European Master in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis, Erasmus Mundus

European Master in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis, Erasmus Mundus
The European Master in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis (AFEPA) aims at providing a high quality education in designing and assessing public policies targeted to the agricultural and food sector as well as the rural environment. This European Master responds to the increasing need to better understand and anticipate the various and often complex socio-economic and environmental effects of these policies either in a functioning market economy as in the European Union or in economies in a development or transition phase. The European Master offers a two-year academic curriculum with integrated and advanced theoretical, methodological and empirical courses in economics and quantitative methods as well as in agricultural, food and environmental sciences, agricultural and trade policy, environmental and natural resource policy, rural development policy and agribusiness management and market analysis. To connect theory and methodology to practice, a problem solving project is developed and presented as a master thesis at the end of the two-year curriculum.

The European Master is jointly organised by five leading European educational and research institutions: the Corvinius University of Budapest (CUB) in Hungary, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Sweden, the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn (UBonn) in Germany, the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) in Belgium and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Spain. These five partner universities are recognised worldwide for the quality of their educational programme and scientific achievements in agricultural, environmental and economic sciences. The required 120 ECTS credit points are structured into three blocks: a minimum of two semesters of studies (55 ECTS) at a first partner university, as well as two semesters of studies (60 ECTS) at a second partner university, and two joint summer schools (5 ECTS) at partner universities. The language of instruction and examination is English for most of the courses in three partner universities while it is either French at UCL or Spanish at UPC for most of the courses. The Master degree is awarded as a double degree from the two home and host universities.

This European Master is accessible to candidates holding a bachelor degree or a recognized equivalent academic degree with a minimum of 180 ECTS or 3 years university study from an accredited institution, with sufficient undergraduate training in economics and agricultural or environmental sciences, with an excellent scholastic average, and with fluency in English but also French or Spanish if attending either UCL or UPC respectively.

Recipients of this European Master are qualified to understand the fundamentals of public policies oriented to the agricultural and food sector, rural areas and natural resources, develop and use quantitative methods to perform rigorous socio-economic and environmental assessment of these public policies, and provide sound and relevant policy recommendations for a more sustainable development of this sector and rural areas. They are qualified to take responsibilities in international, national and regional agencies, non-governmental organisations, consultancy firms, professional organisations and private companies.

Tuiton fees
The AFEPA consortium charges European students and non-European students a flat and common tuition fee of 3,000 Euro and 6,000 Euro per year respectively to cover the costs of selection, registration, university tuition, summer schools, course exams, thesis examination, local language support, library access, insurances, and administrative expenditures for the four-semester period. This flat rate is the same whatever the itinerary of the Master student. It does not include travel and accommodation costs and all other costs related to application documents, visas and residence permits.

Admitted European and non-European students pay an advance payment of 200 Euro in deduction to the tuition fee to secure their enrolment in the European Master in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis as soon as they have received the official email of admission from the AFEPA Coordination Office. For students that are not recipients of an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, enrolment in the AFEPA European Master is only official after the payment of the balance of the annual tuition fee during the first two weeks of the first semester of the academic programme. Tuition fees are centrally paid to a unique bank account of the Coordination Office.

Student scholarships

Erasmus Mundus scholarships for non-European students (Category A)
The Erasmus Mundus programme of the European Union awards a limited number of individual scholarships to non-European applicants to the European Master in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis. When non-European candidates apply for admission to the AFEPA European Master, they can also apply for this scholarship programme using the same application form. If non-European candidates applying for this scholarship programme are admitted to the AFEPA European Master but are not offered an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, then admitted candidates cover the tuition fees and all other expenses with funding from an alternative scholarship programme or private sources.

For a non-European applicant, the scholarship amounts to:

* a total contribution to travel, installation and any other type of costs € 8,000
* a contribution to cover the tuiton fees of the European Master € 3,000 per semester
* a monthly allowance € 1,000 per month

Following the 2009-13 Erasmus Mundus programme guide, without prejudice to high academic standards, no more than two of the applicants selected for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship should have the same nationality to ensure geographical diversity scholarship holders.

Erasmus Mundus scholarships for European students (Category B)
The Erasmus Mundus programme of the European Union awards a limited number of individual sholarships to European applicants to the European Master in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis. When European candidates apply for admission to the AFEPA European Master, they can also apply for this scholarship programme using the same application form. If European candidates applying for this scholarship programme are admitted to the AFEPA European Master but are not offered an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, then admitted candidates cover the tuition fees and all other expenses with funding from an alternative scholarship programme or private sources.

For a European applicant, the scholarship amounts to:

* a contribution to the tuiton fees of the European Master € 1,500 per semester
* a monthly allowance € 500 per month

There is no contribution to travel, installation and any other type of costs.

Following the 2009-13 Erasmus Mundus programme guide, without prejudice to high academic standards, no more than two of the applicants selected for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship should have the same nationality to ensure geographical diversity scholarship holders.

Note that Erasmus Mundus considers as European students:

* students who are nationals from the 27 EU Member States (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, UK, Sweden, Bulgaria, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania);
* students who are nationals from one of the EEA-EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway);
* students who have resided or carried out their main activities (studies, work, etc.) for more than 12 months over the past five years (preceding the start of the academic year) in any of the above countries

Erasmus Mundus considers all other students as non-European students.

Alternative student scholarships
The following lists a variety of potential scholarship sources for students that are accepted into the programme but are not granted funding from an Erasmus Mundus scholarship. While we provide guidance and support in students’ attempts to secure an alternative scholarship it is up to the student to identify and contact the scholarship institution. We list the potential sources by country, for example, a student planning to spend his first year of the programme in Germany should also start by contacting the sources listed for Germany.

A couple of general avenues to pursue are the following:

1. Speak to a counsellor at the international office of your university and inquire about the possibility of a stipend or an exchange programme with one of the five partner universities of the AFEPA programme.
2. Speak to a representative of your government, or maybe a local representative from your electoral district. State your case and the fact that you have been admitted to the programme, but that it is just for lack of funding that you cannot attend it. Explain the potential service of well-educated individuals coming back an working in your country, and thus the government’s interest in assisting people to receive an outstanding education and training in an international context. Alternatively to your local representative, you could also address the agricultural ministry directly with your objective.
3. Contact and visit embassies representing the five countries involved in the AFEPA European Master and explore with them the availability of funding for graduate studies. Remind your embassy’s contact that this European Master’s degree has been awarded the well-regarded Erasmus Mundus label certified by the European Commission.

Germany (University of Bonn):
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) provides a scholarship database, which enables you to search by country of origin, academic field and academic level. So you would state your country of origin, then “agriculture” or “social sciences” as your desired field and then “postgraduate” and the database will display a number of options for you to consider. Keep in mind, that the choices listed may still not be applicable for you, but it is worth considering this database and contact specific institutions listed directly if you believe they may fit your case.

Belgium (Université catholique de Louvain):
The Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) has a couple of options for francophone students that may be worth exploring. Check with a representative of your university about a partnership with UCL, because it may facilitate the use of one of AUF’s programmes. Otherwise, consult the website of the AUF and contact them directly with a description of your objective in order to see if your case is applicable to one of their programmes. Notably, the programmes 1 and 4 on the following website may be of interest to you. Again, state that you are admitted into the programme already.

The Belgian Technical Coorperation (BTC) manages study and training grants in Belgium, which are funded in the context of government-to-government cooperation agreements. This is known as direct bilateral cooperation. Approximately 120 grants are awarded each year. Priority will be given to study or training in one of the areas focused on by Belgian cooperation. The Belgian Technical Corporation works especially close with the following partner countries: Algeria, Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, DR Congo, Ecuador, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Palestinian territories, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam. It is strongly recommended that you apply to this grant programme as soon as you are admitted into the AFEPA programme to broaden your potential sources for a grant.

Sweden (Swedish Academy of Agricultural Sciences):
For students wanting to start their study in Sweden, the following website contains a scholarship database:
http://www.studyinsweden.se/Scholarships. The website enables you to search which scholarships are applicable to you depending on your country of origin and your desired degree level. Alternatively, a couple of other institutions offer funding for international students wanting to study in Sweden and some of them may be applicable to you. Another link is is the following: http://www.studyinsweden.se/Scholarships/Non-SI-scholarships/. Contact the issuing institution directly in order to find out their conditions and whether you qualify.

Scholarships for scholars
The AFEPA programme also provides scholarships for visiting scholars. Scholars must come for a minimum of three weeks and a maximum of three months and actively participate in programme-related activities.
Generally, however, the AFEPA consortium contacts scholars directly in order to discuss the possibility of their involvement.

Insurances
Students who hold an Erasmus Mundus scholarship or have paid their tuition fees benefit from an health insurance coverage for the entire two-year period of the AFEPA Master programme.

The coverage concerns:

* accidental death,
* permanent invalidity due to an accident,
* costs of treatments following an accident / sickness,
* costs of urgent dental care,
* assistance to persons,
* and civil liability.

Information on Applications
For the 2012/13 academic year: The online application tool for both non-European and European students will be activated again from September 15, 2011 until January 10, 2012. Applications received during this period (all applications must have been postmarked on January 10, 2012 at the latest) will be considered for general admission into the programme AND for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship. The deadline for students that wish to apply for admission into the programme but NOT for an Erasmus Scholarship are March 31, 2012 for Non-European applicants and April 30, 2012 for European applicants.

Coordinator:
Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium – Prof. Bruno Henry de Frahan

Partners:
Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary – Prof. Csaba Forgacs
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden – Ms. Kristina H. Jansson
University of Bonn, Germany – Prof. Thomas Heckelei
Technical University of Catalonia, Spain – Prof. José M. Gil

For more information, please visit official website: www.uclouvain.be