Erasmus Mundus is a cooperation and mobility programme in the field of higher education for:

• the enhancement of quality in European higher education;
• the promotion of the European Union as a centre of excellence in learning around the world;
• the promotion of intercultural understanding through cooperation with third countries as well as for the development of third countries in the field of higher education.

The Erasmus Mundus programme's overall aim is to promote European higher education, to help improve and enhance the career prospects of students and to promote intercultural understanding through co- operation with third countries, in accordance with EU external policy objectives in order to contribute to the sustainable development of third countries in the field of higher education.

The programme's specific objectives are:

• to promote structured cooperation between higher education institutions and an offer of enhanced quality in higher education with a distinct European added value, attractive both within the European Union and beyond its borders, with a view to creating centres of excellence
• to contribute to the mutual enrichment of societies by developing the qualifications of women/men so that they possess appropriate skills, particularly as regards the labour market, and are open-minded and internationally experienced through promoting mobility for the most talented students and academics from third countries to obtain qualifications and/or experience in the European Union and for the most talented European students and academics towards third countries,
• to contribute towards the development of human resources and the international cooperation capacity of higher education institutions in third countries through increased mobility streams between the European Union and third countries,
• to improve accessibility and enhance the profile and visibility of European higher education around the world as well as its attractiveness for third country nationals and citizens of the Union.

The Programme is implemented through of the following actions:

• Action 1: Erasmus Mundus joint programmes of outstanding quality at masters (Action 1 A) and doctoral (Action 1 B) levels 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.