1. Program Introduction
1.1 Basic Situation
1.1.1 Brief Introduction
The Degree Education Programs, founded in 2008, is sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of People’s Republic of China using the foreign aid of the Chinese government. The program is designed to foster the high-end, inter-disciplinary talent working in the applied fields of politics, economy and trade, foreign affairs, agriculture, science, education, culture, health, energy, transportation, and public administration, building intellectual capacity and facilitating the economic and social development of the recipient countries. This program offers one-year and two-year master programs as well as three-year doctoral programs. These programs provide financial support to governmental officials, research fellows, and senior managerial personnel to come to China to receive the master or doctor education which are fully conducted in English. Admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree and relevant working experiences so as to understand the courses timely and sufficiently, and decent physical conditions, essential for the high-compact curriculum needed for the degrees.
The program plays a more and more important role in the economic and trade cooperation and development between China and the home countries of the students, and is highly valued by the government of the host country.
Under the support of Ministry of Commerce of China, China Agricultural University started the Master of Management Program on “Rural Development and Management Studies” (two-year program). The aim of this program is to equip the students with the international perspectives and advanced approaches for development research, management, and practices. This program has played a unique role in adjustment of agricultural structure, reform of rural industrial structure, rural revitalization, poverty alleviation and sustainable utilization of resources in China through its education, research, and practice activities.
During 2015-2023, the program has been implemented in nine batches, recruiting a total of 213 students from 38 developing countries in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania, and other regions. Currently, 154 students have graduated. After completing their studies and returning to their home countries, these students have been employed by governments, universities, research institutions, and non-profit organizations, becoming key personnel and creating outstanding work performance and positive social impact.
1.1.2 Target Applicant
The target applicants of the Master Program on “Rural Development and Management Studies” are government officials (medium and high level), and senior faculty members or researchers in universities or research institutes.
1.1.3 Program Objective
This program equips the students with the international perspectives and the advanced approaches to development research and management, and knowledge on China’s development models and experiences. This major aims to cultivate high level, multi-disciplinary, and applied talents in the field of public management. This program integrates the theories with practices, integrates teaching with the practices, builds up a student-friendly environment and provides students with the opportunities of practices, and encourages the independent and innovative thinking of the students.
1.1.4 Enrollment in 2024
This program, which lasts for 2 years, plans to recruit 30 international students majoring in “Rural Development and Management Studies”. The program will start on September 7 of 2024, and end on July 15 of 2026.
1.1.5 Scholarship
The program is funded by the Ministry of Commerce of People's Republic of China under the foreign aid funds.
(1) Students are exempt from tuition, teaching materials fees, study tour fees, fee for teaching in English, graduation thesis guidance fee.
(2) The university will provide free accommodation.
(3) The university will give students the living subsidies regularly: 36000 yuan/person/year for Master students, 42000 yuan/person/year for Doctor students.
(4) The university will pay the resettlement fee 3000 yuan/person (one-time allocation to students).
(5) The university will purchase the comprehensive medical insurance for the students.
(6) The Ministry of Commerce will provide free round-trip international air tickets for all students holding the scholarship: 1 year program student will get one round trip ticket, 2 year program student will get 2 round trip tickets.
(7) All the students will participate in the annual academic performance review, the students who pass the review will benefit from the scholarship for the second year.
(8) Other expenses are used by the Ministry of Commerce or universities as a whole, not to students.The Ministry of Commerce only provides students with financial support within the program timeline. The students who postponed their graduation will not receive the continuing support.
1.2 Introduction to the University and the College
1.2.1 University Profile
China Agricultural University, which is located in Beijing, is the origin of the Modern Agricultural Higher Education in China. It has three campuses, the east campus is located in Qinghuadonglu 17#, the west campus is located in Yuanmingyuanxilu 2#, Jianshe University Campus is located in Tianxiulu 10#. Its history can be traced back to The Imperial College of Agricultural University established in 1905. For a long time, the country attaches great importance to the construction and development of this university. In 1995, the university was listed in the first batch of "national 211 program" for building up the high standard universities in China. In 2004, the university was listed in the "national 985 program" for building up high-level research universities in China.
After a hundred years of history, China Agricultural University has developed into a research university and has advanced areas in agriculture, life science, agricultural engineering, and food science. The university has formed the characteristic and complementary academic clusters in agriculture and life sciences, resources and environment science, information and computer science, agricultural engineering and automation science, economic management and social sciences.
China Agricultural University has 16 Colleges and capable and well structured teaching staff. Currently there are 1645 full-time teachers, including 588 professors, 852 associate professors. The university has 5 members of academicians of Chinese Academy of Science, 7 members of Chinese Academy of Engineering, 26 distinguished professors of Changjiang Scholars Program, 42 winners of National Outstanding Youth Science Foundation, 15 Principal Scientists of the national 973 Program.
China Agricultural University has 11395 full-time undergraduate students, 7661 full-time graduate students, including 4478 full-time graduate students, 3183 full-time PhD students, 215 postdoctoral researchers in the station.
1.2.2 Introduction to the College
The executing agency of the program is the College of Humanities and Development Studies (College of International Development and Global Agriculture) at China Agricultural University. The college has multiple functions including education, research, training, and consulting services.
College of International Development and Global Agriculture (CIDGA), is a comprehensive platform of China Agricultural University that brings together multidisciplinary fields around international development and global agriculture based on decades of the university’s explorations on both bring-in and going-out development researches and talents fostering. The college has pioneered a unique approach that integrates macro-level global development governance with micro-level rural governance, and promotes policy consultation alongside academic research. This distinctive feature has generated significant policy, social, and academic impacts both domestically and internationally.
The college has established a rich academic exchange platform and developed diverse approaches to education. It offers a variety of academic lectures covering multiple themes and fields, such as the "New Development Knowledge", the "Global Governance and Development Forum" lecture series, the China International Development Research Network public forum, and the "Rural Forum for China" lecture series. Particularly, the "New Development Knowledge" lecture series aims to invite renowned scholars in development research, disseminators of development knowledge, as well as cutting-edge policymakers and practitioners, to jointly identify new opportunities arising from the transformation of the international development system. It also strives to depict the narratives and actions of emerging countries in their overseas development efforts, thereby enriching and expanding the existing knowledge map of global development.
The college has always regarded serving the country's major development strategies as its mission, actively responding to the "One Belt and One Road" Initiative, undertaking multiple projects for national ministries and commissions as well as the Beijing Municipality's international student programs. The college is committed to nurturing talents for the world. Through years of continuous exploration and effort, it has achieved commendable results in educational aid work, making significant contributions to cultivating talents with an understanding of China, promoting the construction of the "One Belt and One Road," and fostering a community with a shared future for mankind.
1.2.3 Students' Living Environment and Conditions
(1) The climate of Beijing is a typical warm temperate and semi humid continental monsoon climate. It is rainy in summer, cold and dry in winter and short in spring and autumn. The annual average temperature in Beijing is 14 degrees Celsius: the winter is 3 degrees below zero, the spring is 12 degrees, the summer is 24 degrees, and the autumn is 12 degrees. The average price index in Beijing is high in the cities of the country. The dressing index of Beijing is 2 in winter, 3-5 in spring, 7 in summer and 3-5 in autumn.
(2) The university provides comfortable living environment and conditions for students.
The program has arranged three accommodation places for the students:
A． Family apartments in west campus, with a kitchen and toilet in each apartment. B． Family apartments in east campus, with a kitchen and toilet in each apartment. C. Student apartment building in east campus with public kitchens, toilets, and bathrooms.
Each student has his own independent room, and the interior facilities are complete. Students have independent desks and chairs, wardrobes, etc. each room is equipped with air conditioning, telephone line interface and network port.
There are 11 students’ canteens with complete facilities and elegant dining environment, including 2 Muslim canteens. There is a variety of food to meet the students' different dining custom. The meal price is moderate, the tableware is clean, the food quality and sanitation are guaranteed.
The university has various sports facilities for football, basketball, badminton, tennis, table tennis, swimming. The university has a large gymnasium, which has hosted the matches of the Chinese Olympic Games. The gymnasium covers an area of 13900 square meters, the total construction area is 23950 square meters.
1.3 Academic Program
1.3.1 Course Arrangement
(1) Courses Work
The program requires that the students should gain at least 27 credits, of which 21 credits for course work, and these courses should be finished within autumn and spring semesters of the first year. The list of the compulsory courses, elective courses, semester, teachers and credits for each course are shown in Table 1.
Table 1: The Master Program for International Students
in Rural Development and Management Studies
College | College of Humanities and Development Studies (College of International Development and Global Agriculture) | Type | Master | Code of Major | 1204Z1 |
First-class Discipline | Public Management | Second-class Discipline | Rural Development and Management Studies |
Duration of Study | 2 years | Pattern | full-time |
Credit | The total credits are not less than 27, including at least 21 credits of course work and 6 credits of other requirements. |
Research Fields | 1.Rural Development and Management Studies 2.Social Security 3.Public Administration 4.International Development Policy and Governance |
Course |
Type | No. | Course | Credit | Semester |
Obligatory | 73123402 | Advanced Development Studies | 2 | Fall |
Obligatory | 73123403 | Social Research Methods | 2 | Fall |
Selective | 73123404 | Planning and Management of Modern Regional Development | 2 | Fall |
Obligatory | 73123414 | Public Management | 2 | Fall |
Obligatory | 71120006 | Guidance on Academic Thesis Writing | 1 | Spring |
Obligatory | 71120004 | Research Integrity and Academic Norms | 1 | Fall |
Obligatory | 73123406 | Public Policy and Analysis | 2 | Fall |
Selective | 74123402 | Community-based Natural Resource Management | 3 | Spring |
Obligatory | 71800001 | Elementary Chinese | 3 | Fall |
Obligatory | 12132590 | Overview of China | 3 | Spring |
Selective | 72800004 | Utilization of Electronic Information Sources in Humanities and Social Sciences | 1 | Fall |
Selective | 94123408 | Development Models of China | 1.5 | Spring |
Other Requirements |
Task | Requirements | Deadline | Credit |
1.Admission Education | University and College History Discipline History Education Faculty-Student Meeting Research Integrity Education Chinese History and Culture | One month after enrollment | 1 |
2.Draft of individual program plan | Two copies of the plan | Within one month of enrollment |
|
3.Literature review and dissertation proposal | Complete the thesis proposal | By the end of May | 2 |
4. Practices | Practices in teaching or research | End of second semester | 1 |
5.Mid-term review of thesis | Review of progress on thesis | End of the third semester | 2 |
6. Chinese Proficiency Assessment | Achieving Level 3 of the "International Chinese Proficiency Standards" | Before graduation |
|
7. Requirements for publication: none |
|
(2) Main Course Introduction
Course Code（73123402）: Advanced Development Studies (2 credits)
The idea of "development" is the product of colonial rule over the years. This course systematically summarizes the important issues in the field of development, these issues were deeply rooted in the social sciences’ exploration of the essence of modern industrial capitalism. However, since the collapse of the global colonial system, the new elite began to push a new concept of development. In the following decades, many policymakers and scholars also pay a close attention to the theory and practice of development. Thus, the issue of development gradually formed its own distinctive features, and continues to these days. This course aims to clarify the footprint of the theory and practice of development in the past fifty years by teaching and discussion, and refine the experience and lessons, so as to better serve the future development research work.
Course Code (73123403): Social Research Methods (2 credits)
This course introduces the qualitative and quantitative design methods used in the study of development issues in the field of social sciences. By classroom teaching and group discussions, students will master the research strategies related to qualitative and quantitative research, including know well about methodology basis of qualitative and quantitative research methods, get familiar with the main points of the random and non-random sampling (case selection) and how to carry on the questionnaire surveys, interviews, observations, and use participatory tools for research and evaluation. This course will make students learn the writing of the research proposal and a series of methods to analyze the data using SPSS software
Course Code (73123404): Planning and Management of Modern Regional Development (2 credits)
Based on the background of rural regional development and planning knowledge, deeply discuss the characteristics and application conditions of modern regional planning methods. In the background of context of China's rural areas and other developing countries, discuss the regional planning method suitable for developing countries. This course introduces the role of participatory approach in improving regional development planning, and analyzes the applicable methods of determining objectives and management projects.
Course Code (73123414): Public Management (2 credits)
Using the methods of participatory research, combining teaching and research, this course focuses on the problems of rural development and management. Students choose their own topics, find and read the relevant literature, complete a high level of literature review on the basis of constant discussion. In this process, this course will improve students’ quality of analyzing and solving problems, and expand students’ scope of knowledge about the rural development and management through mutual communication and discussion, deepen students' understanding of the subject of rural development and management. The teaching process emphasizes the interaction between teachers and students as well as the interactive learning process between students and students.
(3) Introduction to Elective Courses
Course Code (73123406): Public Policy and Analysis (2 credits)
Public Policy and Analysis is an important course in the field of rural development and management. It focuses on the following contents: The main frame and method of basic concepts of public policy (basic concept, academic schools), public policy system and the policy process (cycle), public policy analysis technique, the rural public policy and the special status, the main policy issues of development of China's rural areas, and public policy research design and organization.
The course teaching closely combines with the major theoretical and practical issues in the development and management of rural areas. The teaching content fully embodies the combination of ideas, theories, methods and practical cases.
Course Code (74123402): Community-based Natural Resource Management (3 credits)
The course aims to promote the reserve team’s capacity building of China's rural development research and practice of reserve by the review and analysis of the concept and methods of participatory learning and cases of Community-based Natural Resource Management. At the same time, the course will contribute to narrowing the gap between the current higher education and the reality of China's rural development.
The main content of the course: Introduces the definition and main features of community based natural resource management, learn how to do this in the real situation. The course will lead students to identify the main challenges that the approach is facing: How the research work can promote researchers and the local people’s understanding of the social life’s complexity, and promote the formation of action foundation to solve relevant problems.
Course Code (94123408): Development Models of China (1.5 credits)
This course introduces China's reform and development path starting from rural and agricultural areas, expanding to urban and industrial areas, government led development models, advantages in political systems, how to eliminate absolute poverty, cooperation in foreign agriculture and poverty reduction, industrial development, urbanization, and special economic zone construction. It comprehensively analyzes and explains how China has become the world's second largest economy in just forty years, reducing poverty in 770 million in rural areas. This course is dedicated to telling the story of China, promoting confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
(4) Teaching Staff
The teachers for international students are carefully selected and arranged by the college. These teachers all have the experience of education in foreign countries, are fluent in teaching in English, and have associate professor or professor title. They are experienced in development research and practices.
1.3.2 Teaching Methods
Our college adopts the participatory teaching method, focus on the interaction between teachers and students. In addition to the teacher lectures, we will arrange the discussion and communication between teachers and students, and organize group discussions to share knowledge and insights among students. In addition to the classroom teaching, our college invites the world's top scholars to deliver lectures about development for every two weeks in average. Each lecture will arrange an interactive session, so that students can ask questions and scholars will answer. We also arrange tea break, so that students and the speakers will have a chance for further contact.
We often use case studies in our college, collect the key practices and cases of the world, and analyze and discuss with the students to enable students to better understand the complexity of the development problems in real world, and learn to rethink the purpose and way of development with the developmental idea and view.
Course assignments will often require students to make PPT presentations on the subject in class. On the one hand, students can better absorb the contents of the classroom, on the other hand, to promote students to think deeply of what they learn with the understanding of the development problem in reality. It can also train students' thinking and communication ability.
In order to let the international students understand the current situation of China's rural areas, we will arrange field trips in countryside for international students, so that they can communicate with Chinese farmers, to analyze the needs and problems of the farmers with the knowledge they learn in classes, to understand the development activities and practices in China.
Our college also arranges a variety of study tours for the students, one is to understand the approaches and achievements of China's agriculture and rural development, the other is to visit the historical city of China, to enable the students to learn more about the customs and cultures in different places in China.
1.3.3 Term Arrangement
The Master program lasts for two years, divided into four semesters. Fall semester of the first academic year start from early September, the winter vacation begins at next year in late January, and it’s the end of the fall semester. The spring semester begins at the end of February, ends in mid-July, and it’s the end of the spring semester and the end of the first academic year. The second academic year starts from late August, repeat the arrangement of first academic year. The graduation ceremony will be on late June, and the students graduate in mid-July.
1.3.4 Thesis
(1) Requirements of Graduation Thesis
The students are also required to complete a thesis related to development issues in China or in their home countries. The program will assign an advisor for each student. The thesis should be in the type of research. The thesis should demonstrate the student capacities in applying development-related theories and knowledge, methodologies, to analyze and solve problems in development practices.
The thesis should accord with the format of master's degree thesis of China Agricultural University, including the significance and background of the selected topic, literature review, research methods, research results, conclusions and discussion. The above five main parts of the content should be about 50 pages, 12 of New Times Roman font, single spaced. Plagiarism, and other academic misconducts are all banned. Literature review and field research should be included in the thesis. The thesis should be finished in the end of April in the second academic year and reviewed by 5 experts. Students who pass this procedure should defend their thesis in late May of the second academic year.
(2) Requirements of Thesis Defense
After passing the expert review, student thesis also need to pass the thesis defense on May of second academic year. The committee consists of 5 experts, students should use PPT for 20 minutes of presentation, after that the student should answer experts’ questions. And then the 5 experts will vote. To get a master's degree the student needs at least 4 experts’ agreement. Otherwise, the student needs to defend again within 1 years, the person who passes can get a master's degree.
1.3.5 Graduate Degree
The students are required to complete 27 credits, and pass the defense of thesis to be able to graduate and get their Master degrees. The degree name is “Master of Management”.
2. Application Procedures
2.1 Application Requirements
The program targets toward the following applicants, the basic requirements for the applicants are:
(1) Applicants should be non-Chinese, from developing countries, physically and mentally healthy, and are under 35 years old (born after September 1 of 1989).
(2) The applicants need to provide health certificate or physical examination form issued by local public hospitals, without diseases which Chinese laws and regulations prohibit the entry into and long-term residency in China. The applicants who have severe hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and other serious chronic diseases, mental illness or are likely to cause significant harm to public health, infectious diseases, major surgery and acute diseases, seriously disabled, are not suggested to apply. The pregnant women should not apply. If the female students are pregnant during the study, they should withdraw from the university.
(3) Applicants need to have excellent learning performance, have a bachelor's degree and good university grades.
(4) We will give priority to those people who have academic background related to humanities and literature arts, and work experience in the field of development.
(5) Applicants need to have a working position either in their home countries’ governments as or above Commander, or in organizations and companies as managers, or in study institutions as important academic figures
(6) The applicants should be proficient in English to complete the study of courses and thesis writing. The applicants should provide valid English proficiency certificate, such as IELTS score 6.0 or above, or new TOEFL score 80 or above.
(7) Applicants should have the potential in the study field and dedicate to improve relationships between China and their home countries and increase cooperation.
(8) Students who are currently studying in China or have got other Chinese government scholarship cannot apply.
2.2 Application Procedures
2.2.1 Admission Application
Applicants are required to complete the "Application Form for Foreign Students of China Agricultural University" online at (http://apply.cau.edu.cn/). Please register and log in using your personal email.
Please follow these steps:
1.Select "Chinese Government Scholarship".
2.Select "Master Student".
3.Choose "College of Humanities and Development Studies(College of International Development and Global Agriculture)", "Rural Development and Management", click “apply”.
4.Fill out the " China Agricultural University Foreign Student Application Form".
5.Submit the required documents (specific requirements as indicated in "2.2.2 Application Material ").
Please prepare the documents shown in the following image and rename them accordingly for upload to the CAU system.
CAU System File Format and Naming Guide
Please note that in the CAU system, there are no specific upload windows for academic/work experience, employer letter, recent passport photo, and other application documents. Please submit these files in the "Other" file section.
2.2.2 Application Material
Applicants should also prepare the following materials.
Please pay special attention to the content in bold font!
Documents | Requirements |
1 | Photocopy of valid passport | The passport type must be ordinary, not official or diplomatic passport. |
2 | Graduation certificate & degree diploma | Copies of graduation certificate and degree diploma for undergraduate study. Applicants expecting to graduate should provide an official letter stating expected graduation date and the date for getting the degree certificates. |
3 | Official academic transcripts | Copies of the transcripts of undergraduate study. |
4 | Copies of English language proficiency test results | The applicants should provide English language proficiency test result, IELTS score 6.0 or above, new TOEFL score 80 or above. If the aforementioned documents are not available, the applicant can obtain English Proficiency Certificate from the educational institution that issued the degree certificate for the applicant. |
5 | Personal statement and proposal | 1500 words in English. Please make a detailed statement from the perspectives of your academic background, work/research experience and achievements, make research proposal and future career plans and intentions, etc. |
6 | Two recommendation letters | The referees can be professors, your supervisors, or government officials from central or local government authorities. The recommendation letters must be original documents either in Chinese or English. |
7 | Physical exam within one month | Please go to a qualified hospital to do the physical exam, and fill in the Foreigner Physical Examination Form which can be downloaded from: http://www.csc.edu.cn/uploads/forms/foreinphy.pdf Please also attach the results of the blood test and X-Ray check. |
8 | Non-criminal record | Applicants must submit a valid certificate of non-criminal record issued by the local public security authorities, usually within the six months prior to the application date. |
9 | CV | In English, summarize your main education and work experiences after high school. Comprehensive experiences and update until the application date. |
10 | Employer letter | If you have a job, a letter is required from the senior representative of your work place to approve your leave. |
11 | Recent passport size photo | White background, bareheaded photo passport style is needed. |
2.2.3 Submission of Application
Before apply for our program, the applicants should get the approval and recommendation from the relevant governments in applicants’ home countries. The application procedures should be followed according to their government requirement. If the applicants are allowed by their government to directly submit the application materials to Chinese embassies, the related references and recommendation letters from the government are required. Then the applicants should submit all the application materials listed in the above sessions in both hard copy and scanned copy to the Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Office of Chinese Embassy. Hard copy must include both the original copy and the photocopy. For emails and addresses of the Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Offices, please visit http://www.china-aibo.cn/, please view the English version.
The related government agencies of the applicants should submit a written request to the Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Office of Chinese Embassy for issuing an official recommendation letter for the applicant, and clearly state:
Ø whether the applicant is willing to be considered for a similar program at other universities if the programs you applied are already full.
Ø Other special requests if any.
Important Notice：
a) All the documents to be submitted should be in Chinese or English. Otherwise, a notarized translated version in Chinese or English is required.
b) An original copy of degrees, transcripts and language certificates must be presented for on-site verification the Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Office of Chinese Embassy upon request. After the verification, the applicants should send the scanned applications files to the contact persons in the targeted universities.
c) All the original and copied files need to be returned to the applicants after on-site verification by the Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Office of Chinese Embassy. If admitted, the applicants must take these documents to China and submit them to the universities to verify and archive.
d) Please note that the name of all application materials should be exactly the same as the name of the passport. In case of disagreement, a written statement and a written certificate from the authority should be issued.
2.3 Deadline
The application deadline for this project is: May 10, 2024.
Further enrollment information will be communicated via email. Applicants are encouraged to pay close attention to email notifications and carefully monitor the application timeline to properly manage all matters.
3. Other Important Notice
3.1 Contact Information
Dr. Wang Libin, Professor
Tel: +86-010-62736379
Fax: +86-010-62737725
E-mail: developmentstudy@qq.com
Website: /
Address:
Room 259, Minzhu Building
China Agricultural University
No.17 Qing Hua Dong Lu, Haidian District, Beijing 100083
P.R.China
3.2 Other Important Note
（1）No matter what the results of the application are, all the application documents will be not returned.
（2）No matter what the results of the application are, the Chinese government will not give any explanation.
（3）The students can not take spouse or children with them when they come to China. The program does not cover any cost for the visits of the student’s spouse and children.
（4）The details on how to come to China will be described in admission documents.