Citation
(2006), "EU to expand Erasmus Mundus", Education + Training, Vol. 48 No. 8/9. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2006.00448hab.012
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
EU to expand Erasmus Mundus
The Erasmus Mundus programme of master’s courses, launched two years ago, is to be expanded to keep up with demand. Erasmus Mundus master’s courses are offered by partnerships of European higher-education institutions. There are currently 57 courses to chose from, covering everything from engineering and technology to law and the humanities. The Commission has selected, for the 2006-2007 academic year, 1,377 students and 231 university teachers to take part in the programme. Almost €52 million will be devoted to fund the Erasmus Mundus student scholarships and about €2.5 million for the university teachers.
Erasmus Mundus students study for a European master’s degree for one or two years, in at least two universities located in two different European countries, so they experience various European lifestyles, cultures and languages. Erasmus Mundus university teachers spend up to three months in Europe working for one of the Erasmus Mundus master’s courses, thus strengthening ties between universities worldwide.
The 57 Erasmus Mundus master’s courses received almost 6,000 applications for scholarships from students and scholars from all over the world. To cover the demand from specific Asian countries, additional funds were put into the Erasmus Mundus programme, the so-called “Asian windows”.
The 741 students selected under the general Erasmus Mundus programme come from 92 different countries, with China (81), Brazil (43), Russia (36), India (31), USA (28), Malaysia (25), and Mexico (24) among the leaders. The 636 additional students receiving scholarships under the “Asian windows” come mainly from India (288), China (99), Thailand (53), Pakistan (42), Malaysia (32) and Vietnam (29).
Of the 231 university teachers, 199 have been selected under the general Erasmus Mundus programme and 32 under the “China window”. The academics selected under the general programme come from 45 different countries, including the USA (42), Russia (14), India (12), Canada (11) and Brazil (10).