[Belgium] Master of Governance and Development at University of Antwerp: VLIR-UOS Scholarship 201

The future of sustainable development is critically related to the promotion of better governance at the local, national, regional and international level. At once a cause and a consequence of governance failures, violent conflict is incompatible with sustainable development. Central in this nexus between development, governance and conflict are processes of state formation, state failure and state reconstruction. Adopting a political economy perspective, the study programme analyses governance problems and possible responses with due account of specific historical pathways of countries and the interaction between the national state level, local society level dynamics and the impact of global developments.

Most of our students are engaged in development, professionally and/or as researchers. The objective of the Master’s programme is to provide them with multidisciplinary theoretical insights and practical tools that will improve their capacity to analyse governance challenges at different levels and how they relate to processes of violent conflict and development. Graduates will understand and be able to analyse, from the local to the global level, the governance problems confronting developing countries today. Theoretical insights, policy strategies and best practices as well as failures are explored in order that graduates could apply this knowledge in their future professional environments.

The Master’s programme in Governance and Development offers two tracks with specific objectives, courses and target audiences. The first track explores governance and development issues against the background of violent conflict and the challenge of post-conflict state reconstruction. The second addresses governance and development challenges from the particular perspective of local institutions and poverty reduction.

Admission requirements

The following candidates are eligible to apply for the Master’s programmes:

• Applicants from the South must hold a university degree (Bachelor or Master) of at least four years of study in Social Sciences (Economics, Political Science, Sociology, International Relations, or related disciplines). Applicants from the South who hold a Bachelor’s degree of only three years of study must demonstrate very strong and relevant professional experience and/or have successfully completed additional training. Applicants from the North must hold a Master’s degree in Social Sciences Only applicants with excellent academic records will be accepted.
• Our ideal participant has at least two years of professional experience in a sector relevant to the programme. Applicants from the North should have relevant field experience in the South.
• Applicants must be proficient in English. Those who have received a university education in English must provide an official certificate confirming this. Other applicants must submit one of the following test results:
  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): minimum score of 550 for paper-based test or 79 for Internet-based test. Information about this test is available at www.toefl.org.
  • IELTS (International English Language Testing System): minimum score of 6.0. Information about this test is available at www.ielts.org.
  • Special facilities are offered for students from other language backgrounds (in particular for French-speaking students). Students with paper-based TOEFL scores between 500 and 550 (or TOEFL Internet-based between 61 and 79) or IELTS scores between 5.0 and 6.0 may also be admitted provided they successfully complete a two-month intensive language course organised by the University of Antwerp before the start of the Master’s programme. For students selected for a VLIR-UOS scholarship, the cost of this language course is borne by the Institute (see below for details).
• Motivation and Matching: see description of student profile per Master and Trajectory.

Period: September 2010 – September 2011

Language: English

Number of VLIR-UOS Scholarships: 10

Contact:

Mrs G. Annaert
Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB)
University of Antwerp
T +32 (0)3 265 57 70
F +32 (0)3 265 57 71
dev@ua.ac.be
http://www.ua.ac.be/iob/education

Application for this scholarship is possible from 01/10/2009 until 01/02/2010

For additional information, visit the following pages:

• How to apply for an international course?
• VLIR-UOS country list from where scholarships are possible

Official announcement:
http://www.scholarships.vliruos.be/index.php?navid=479&actionchoice=detailscholarship&scholarship_id=27&returnlink=1

Apply for this scholarship by following the link below:

http://www.scholarships.vliruos.be/index.php?navid=479&scholarship_id=27&actionchoice=applyform