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Studies & Degrees in Rural Development

Rural development is the set of policies, projects and professional skills used to improve the economy, services and environment of rural areas: villages, small towns and the countryside around them. It started as a branch of agricultural studies and is now an interdisciplinary subject that draws on geography, economics, sociology, agronomy and environmental science.

The questions differ by region. In lower-income countries the focus is often on farm productivity, soil and water, roads and access to markets, and on reducing poverty. In Europe the focus is on depopulation, new economic activities, employment for women and young people, services and the environment. Rural development is the second pillar of the European Union's common agricultural policy. The European Commission describes it as strengthening the social, environmental and economic sustainability of rural areas, with three long-term objectives: the competitiveness of agriculture and forestry, the sustainable management of natural resources and climate action, and a balanced territorial development of rural economies and communities, including employment. The European agricultural fund for rural development has a budget of €95.5 billion for 2021-27, and at least 5% of programme funding must go to local action under the LEADER approach.

What students learn

Programmes combine social science, territorial planning and applied project work. The Máster Universitario en Desarrollo Rural of the Universidad de Extremadura, for example, has subjects on gender equality and the role of women in rural development, the incorporation of young people into farming, the environmental factor in rural areas, new technologies, and the political and spatial context of rural policy, plus applied research and a placement.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's level. Rural development is seldom a first degree of its own. Students usually approach it from geography, economics, sociology, agricultural or forestry engineering, or development studies.
  • Master's degrees. This is the usual level of specialisation. In Spain, official degrees follow a fixed structure: a bachelor's degree (grado) of 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees of 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.
  • Universidad de Extremadura. Its master's degree in rural development has run since the 2006-07 academic year. It lasts one year and has 60 credits: 42 compulsory, 6 for an external placement of one month and 12 for the master's thesis. It is taught face to face at the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras in Cáceres, on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. There is no special entrance test.
  • Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. The Máster Universitario en Ingeniería del Paisaje, Infraestructura Verde y Transición Rural approaches the subject from engineering. It has 60 ECTS credits in one academic year, 25 places and a hybrid mode of teaching, at the Escuela Politécnica Superior de Ingeniería on the Lugo campus. It has two specialisations, in green transition and in green infrastructure and landscape, and it gives access to doctoral programmes.
  • Doctorate. A PhD follows the master's degree for those who want a research career.

Where to study rural development

SpainExchange lists nine active schools for rural development. Four are in Spain: the Universidad de Extremadura, the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, the Universidad Miguel Hernández in Elche and the Universitat de Barcelona. The others are Massey University in Palmerston North (New Zealand), Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia), the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), the University of Maribor (Slovenia) and Fundación CIEP in Villa María (Argentina).

Programmes are normally taught in the language of the country, because the work is local. The Santiago de Compostela master's degree uses Spanish and Galician, and students from countries with another language must show a B1 level of Spanish or Galician.

Careers

Graduates work as rural development technicians and project managers. Employers include local action groups, local and regional development agencies, the national and regional administrations that manage rural programmes, farm advisory services, cooperatives, consultancies, and non-governmental and international organisations. The Universidad de Extremadura describes the aim of its master's degree as training specialised technicians who work in the rural world, on tasks such as countering depopulation, diversifying economic activity and creating employment. We found no official employment statistics specific to this field.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a degree in agriculture to study rural development?

No. The Universidad de Extremadura considers graduates in geography, economics, sociology, tourism, business administration, law, political science and agricultural or forestry engineering the most suitable profiles for its master's degree, and these are guidelines, not strict admission criteria.

How long does a master's degree in rural development take in Spain?

The two examples on this page, at the Universidad de Extremadura and the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, have 60 ECTS credits and last one academic year.

Is work experience part of the programme?

Often it is. The Extremadura master's degree includes a one-month external placement worth 6 credits in the second semester. At Santiago de Compostela, accredited professional experience counts for 30% in admission and the academic record for 70%.

What language level do I need?

It depends on the programme. The Universidad de Santiago de Compostela asks students from countries where the language is not Galician, Portuguese or Spanish for a B1 level of Spanish or Galician.