The world is getting smaller every day, so learning to work in an international environment, managing different cultural norms and expectations, is a skill we could all benefit from. Erasmus Mundus is an EU programme which funds scholarships and various types of academic co-operation between Europe and the rest of the world.

Its objective is to enhance the quality of European higher education by providing opportunities for exchange and dialogue between cultures in an educational context. It also aims to promote Europe as a centre of excellence in learning around the world and to assist developing countries in the field of higher education.

Erasmus Mundus is managed by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), under the supervision of the European Commission's Education and Culture Department (DG EAC) and EuropeAid - European Commission Co-operation Office (AIDCO). The present programme covers the period 2009-2013 and has an overall budget of €930 million which is used to fund the following 'actions':

• Action 1: Erasmus Mundus joint programmes of outstanding quality - Masters and Doctorate courses, including scholarships/fellowships to participate in these programmes;
• Action 2: Erasmus Mundus Partnerships between European and third country higher education institutions, including scholarships and fellowships for mobility at all academic levels;
• Action 3: Promotion of European higher education through projects to enhance the attractiveness of Europe as an educational destination and a centre of excellence at world level.

The Erasmus Mundus Masters and Doctorate courses cover a very wide range of disciplines. They are developed and delivered by a consortium of universities, located in at least three European countries, and must be coordinated by a European university. However, non-European universities can be partners in the consortium.

An Erasmus Mundus course:

• offers an integrated study/research programme, fully recognised in the countries where it is delivered
• requires study or research in at least two countries in the consortium
• leads to the award of a double, multiple or joint degree to all successful students/doctors
• awards full-study scholarships/fellowships.

Since 2004, more than 500 universities have developed nearly 150 joint Masters and doctoral courses attended by over 10 000 students and 2 000 academics in a wide range of disciplines.