The International Certificate in Urban and Regional Development (ICURD) is an EU-US mobility program developed with support from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education and the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture. ICURD is available to students seeking exchange among the following NEURUS partner institutions:
Students participate in ICURD as Exchange Fellows under NEURUS program. That includes a preparatory distance learning course, a welcome and introduction program at the host university, participation in the NEURUS continental seminars, participation in semester-long research and advising seminars at the host university, and, of course, the centerpiece of the program, the applied research project.
However, ICURD includes additional program elements:
Students completing all requirements of the ICURD Program, which implies satisfaction of the requirements of the NEURUS Exchange Fellows Program, receive an International Certificate in Urban and Regional Development.
Mobility Funding (Mobility Stipends)
Both U.S. and European students selected to participate in the ICURD Program receive a mobility stipend ranging from $2,500-$5,000 to help cover travel and other expenses associated with the exchange. Students pay tuition and fees at their home institutions per exchange agreements between the seven ICURD institutional partners. In addition, the NEURUS program seeks to keep student costs of participation in the ICURD Workshops and NEURUS Continental Seminars as low as possible. Hosts for the workshops and seminars will typically provide some meals and often housing with host university students, in order to minimize student expenses. Participation in the ICURD Workshop and the NEURUS Continental Seminars is mandatory for all students receiving an ICURD mobility stipend.
Application
Students wishing to participate in the ICURD Program should contact their home university NEURUS Coordinator for application details. European students should make that contact no later than May prior to the anticipated spring semester exchange (e.g., May 2010 in order to study abroad beginning January 2011). U.S. students should make contact with their coordinator no later than December prior to the anticipated fall semester exchange (December 2009 in order to study abroad beginning August 2010).
- Arizona State University
- Humboldt University Berlin
- University of Groningen
- University of California, Irvine
- University of Florida
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration
Students participate in ICURD as Exchange Fellows under NEURUS program. That includes a preparatory distance learning course, a welcome and introduction program at the host university, participation in the NEURUS continental seminars, participation in semester-long research and advising seminars at the host university, and, of course, the centerpiece of the program, the applied research project.
However, ICURD includes additional program elements:
- Stronger emphasis on foreign language instruction for U.S. students, with those destined for Berlin or Vienna studying German in the semester prior to departure and then at the host campus after arrival (in Berlin, via a two-hour per week course and in Vienna through an initial one-month intensive course and subsequently through an extensive course during the semester; those destined to Groningen study Dutch initially in a three-week intensive course in August and then extensive courses during the semester at various levels, beginning in September.
- Participation in two ICURD workshops: One in Europe on research design and methods in the fall and one in the United States on interpretation and application of comparative research in applied planning and policy contexts. The workshops are scheduled either immediately preceding or following the NEURUS Continental Seminars and typically run for 2-4 days. The partner hosting the NEURUS Continental Seminar is primarily responsible for delivering the ICURD workshop, with assistance from other partner faculty as needed.
Students completing all requirements of the ICURD Program, which implies satisfaction of the requirements of the NEURUS Exchange Fellows Program, receive an International Certificate in Urban and Regional Development.
Mobility Funding (Mobility Stipends)
Both U.S. and European students selected to participate in the ICURD Program receive a mobility stipend ranging from $2,500-$5,000 to help cover travel and other expenses associated with the exchange. Students pay tuition and fees at their home institutions per exchange agreements between the seven ICURD institutional partners. In addition, the NEURUS program seeks to keep student costs of participation in the ICURD Workshops and NEURUS Continental Seminars as low as possible. Hosts for the workshops and seminars will typically provide some meals and often housing with host university students, in order to minimize student expenses. Participation in the ICURD Workshop and the NEURUS Continental Seminars is mandatory for all students receiving an ICURD mobility stipend.
Application
Students wishing to participate in the ICURD Program should contact their home university NEURUS Coordinator for application details. European students should make that contact no later than May prior to the anticipated spring semester exchange (e.g., May 2010 in order to study abroad beginning January 2011). U.S. students should make contact with their coordinator no later than December prior to the anticipated fall semester exchange (December 2009 in order to study abroad beginning August 2010).