International Master of Science in Rural Development Ghent University

Overview

Key facts

In addition, changes in nutrition and diets have a significant impact on natural resources and climate change. Improving nutrition is therefore key to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. To solve the existing nutrition (security) problems worldwide, specialists with an integrated and multidimensional view on development problems are urgently required. Using better nutrition and food security as a starting point, students will contribute to sustainable development at household, national and international level. 

Ghent University's Nutrition and Rural Development programme has an international focus with specific attention to the international dimension of nutrient and food security and challenges faced in high as well as low- and middle income countries. Students come from a diverse background of cultures, technical background and nationalities. During the courses, students collaborate closely to critically assess available evidence, share lessons learned and develop innovative solutions to prevailing problems from community to national and international level.

Labour Market

• Research and education at universities, private or governmental institutions;
• Research in research institutions, private or governmental;
• Development project collaborators (governmental, national or international NGOs, private);
• Food and nutrition policy development, implementation and evaluation;
• Administration of rural and urban projects to improve diet, nutrition or food security;
• Industrial sector i.e. improvement of nutritional contribution of foods or nutritional services; consultancy services
• PhD programmes;
• Overseas project collaborators for local governmental and non-governmental development organisations;
• Involved in Europe in some international organisations, active in the development cooperation field;

• In administration as policy preparatory jobs;

Unique Selling Points

• The programme builds knowledge on nutrition and rural development: We focus on quantitative as well as qualitative aspects, with a particular emphasis on evidence-based approaches and critical appraisal of research to guide and evaluate population nutrition and develop interventions. As such, the programme fosters lifelong learning and consideration of knowledge and education for development.
• Our programme puts a strong emphasis on hands-on competencies and skills: In various course units, students work in teams and carry out joint planning of proposals and discuss evaluations of interventions. Group composition takes into account the students’ various nationalities and technical backgrounds. Students learn how to defend group work in interactive sessions with peer assessment.

• Multiperspectivistic focus: Our programme has a comprehensive focus on nutrition in populations and in the context of food security and sustainable development.
• Applicability: Guest lecturers are invited to discuss experiences and practical challenges of programmes and interventions. In addition, by means of the Master’s dissertation, our students learn how to define a problem, collect data and develop research-informed interventions. Also, students can choose to embark on a work placement, in which they are exposed to practical challenges when developing programmes. As a consequence, alumni are found at different organizations, e.g. national governments, United Nations specialized agencies, local and international NGOs and research institutions across the globe. A considerable number of our students also pursues a PhD.

• Education based on research: Lecturers are actively involved in research on food, nutrition and development. This research is conducted in the context of national, European as well as global partnerships. Ongoing research findings feed into the course units and ensure that lectures are in tune with the most recent findings and innovations.

Strengths

• Our lecturers are approachable. This includes the tenured academic staff as well as the teaching assistants who take care of the practical course units. Students interact with the staff in both a formal and informal way to discuss research, as well as academic and practical matters related to studying in Belgium.
• Students and lecturing staff collaborate to ensure quality. Our Programme Committee meets on a monthly basis to discuss matters related to the quality and organization of the programme. Student representatives make up at least 1/3 of the total members and have voting rights.
• Education-related matters and quality assurance are reviewed and supervised by an international advisory board. This board contains alumni and representatives from NGOs, UN agencies as well as academic staff of universities in Europe and in the global south.
• A committee at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering supports the Programme Committee to ensure premium-quality education. Transparent procedures are in place, and regular workshops on the topic of quality assurance in education and the exchange of good practices between lecturers are organized.
• Our programme boasts a dedicated team of lecturers, all of them international leading experts lecturers from a wide variety of disciplines. They combine their passion for research in the field of nutrition and rural development with education.