The International Master of Science in Rural Development is a two-year, four-semester programme coordinated by Ghent University with an international university consortium. It combines agricultural economics, development theory and research methods with specialisations in agri-food systems, social transitions, or governance and sustainability.
Students move among partner universities according to their focus area, complete a practical case study between the second and third semesters, and finish with an independently researched master’s dissertation. Optional double-degree routes can add study in the United States or Ecuador.
Benefits & funding
- The standard programme comprises 120 ECTS over two years, including mobility, a case study and a master’s dissertation.
- Self-funded tuition for the 2026 intake was EUR 4,500 per year for EEA nationals and EUR 9,000 per year for non-EEA nationals; living and travel costs were additional.
- A fully funded VLIR-UOS ICP Connect scholarship route was available for the 2026 intake, while Erasmus Mundus scholarships were not awarded for that cycle.
Eligibility
- Applicants need an academic bachelor’s degree of at least 180 ECTS with good overall results; final-year bachelor’s students may apply if they graduate before the programme starts.
- The academic record must show training in mathematics or statistics, life sciences, and social sciences, rural development or economics.
- Applicants must meet one of the published English standards: TOEFL iBT 80, TOEFL pBT 550, IELTS Academic 6.5 with at least 6 in writing, Cambridge C1 Advanced, or CEFR B2; specified nationality-and-study-history exemptions apply.
- The self-funded route is open without a nationality or residence gate. For the 2026 VLIR-UOS route, applicants had to be nationals of Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Palestine, Peru, the Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam or Zimbabwe, and reside in one of those 29 eligible countries; they also had to be no older than 35 on 1 January 2026 and satisfy the scholarship’s prior-study and prior-award restrictions.
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Application process
- 1Create an Oasis account and start an enrolment application for the International Master of Science in Rural Development.
- 2Enter bachelor- and any master-level education, then upload degree certificates, transcripts and the required English evidence.
- 3Complete the programme-specific academic questions, add relevant professional experience, and upload a CV and a motivation letter of no more than one A4 page.
- 4If seeking VLIR-UOS funding, select that scholarship and answer its additional questions; all applicants also rank focus areas and describe a proposed dissertation focus in no more than 100 words.
- 5Review the file carefully and submit by the deadline for the applicable route; submitted applications cannot be edited.
Program timeline
October 2025
Applications opened for the September 2026 intake.
VLIR-UOS scholarship application deadline.
28 February 2026
Non-EEA self-funded application deadline.
31 March 2026
EEA self-funded application deadline.
31 May 2026
Programme starts.
September 2026
Two-year programme ends.
September 2028