The Master in PROJECT PLANNING OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT is an official Master’s Program of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and is fully integrated in the European Space for Higher Education as stated in the Bolognia Declaration. Accordingly, this Master is officially recognized by the European Union.  The Master’s training program is based on the varied and rich teaching, research and professional experiences of professionals who have worked in the field of rural development and environment management for decades.

The Master’s Program is open to students who hold a bachelor’s degree from any country as long as the degree required four or more years of study. It has an international level and trains specialists in the field of development and sustainable management. Therefore, the Master’s Program is a strategic tool for development and sustainability of rural zones, especially in developing countries. The Master’s Program offers direct access to the PhD Program of the Polytechnic University of Madrid – without the necessity to study more courses.

The Master program complements the experience of research groups, such as GESPLAN (www.grupogesplan.es) and TECNATURA (www.geocities.com/gestion_sostenible),  with the participation of professors of other universities, including Stanford (USA), Montpellier (France), Postdam (Germany), Colegio de Postgraduados (Mexico), and Piura (Peru), and researchers from research institutes, including the Spanish National Research Council CSIC (Spain) and the USDA Forest Service (USA).

The general objective of the Master is to train specialists in planning and evaluation of rural and local development projects and in sustainable management of territories and their biodiversities. Specialization lines within this Master make development of this training possible.