Joint Master in Comparative Local Development

Deadline: 01 February 2011 for the expression of interest; 15 March 2011 Non-EU candidates and 15 May 2011 EU candidates – submission of the on-line application form
Open to: Holders of a first level (Bachelor) university degree in Economics, Sociology, Political Sciences, Law and Engineering or an equivalent qualification
Duration: 2 years (120 ECTS)

JOINT EUROPEAN MASTER IN COMPARATIVE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT – CoDe
The University of Trento, coordinator, (Italy), the Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary), the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), the University of Regensburg (Germany) in collaboration with the University of Belgrade (Serbia), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA) and the Tshwane University of Technology (South Africa) with the support of European Commission, offer a postgraduate Master’s course degree. Master CoDe is:
– accredited by the European Consortium for Accreditation;
– an Erasmus Mundus Brand Name programme.
Duration: 2 years (120 ECTS).  Official language: English.

Additional Information

• Participants are required to attend a module of Italian or German language (3 ECTS – 50 hours). Slovenian, Hungarian or other language modules might be offered upon students’ request.
• Internship for research (10 ECTS): internship are held in qualified organisations (institutions of local and regional government, public/private partnerships, decentralised administrations of national government, industrial districts, trans-border co-operation-projects, policies for enterprises and local development, services to enterprises, research centres, local banks, NGOs active at local level or for the promotion of local development) located in the countries of the partner universities or in international organisations (350 hours).
• Dissertation (20 ECTS): analysis, research and experience aimed at the elaboration of an original and innovative analysis for local development in areas in transformation. The project should be
  presented as a thesis preferably including an operational activity plan.

Admission Requirements

In order to qualify for the programme candidates have to comply with the following requirements:
1. a first level (Bachelor) university degree in Economics, Sociology, Political Sciences, Law and Engineering or an equivalent qualification, i.e. relevant to local development. The degree should correspond to a 180 ECTS study programme. In case of applicants from countries where ECTS is not in place, only the holders of a degree of at least three years, eligible to proceed with master studies in the country of origin, are considered to meet the selection criteria. Applications are also invited from candidates who expect to complete their bachelor degree by July 31 2011. In such cases, admission is conditional and applicants are required to send to Master CoDe offices the relevant degree certificate, or a declaration, that the degree has been conferred;
2. knowledge of functional English.

Candidates meeting these requirements will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
1. Education
2. Dissertation proposal
3. Motivation
4. Post-degree courses and activities
5. Interview (in person or through telephone) for shortlisted candidates (optional)

Tuition and Fees

The tuition fee for enrolling in Master CoDe is:
– Non-EU national candidates: 3.500 EUR per semester;
– EU national candidates: 1.250 EUR per semester.
Students will be provided with access to the facilities of the participating universities (library, pc rooms, e-mail and Internet) as well as to the universities’ cafeterias and restaurants at student rates.

Scholarships

Positions with reduced tuition fee (partly financed by the Hungarian state) are available for EU and EFTA country applicants on a competitive basis. Candidates for these positions should apply to Master CoDe also through the Hungarian on-line application system: http://www.felvi.hu/for_foreigners (active only after December 15, 2010). Deadline for applying to these positions: 15th February 2011. For more information visit here  (active only after December 15, 2010). Additional scholarships may be available. Updated information on available scholarships will be published on Master CoDe website.

How to apply

The application procedure requires candidates to submit the following forms:
1. Expression of interest (optional) can be found here.
2. The on-line Application at the following website . Application forms include:- degree certificate. Applicants expecting to complete their degree when applying, must submit a certification of the enrolment in the course of studies; Applicants with a foreign qualification that has not been officially recognized as equivalent to the Italian degree have to attach:
– A translation into English of the degree certificate;
– Curriculum vitae;
– Dissertation proposal;
– Two letters of recommendation written by qualified scholars or experts (optional);

Deadlines

• February 1, 2011 for the expression of interest (optional).
• Submission of the Application form (on-line):
  – March 15, 2011: Non-EU candidates
• – May 15, 2011: EU candidates February 15, 2011: Applicants from EU and EFTA states who intend to apply for positions with reduced fees (partly financed by the Hungarian state) must apply on-line here before 15th February 2011.

The official website