Erasmus Mundus
What is it
The Erasmus program was set up to coordinate, provide and enable EU students to complete their degrees across at least three different institutions in the European Union. This program is now complemented by Erasmus Mundus, a scheme set up in 2004 to allow talented students from outside the EU to undertake Master's degrees in Europe. In the jargon of the EU these students are "third country students". Australians fall into this category and thus are eligible for the opportunities Erasmus Mundus offers.
Erasmus Mundus Master's degrees are co-ordinated between different EU higher education institutions so that you do parts of the course in different places. This means that under Erasmus Mundus you can do a "joint" Master's degree that will mean you will attend more than one university and study in more than one country while doing it. And all with the support of a scholarship!
The number of insitutions making a consortium offering an Erasmus Mundus Master's is always at least three, though you do not have to spread your studies across all members of the consortium. But what this does mean is that you do have a lot of choice in terms of how you construct your degree. You make choices involving not just subjects but institutions and countries as well!
To summarise: by taking advantage of Erasmus Mundus you can gain access to a Master’s degree while studying across different institutions and in different European countries, and you will be given the financial support to do so. Scholarships of up to €42,000 are available for over 100 courses, in a wide variety of fields. Erasmus Mundus courses are offered by joint consortia of insitutions from around the EU and also from Norway.
Characteristics of EM degrees
Courses at the Masters level are open to graduate students who already have a university degree of at least three years. There are presently no thematic restrictions or favoured subject areas for Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses. All fields of study and disciplines are welcome: please look through the list of Masters Courses.
An integrated study programme offered by an Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium has the following features:
Joint criteria for admission and examination: Students should be able to apply to a single programme with common standards for admission, a common application procedure and a joint student selection process. Examinations passed at one institution of the consortium are automatically and fully recognised by the other institutions of the consortium.
Course integration: Provision of a jointly developed curriculum or full recognition by the Erasmus Mundus Master’s consortium of courses which are developed and taught separately but make up a single standard course.
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Conditions of Eligibility
As an Australian you will fall into the “third country national” category Erasmus Mundus caters to. These conditions for third country nationals are:
You can apply for an Erasmus Mundus scholarships if you are not a resident of one of the 25 EU Member States, the EEA-EFTA states and the candidate countries for accession to the EU;
and
If you have not carried out your main activities (studies, work, etc.) for more than a total of 12 months over the last five years in any of the above mentioned countries;
and
if you fulfil all the other admission criteria (graduate student or high-quality scholar, accepted by the Erasmus Mundus Masters consortium institutions).
Mobility is a part of the EM degree
A period of study is required in at least two of the three or more institutions participating in the consortium. Potential students must know the sequence of study periods to be spent in the various hosting institutions and the various mobility combinations when they apply for the Course. In a consortium of three partners (A, B, C), mobility combinations would normally be A+B, A+C, B+C and A+B+C.
My final degree will be...
You are guaranteed award of a recognised joint, or double, or multiple degree upon graduation:
A double degree is a minimum requirement.
A double or multiple degree is defined as two or more national diplomas issued officially by two or more institutions involved in an integrated study programme.
A joint degree is defined as a single diploma issued by at least two of the institutions offering an integrated study programme.
Note that the degrees are recognised in the countries where the degree-awarding institutions are located. In the European Higher Education system an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course carries between a minimum of 60 and maxi- mum of 120 ECTS credits at the Masters level. 60 to 120 ECTS credits correspond to courses lasting from one to two academic years, a formulation in accord with a Master’s degree in Australia.
Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses provide students with the possibility of using at least two European languages spoken in the countries where the institutions offering the Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses are located. However, the use of at least two languages does not mean the courses are taught in two different languages. Nor are the institutions obligated to use their national languages as the language of instruction. However, institutions should have a clearly identifiable language policy to promote the national language. This may include
How do I apply?
The basic way to begin your application is to first select a course from the list that is on offer. You can find the list either by going to the designated EM web page or by downloading the EM Master’s courses compendium - (PDF). While the latter is some ways more comprehensive, because it allows you to peruse by both discipline and institution, when you come to apply the website allows you to click directly through to the specific courses. From these site you can find application requirements and, most importantly, deadlines for your application.
It is important to realise that there are no standardised courses or application procedures, each consortium of universities has put together its own Master's degree program.
For more see our Erasmus Mundus useful links
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