Training levels

Advanced courses for professionals

These courses last one or two weeks and are accredited with a certificate of attendance. They are aimed at graduates with professional experience in the subject matter of the course. The course contents are fundamentally applied and address technical aspects or particular methodologies in detail.

Master of Science Programme

This specialization programme has a duration of two academic years (120 ECTS) and is held face-to-face. It is aimed at graduates who wish to specialize in a given subject and professionals interested in updating their knowledge. The different Masters are structured in two parts. The first part (60 ECTS) is professionally oriented and consists of lectures, practical work, individual and group work and technical visits. In the second part (60 ECTS), individual work is carried out as an initiation to research or to professional activity for 10 months on a given topic within the speciality followed during the first part. These studies are accredited with the Master of Science degree.
The State of Spain has conferred the CIHEAM Master of Science degree, issued through CIHEAM Zaragoza, the equivalence with the official Master degree of the Spanish university system.

Lecturers

Training is provided by highly qualified invited experts, selected for their experience and prestige in each subject. These experts come from universities, research centres, international organizations, administrations and firms from all over the world. The quality of the speakers invited to lecture at the CIHEAM Zaragoza guarantees high-level training and constant updating of topics.

The diversity of their origin, both geographical and institutional, contributes to the dynamics of the courses and enables the participants to contrast different theories, methods and results. An average of 370 visiting experts from more than 30 countries lecture in the advanced courses for professionals and in the Masters during the academic year.

Participants

More than 300 professionals and young graduates from some 30 countries participate each year in CIHEAM Zaragoza training programme, selected from approximately 1800 applications.

Course participants are professionals with a university degree working on the topic in their respective countries and who wish to update or gain deeper knowledge in the subject. In the case of the Master of Science programme, participants are recent graduates that have not yet initiated their professional work and who wish to acquire specialist knowledge that will enable them to enter a particular sector of agricultural activity.

Participants come mainly from CIHEAM-member Mediterranean countries, although professionals from other parts of the world also participate, particularly from Europe and Latin America.

Teaching Organization

Each course has a scientific committee composed of lecturers and other external experts. They periodically evaluate the suitability, content and teaching design of the course and propose the most appropriate modifications in each case so as to guarantee the updating and quality of the programmes and thus offer quality training of a high scientific and technical level. In the case of the master’s programmes, they are also submitted to the official verification and accreditation process in force in Spain.

CIHEAM Zaragoza’s courses are highly specialized and updated constantly, delivered by guest lecturers chosen for their expertise. This, together with the international nature of the training programmes, is an outstanding factor of differentiation. .Lectures are complemented with practical and applied work, seminars, debates, round tables, individual and group work, and technical visits. These activities illustrate the theory taught, encourage dialogue and favour the exchange of ideas between lecturers, professionals and participants.

Language

Advanced courses for professionals

The advanced courses for professionals may be held with simultaneous interpretation of the lectures between English, French and Spanish, according to the nature of the course and the linguistic profile of the participants.

Master programmes

In the Masters held at CIHEAM Zaragoza the lectures are delivered in Spanish, English or French with simultaneous interpretation when required. In the case of the Masters not held at CIHEAM Zaragoza but on the premises of co-organizing institutions, lectures are delivered mainly in Spanish. For further details of required language skills please consult the corresponding information of each Master.

CIHEAM Zaragoza organizes an intensive online Spanish course that takes place from early July until the end of September. All students admitted to the Masters who have no knowledge of Spanish must complete this mandatory course. At the end of the course, students receive a certificate of knowledge of Spanish issued by this Language Service based on levels equivalent to those laid down in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Classes take place from Monday to Friday.

Admission

Application to Master programmes

Access is open to candidates of any nationality who have the academic level qualifying them to carry out postgraduate studies in their country of origin, or the equivalent to 240 ECTS credits of undergraduate studies. The conditions for admission and documents required when applying to participate are given in detail in the sections on application for admission for each Master.

The Masters are held biennially, so candidates can only enrol in the first part of the programme every two years. Please consult the specific information for each Master programme.

Application to Advanced courses for professionals

Admission is open to candidates of any nationality holding a university degree. Professional experience in activities directly related to the subject matter of the course is an essential requirement.

Candidates must apply online at the following address:

http://www.admission.iamz.ciheam.org/en/

Applications must include:

• Detailed curriculum vitae.
• Copy of the supporting documents most related to the subject of the course.

The advanced courses for professionals may be held with simultaneous interpretation of the lectures between English, French and Spanish, according to the nature of the course and the linguistic profile of the participants.

A selection committee studies the applications and informs applicants of their admission and financing conditions approximately one month after the deadline for the submission of applications.

Please consult the information leaflet of each course for specific details concerning access requirements, language, scholarships, etc.