Citizens of all nationalities can apply for the IMRD ERASMUS MUNDUS track
• Candidates should have at least an academic bachelor’s degree of min. 3 years from a recognized university (Preferably Bioscience engineering, agriculture science) 
• Candidates transcript must be able to demonstrate basic science training in mathematics and/or statistics, life science and social science and/or rural development and/or economics
• Language requirements (Any of the following certificate and validity of 5 years)
  • TOEFL IBT 80
  • TOEFL PBT 550
  • Academic IELTS 6.5 overall score with a minimum score of 6.0 for writing
  • CEFR B2 issued by a European University Language Centre
  • ESOL Cambridge English CAE (Advanced)

Important Actions to Start:

The candidate is supposed to prepare the given list of documents before s/he prepares the online application form.

1. Academic Transcripts and Diploma (BSC, MSC)
2. CV (Maximum 2 pages)
3. Letter of Recommendations (You are supposed to get two letters of recommendation from your professors, internship supervisors, thesis supervisors, employers)
4. English Language Proficiency Certificate
5. Motivation Letter (Should not be longer than one A4 page)
6. Potential Thesis Topic (Max. one A4 page)
7. Copy of Passport

Once you prepare the given list of documents, please do fill up the online application form in the given link:  (Applications are closed now)

After you submit the application, the admission team will inform you about your selection through email and you can start the legalization of your academic documents (BSC and MSC diploma and transcripts)

You will be notified to submit the legalized original copy through the post. 

For the details about the program, tuition and scholarship, and application, you can always refer to the official IMRD website.

For admission-related questions, a candidate can approach applications.itc@ugent.be

Gagan Gautam

Gagan Gautam is a UNICEF Fellow at the Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas, IIT Bombay. He is passionate about working with the community for developmental activities in Nepal and South Asia.