A master's in rural development degree focuses on identifying methods to turn rural areas into agriculturally productive sites and to enhance communities’ health and nutrition. This field uses economic and geographic principles and allows a person to work for organizations that address food trade and global development matters. To earn this type of advanced degree, you must complete four years of undergraduate training and then apply for graduate school. You then have to complete a variety of industry-specific courses and finish a research project before you graduate.
If you want to get a master's in rural development, you first need to complete a four-year bachelor’s degree in an area such as agricultural science. Enrolling in this type of college program requires that you submit your high school diploma or the equivalent certification, as well as your standardized test scores to the university of your choice. You also have to provide your high school transcript and a completed enrollment form for the school’s admission team.
After earning an undergraduate degree, you are eligible to pursue a two-year master’s degree in this field. To get into this type of program, you need to send in a copy of your bachelor’s degree program transcript to your desired institution. In addition, the school will ask to see your graduate school entrance exam scores and will also require that you write a statement of purpose highlighting your goals in this career area. You might have to turn in recommendation letters from former employers or professors who can attest to your ability to perform well in graduate school as you pursue a master's in rural development degree.
A variety of technical courses provide you with the skills that you need to thrive in this vocational area. For example, courses cover the industry-specific tools used to develop rural sites as well as to assess and address issues with managing country areas. During your studies to earn a master's in rural development degree, you should learn the various techniques that are available for building up rural areas in both developed and evolving nations. In addition, classes teach you about agricultural economics, which you will use in the field when making decisions regarding global food policies, for example.
Before you can graduate, you must complete a major paper in this area of study. Performing original research for a thesis project in your master's in rural development program allows you to explore a problem in this industry and to try to develop a solution for this issue. For instance, you could research ways to eradicate malnutrition in a poor country by generating farmlands or look at irrigation options in nations to help to grow crops in rural areas.