The master degree course of “Rural Sociology and Development Cooperation” (Mestrado em Sociologia Rural e Gestão de Desenvolvimento – MSG) was buildt up in a partnership in capacity buidling beetween the Mozambican state university Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) in Maputo and the Centre for Advanced Training in Rural Development (SLE) of the Humboldt University of Berlin in Germany.
The Mozambican state university Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) has designed and established the master’s degree course with the aim to qualify Mozambican (and foreign) specialists for the planning, implementation and assessment of programmes and projects in rural areas. Within the cooperation framework, it is the task of SLE in particular to provide SLE-specific courses with Mozambican lecturers, to qualify the latter, to support UEM in the acquisition and realization of application-oriented studies (and contract research), and to advise on matters of quality management and networking with bilateral and multilateral cooperation agencies.
The Centre for Advanced Training in Rural Development (SLE) of the Humboldt University of Berlin in Germany was funded in 1962and fellows up to know his tradition to prepare young professionals from various disciplines for management tasks in international cooperation (20 participants per year, up to 3 from development countries). The SLE offers a one-year training course in development policies and strategies, programme planning and management, communication and teamwork among others (including a 3 month field study abroad). 90% of the participants work in bilateral or multilateral organisations of development organisations afterwards.
The Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo is the oldest academic institution in the country. Of all the universities in Mozambique, UEM provides the most comprehensive education (including Natural and Social Sciences, Agriculture, Silviculture, Law and Economics). In 2010, the UEM currently caters for more than 20 000 students, primarily in “licenciatura” programmes. The spectrum of master’s degree courses is still limited.
The department of sociology covers the MSG degree course. In many ways this four-term course is an innovation, both from a content and a didactic perspective, and has generated a brisk demand. There is a growing need in Mozambique for qualified specialists who are in a position to plan and regulate development processes at national, regional and local levels.
