MSc application form

Within RANGE, a limited number of scholarships for the September 2026 intake for pursuing an MSc in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (See the MGEO website) are available. This is a 2-year Master course that takes place predominantly in the Netherlands, but the thesis (and related fieldwork) should relate to the RANGE project and be conducted in northern Kenya. Previously, 3 MSc students started each year in the 2024 and 2025 intakes, including 1 from Isiolo, 1 from Marsabit, and 1 from Samburu. The 2026 intake will be the final intake within the RANGE program. To be eligible, you need to be Kenyan (from the target counties), and in possession of a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, which was issued in 2018 or later. To make our selection, we will look among others at the following:

Applicant’s origin (Isiolo, Marsabit, Samburu) and personal/professional link to pastoralism
RANGE-relevant BSc study finalized with at least a Second Class Upper (for MSc admission to ITC you need at least to have Second Class – Upper). You can do a more complete eligibility check and find the detailed admission requirements online.
Employment history in RANGE relevant domains and locations
Clear motivation to pursue a MSc study in the domain of geospatial sciences
In line with the programme’s goal of supporting early-career development and maximizing long-term impact, priority will be given to applicants under 35 years of age.

As a first step to select qualified and committed candidates, we ask you to submit the application form below (note: in case pre-selected for a RANGE scholarship the official ITC application procedure will follow). Before filling out the form, read the brochure carefully: note that for RANGE the eligible MGEO specialisations include “Resources Security” and “Urban and Land Futures”. If interested, please send the form by the deadline of 1 March 2026. Following that date, we will review all applications and decide on next steps.

APPLICATION FORM

Please complete your CV using this template and save the filled-in version as a PDF. Include your academic background, experience, language skills, and personal strengths relevant to the MGEO and RANGE programmes. Maximum length: 2 pages.

Upload here your CV (Please upload PDF only)

First name / Given name

Last name / Family name

Gender

Birth date

Which Bachelor degree (field) did you obtain?

Date of obtaining Bachelor degree

Ranking of Bachelor degree

Place of residence

County of origin

If selected "Other" in the previous question, please indicate here

Explain the depth of your experience in pastoral areas, including your family’s connection to pastoralism, where possible (1000 characters limit)

Clarify how through your (previous) work you have interacted with county government or related governmental institutions (1200 characters limit)

Preferred MGEO Specialisation

Resources Security

Urban and Land Futures

No preference

Concisely explain why you would be a good MSc candidate within the RANGE project (1200 characters limit)

The MSc thesis projects will require a range of different skills. While you will partially learn these during the MGEO course, we ask you to indicate your existing skills on a scale of 1 to 5: 1 meaning no experience/skill and 5 meaning substantial experience:

a. Executing field surveys on biophysical parameters (e.g. vegetation attributes) and/or data collection through sensors

b. Designing and conducting interviews or focus group discussions

c. Analysis of remote sensing imagery

d. Programming (in Python / R / or Java)

e. Google Earth Engine

If you were free to define your own MSc research related to pastoral resilience in your county, what would be the main research question(s) and what would be the methods that you would choose? (1500 characters limit)

Indicate how you envisage implementing the newly acquired knowledge in the period after the MSc programme to contribute to the sustainable development in the Kenyan ASALs (or specifically your home county)? (1000 characters limit)

PLEASE NOTE

The questions in this form request your personal information. Hereby I consent that the information provided can be consulted by RANGE consortium partners (University of Twente, Mercy Corps, FCDC) and shared with local research collaborators in Kenya. I furthermore agree that the provided information will be retained for the lifetime of the RANGE project (until December 2028).

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