Compare the master's Development and Rural Innovation

The master's Development and Rural Innovation is a social sciences study programme that welcomes students with a bachelor's degree in the technical sciences, life sciences or management sciences. Preferably, this degree should be related to agricultural and rural development, natural resource management, the food industry or similar fields. (i.e. Biology, Food Science, Animal Sciences, Mechanical Engineering or Environmental Science). This programme aims to develop professionals who understand the role of knowledge in societal change processes, and are able to link human and technological dimensions of innovation.

The two-year study programme is followed by students of several nationalities. The first year consists of courses. In your second year you will do an internship and a major thesis in either the Netherlands or abroad. You have a choice of four study tracks:

Compare the programme in Wageningen

The master's International Development Studies focuses also on development issues but you need a bachelor's degree in social sciences to be able to be admitted to that master's programme.

Compare the programme with other universities

The master's Science and Innovation Management (Utrecht University) focuses on the application of life sciences and technology in societal processes. The focus is on the innovation process. The master's Development and Rural Innovation at Wageningen University focuses for example on the links between technological developments and societies in which these are introduced and used. The programmes Development Studies (Utrecht University), Globalisation and Development Studies (Maastricht University), International Development Studies (University of Amsterdam) and Anthropology and Development Studies (Radboud University Nijmegen) focus on developing countries just like Wageningen’s master's Development and Rural Innovation does. The difference is not in the content but in the admission requirements of the studies. The master's Development and Rural Innovation is unique because it is the only study programme in this domain that you can apply to with a bachelor's in a technical or a life science. This strengthens the interdisciplinary approach of this programme.