Master's in International Science in Rural Development

Ghent University is a public university in Ghent, Belgium. It was founded in 1817 and is one of the largest universities in Belgium. The university has over 40,000 students and 6,000 staff members. It offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in the fields of humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, medicine, and engineering. Ghent University is ranked #121-130 in the QS World University Rankings 2024. It is also a member of the League of European Research Universities and the Coimbra Group.

The joint International MSc in Rural Development (IMRD) offers the opportunity to study European visions on rural development and rural economics in their diversity of approaches and applications and to make comparative analyses of EU and non-EU agricultural and rural development strategies and agricultural policies. IMRD is amongst others supported by the Erasmus Mundus and EU-Atlantis Ekafree programmes of the European Union. The objective is to train students from European and non-European countries, from developed, developing and transition countries to become specialists in Integrated Rural Development with focus on socio-economic and institutional aspects. This is done through a two-year master’s programme jointly organised by 16 worldwide European leading institutes in Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, in collaboration with several partners from Belgium, Italy, Slovakia, Germany, France, the United States, China, India, South Africa, South Korea, Vietnam and Ecuador. A detailed list and the specialty disciplines of the partner institutes can be found on the website. The International MSc in Rural Development provides students with: Awareness of the multifunctional role of rural areas and agriculture and an integrated vision on development of rural areas; Knowledge of different approaches to Rural Economics and Development and ability to apply these in diverse situations in developing, developed and transition countries; Ability to apply adequate instruments, methods and innovative tools to analyse, evaluate and solve problems related to Agricultural Economics and Policy, Food Systems, Rural Development and Countryside Management; Ability to develop innovative tools and instruments for the multifunctional development of rural areas; A general formation in both technical and social sciences disciplines and advanced competence in at least two Rural Development related disciplines; Ability to dialogue with different actors of the socio-professional world as a consequence of their pluri-disciplinary training; Critical reflection skills and the necessary communication skills for integrated team work for dealing with Rural Development challenges.