A group of six European universities headed by Wageningen University has been established to allocate full scholarships to students from outside the EU so they can complete a Masters Course in Animal Breeding and Genetics. These scholarships, which will be provided to 30 students each year for the next five years, are funded by the European Union as part of its Erasmus Mundus programme. With this programme, the EU aims to strengthen European cooperation and mobility in higher education by supporting high-quality European Masters Courses; in this way the European Union will become a centre of excellence in learning for students from around the world.
The students will follow their Masters Course at two or more of the universities in the consortium. Besides Wageningen, the consortium includes universities in Uppsala (Sweden), Ås (Norway), Kiel (Germany), Vienna and Paris. The scholarships cover the costs of travel, lodging, tuition and other expenses for two years. An Erasmus Mundus scholarship provides up to € 21,000 per year for a student who is taking a Masters Course.
The Masters Course in Animal Breeding and Genetics emphasises the development of sustainable breeding programmes for the production of animals, fish and companion animals. With this Masters Course, the consortium intends to meet the demand for well-educated people in this international field, both inside and outside the EU.
To qualify for the Erasmus Mundus designation, study programmes must undergo a strict selection procedure. Only the best programmes qualify. The designation allows the consortium to select candidates who are then granted a scholarship by the EU; the scholarship is disbursed by the consortium. Since the programme began in 2004, Erasmus Mundus scholarships have enabled approximately 1600 students from outside the EU to take top-quality Masters Courses. The programme now comprises 57 study programmes throughout Europe.