Wageningen Weeks
Wageningen Weeks are part of the online master’s programmes.
The online master’s programmes are completely online, except a short stay in The Netherlands during the ‘Wageningen Weeks’. Because some skills cannot be obtained via distance learning you will visit the campus to meet other students and teachers, work on practicals, lab work, group projects, enjoy excursions, presentations and lectures.
The programme
To find detailed information about the courses and the Wageningen Weeks, please consult de study handbook. For succinct information please continue reading.
Online master’s programme Plant Breeding
In year 1 and in year 2 you will visit the campus where you will participate in practicals, lab work, join lectures and excursions.
Wageningen Weeks Part 1:
This practical period builds on the courses PBR-22803 (Principles of plant breeding), PBR-31803 (genetics) and PBR-23803 (Plant Biotechnology) and the Skills that are an integral part of this Distance Learning MSc. In the one day excursion we will visit two plant breeding companies. This will be a vegetable breeding company, with application of genomics and Marker assisted selection in breeding programs of many of their crops; special attention is given to their seed quality management. In addition, an ornamental breeding company or crop breeding (potato) company will be visited, with different breeding strategies. For the Skills training, students will have an interactive training and will present their Plant biotechnology assignment and have a debate on societal issues related to plant breeding. The practicals are designed to increase insight in genetic and breeding principles (heritability, epistasis, genetic diversity, segregation ratio's) and train skills in plant biotechnology research.
Wageningen Weeks part 2:
During this two week practical, students of the Distance Learning Specialization return to Wageningen to meet again with each other and with Wageningen University staff. This practical period builds on the theory of the preceding courses, especially PBR31802 Breeding for Quality; PBR31802 breeding for resistance; PBR36804 Markers in Quantitative Genetics and Plant Breeding and PBR34303 Genomics and Bioinformatics .
The programme will include practicals, an excursion, and plenary presentations and discussions of the group work related to the Continuous Course YPS-63015: Plant Breeding Design Cluster.
- practical experiments to apply theoretical knowledge from the preceding courses of the programme, aimed to improve research skills and practical skills, and deepen the understanding of theoretical concepts
- give presentations, give feedback on breeding programs of others, including questions and recommendations
- present Genomics and Bioinformatics project
- discussions with Breeding Program tutors
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Online master’s Food Technology
Wageningen Weeks OMFT: Students of the online master’s programmes Food Technology visit the campus twice.
Wageningen Weeks Part 1:
In the first year students join a 2-week laboratory class at the campus of Wageningen University & Research experiments on enzymatic conversions relevant for food processing and biorefinery will be designed and evaluated. In addition, various advanced analysis will be explained and used, including understanding of resulting data. The activities comprise mostly laboratory classes. A tutorial to plan and design the experimental set-up will be provided prior to the lab classes.
Wageningen Weeks Part 2:
In the second year the 2-week laboratory class at the campus comprises and addresses the techno-functionality of various classes of food ingredients (polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids/surfactants). Chemical characteristics of food ingredients are measured in order to predict their techno-functional properties. These properties are verified by physical measurements. Subsequently, physical systems relevant to food products (e.g. emulsions, gels, and foams) are built and the interactions between food ingredients are related to their fine structure, as well as to the conditions (e.g. pH, ionic strength) employed. The various forces/concepts underlying the stability of these systems are discussed.
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During the practical, students will work in small groups of around 3 students to determine the exact chemical structure of different ingredients using a variety of techniques. Additionally, you will study the interactions between food ingredients in different model systems (foams, gels, emulsions). A tutorial to plan and design the experimental set-up will be provided prior to the lab classes.
Online master’s Nutritional Epidemiology and Public Health
Students of this online master’s will visit the campus once. The Wageningen Weeks takes place in the second year. During this week you will meet the other students, teachers, work on group projects, and talk to supervisors about your thesis. Students find it very motivating and helpful.
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General information about your stay
The campus
Wageningen Campus is a place for exchanges and connections between knowledge organisations, the business sector and start-ups. On Wageningen Campus we understand that sharing knowledge is just as important as developing knowledge, which is why the campus offers numerous opportunities for meeting, collaboration, inspiration and reflection.
Get more information about the campus, its facilities, activities, and more.
Accommodation
Wageningen provides the following options for an overnight stay:
- Short Stay Wageningen is an intermediate between persons having rooms and persons looking for rooms. Go to www.shortstaywageningen.nl or www.Booking.com and see if you can arrange something. You can even arrange to stay together with a fellow student and share the costs
- Book a room at www.airbnb.nl . Similar to Short Stay.
- Book a furnished room on Wageningen campus through https://www.duwo.nl/en/home/ (choose Accommodate and Wageningen)
- Hotel Wageningen International Congress Centre (WICC)
- It is also possible that you know some people who live in Wageningen and you can arrange to stay with them. Of course, that is a perfect option.
Lunch breaks and dinners
Lunch breaks in between lectures are mostly joined with your peers in one of the canteens on campus. Besides the canteens in the buildings, there is a variety of restaurants located on the campus. Here you can find a diversity of cuisines, such as sushi, pastas and sandwiches.
Wageningen offers various restaurants for dining out. Students often join each other after the lectures to enjoy a meal together. There are many restaurants, cafes and pubs to choose from.
Costs
Besides the travel costs and visa, accommodation will be €50-€100 a night. Eating and drinking will be €20-€50 per day. There are various websites to calculate your currency to euro, and vice versa, for example GWK Travelex.
From Schiphol Airport to Wageningen Schiphol is the biggest airport of the Netherlands. Which is located near Amsterdam, approximately 95 km per from the campus. Taxi’s to Wageningen will take over an hour to bring you to the campus, or you can easily use public transportation. Read more about public transport from Schiphol to the Campus
Student Sean shows in a video how to go to the campus by train.
Wageningen
Wageningen is a small town in central Netherlands with a population of almost 40.000 inhabitants. Whereof many students, coming from 150 countries. Which makes it a lively city with many restaurants, museums and activities. For a general overview we encourage you to have a look at the tourist brochure A Taste of Wageningen. Some suggestions that are relatively easy to do and highly recommendable are, for example: There are plenty of outdoor activities around Wageningen, like a nice walk through the forest and along the lower Rhine, a visit to the national park De Hoge Veluwe or rent sport bikes to explore the surroundings. For more information about biking in Wageningen, renting bikes and so on see for example Cycling in Wageningen, Wageningen University Cycling or for renting a bike Versatel.
Next to nature the city has more to offer, and has an interesting historical history. On 5 May 1945 the capitulation of the German troops found place at hotel ‘de Wereld’ in Wageningen which ended world war 2.
If you would like to visit other cities besides Wageningen. Within a short trip you can visit Utrecht (30-45 min by bus/train), Arnhem and/or Nijmegen (20-30 min by bus) or Amsterdam (60-75 min by bus/train) where you visit many interesting museums, galleries, exhibitions or enjoy the canals and the historical buildings.