A Unique International Master’s Degree Programme for Drylands

MSc on Integrated Drylands Management

A Joint Programme of UNU-IRA-INAT-ICARDA-CAREERI-ALRC-GM

Overview

The MSc Programme is designed to enhance the capacity of developing countries to manage their drylands resources. It is intended to provide young professionals and scientists an international perspective on resource management approaches in drylands.

Students enrolled in the 2013-14 Programme will attend a 4-week intensive course held at CAREERI, Lanzhou, China* between 16 September - 15 October 2013. International experts from all partner organizations and their networks, representing different disciplines in drylands management, will facilitate a mixture of lectures, seminars, laboratory applications and field visits to the arid zones of Tunisia. The focus of the course work will be on research and practices for combating desertification, and will include interdisciplinary aspects such as climate change, integrated water and land management, combating desertification, and economics aspects.

Upon completion of the course work and approval of the research proposal, students will carry out their field research which will be hosted by one of the partner organizations. The six month field and laboratory research will be conducted under the supervision of one of the programme partners. Upon completion of the MSc Programme, students will receive a Master’s Degree from their home university and a Certificate from UNU. The MSc Programme is jointly offered by the seven partner institutions as an internationally accepted degree.

Typically, the graduates from the MSc Programme serve in government departments and agencies (eg., those dealing with agriculture, forestry, natural resources management, and combating desertification), teaching positions in institutions of higher learning, research institutions and doctoral research programmes

*Please note that in order to facilitate the visa application process for studying abroad in China, applicants must hold a passport with a validity of more than 6 months.

Programme Partners

• United Nations University (UNU)
• Institut des Régions Arides (IRA)
• Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie (INAT)
• International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
• Cold and Arid Regions Environmental & Engineering Research Institute (CAREERI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
• Arid Land Resarch Centre, Tottori University (TU)
• The Global Mechanism of the UNCCD (GM)
• International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies – Mediterranean Agronomic Institute, Bari (CIHEAM-Bari)

Programme Information

In order to be eligible to apply to the Joint MSc Programme, applicants must currently be enrolled in a Master’s degree programme at one of the Programme partners or associated institutes. Further details can be found below and in the following informational brochure:

MSc Programme 2013-14 Brochure (700 KB, PDF)

Applicants who are not registered at one of the Programme partners or associated institutes may still be eligible to apply if they are registered in a Master’s Programme at another accredited university, have completed their coursework, and can establish a link with one of the Programme partners or associated institutes for their field research and thesis work which will be undertaken jointly with their current supervisor. Such applicants should contact the interested Programme partner institute directly to explore options and potential arrangements.

Fellowship and Travel Arrangements

A limited number of Fellowships will be provided to qualified candidates from developing countries on a competitive basis. These fellowships will cover the travel costs between the country of origin and IRA, CAREERI, ICARDA and TU, as needed. Japanese students may only apply for TU fellowships.

Admissions Procedure

To apply for the Joint MSc Programme, applicants must complete and sign the downloadable 2012-13 application form:

MSc Programme 2013-14 Application Form (400 KB, MS Word)

Please complete and sign the application form. The following supporting documents must be submitted together with the application form:

• For applicants registered at one of the Programme partners or associated institutes, a letter of nomination from your supervisor/university that certifies completion of basic course work. For applicants registered at an accredited university outside the Programme partners, a letter of nomination from your supervisor/university that certifies completion of basic course work and clarifies the link between your university and one of the MSc Programme partners for joint supervision of research and thesis work.
• A certified copy of academic transcripts for each institution attended.
• An original, detailed MSc research proposal of 10 pages clearly outlining the problem statement, literature review, research question, methodology, expected results, workplan and timetable.
• Two (2) original supporting letters of reference, one (1) of which must be from your current supervisor.
• Evidence of English proficiency (e.g. TOEFL score, English certificate, etc.), where English is not your first language.

*Documents which are not originally in English must be accompanied by an official English translation*

Please send application materials to:

MSc Programme Committee
UNU-INWEH
175 Longwood Road South, Suite 204
Hamilton, Ontario  L8P 0A1, CANADA 
Fax: +1 905 667 5510

Email: contact.inweh@unu.edu

Submission Deadline: 14 June, 2013 (applications must be post-dated by this date).

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Last updated: 10 May, 2013