Master’s in Plant Sciences

The programme starts each year in September, it has a duration of two years and comprises a total of 120 ECTS credits. Credits are measured in terms of the hours of study involved: one credit is equivalent to a study load of 28 hours. Most master's programmes in Wageningen University & Research include the academic consultancy training and an academic internship.

For more in-depth information about this programme's courses and specialisations, have a look at the Study Handbook.

Courses
For most Plant Science students, the first year will contain 48 ECTS of regular courses and 12 ECTS for the Acemic Master’s Cluster.  The exact course selection will depend on your choice of specialisation, thesis topic and your personal preferences.  Your study adviser will help you with the course planning.

Academic Master's Cluster 
Students in the Master's in Plant Sciences can choose between Academic Consultancy training + Modular Skills Training or Research Master's Cluster, depending on your preferred career path.  

Academic Consultancy Training (9ECTS) + Modular Skills Training (3ECTS) 
In the ACT course, teams of 5 to 8 students execute a transdisciplinary academic consultancy project for an external commissioner (for example governmental, private and civil society organisations). This might be the design of new technologies, policy papers, business strategies, regional development arrangements, communication plans or draft research plans for integrated research programmes. 

Furthermore, students select two MOS-modules to work on professional or academic skills of their preference, such as academic writing, negotiation skills or intercultural communication.  

Research Master's Cluster (12ECTS) 
The course Research Master's Cluster: Proposal Writing focuses on acquiring and improving students' professional skills in writing and defending a scientific PhD proposal. Students start the course with their own realistic scientific idea and develop it into an attractive grant proposal of high quality that will be defended before a jury of experts and peers. 

Thesis 
The master's thesis (36 ECTS) is the core of the master's programme and is an independent academic research project conducted at one of the chair groups of Wageningen University & Research. You will develop a research plan, collect and process data, and report your findings through a written report and oral presentation.  

Internship
During the internship (24ECTS), you will go to an external host organisation, such as a company, governmental organisation, NGO, research institute or another university, to apply your obtained knowledge and practice your professional competences. You may choose the internship topic and host organisation to match your preferred career path. 

Within the master's programme, you can choose one of five specialisations to meet your personal interests. More information about the specialisations can be found in the Study Handbook.

• Crop Science
  The specialisation Crop Science takes organismal plant physiology as a starting point and focuses on the regulation of key processes such as photosynthesis, phenotypic plasticity, intra- and interspecific plant interactions, and agronomy. Quantitative modelling, simulation and data science methods are used to analyse and understand yield constraints in the development of productive resilient cropping systems.
• Greenhouse Horticulture
  Greenhouse Horticulture is a unique agro-ecosystem and is an important economic sector in The Netherlands. It is the only production method that can significantly control abiotic and biotic factors. In combination with the use of computational modelling, AI, sensing and phenotyping techniques, novel knowledge of pre- and post-harvest physiology of crops grown in greenhouses and vertical farms will pave the way towards sustainable production of nutritious and tasty food as well as ornamentals.
• Natural Resource Management
  The specialisation Natural Resource Management takes crop production as a starting point and places it within the context of higher-level scales (farm – landscape – regional – global). Integrating different disciplinary and stakeholder insights, synergies and trade-offs within and across these levels are explored to analyse production systems and to develop resilient farming and food systems. Field-based observations and experimentation, crop and farm system models and data science approaches are used as complementary tools in this specialisation.
• Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources
  This specialisation focuses on the design of plant breeding schemes. Each step in the breeding process can be studied from the molecular level to the population level and requires knowledge on molecular genetics, plant physiology, population and quantitative genetics, and bioinformatics. The identification of genes underlying important phenotypes is important to enable marker assisted breeding and genetic modification.
• Plant Pathology and Entomology
  This specialisation investigates the population ecology of insects, nematodes and weeds and epidemiology of fungi and viruses, including mechanisms of transmission. Knowledge of plant-insect, plant-pathogen and crop-weed relationships establishes the basis for applied research programmes on integrated pest management, disease agents and weeds. 

The MSc Plant Sciences offers a high-quality learning environment, where you combine advanced theoretical knowledge with practical skills, such as data science, lab skills, field and greenhouse trials. Through close interactions with leading scientics and industry experts, you’ll be prepared to contribute innovative solutions to global challenges in agriculture and sustainability.  

At WUR, we believe that personal support drives success, and our study guidance is known for being highly accessible. We support students academically, professionally, and personally throughout their studies. Our study advisers help with monitoring study progress, choice of internship and thesis preparation. The study adviser is the key contact for navigating your academic journey and aligning your studies with your career goals. All new students will be invited for an intake meeting with their study adviser before the start of the academic year to discuss your specialisation choice and course planning. 

The Master's in Plant Sciences at Wageningen University focuses on all aspects of the plant production chain; from the development and multiplication of new plant varieties that are more drought tolerant, to designing of a cropping system that is better able to combat pests and diseases. This study programme includes subjects like food security, ornamental plant cultivation, the production of (pharmaceutical) raw materials, new breeding techniques and creating a resilient farming system. An interdisciplinary approach is central to this programme.

Besides the technological aspects, the programme also focuses on the environment, quality, healthcare and socio-economic aspects. You will profit from the cluster of a large amount of university research groups and research institutes in the field of plant sciences located at Wageningen University. This is one of the largest clusters in this domain in Europe.

Compare the programme in Wageningen

• While the Master's in Resilient Farming and Food Systems partly focusses on the plant production chain, it specialises in agroecology and organic farming systems. This master's programme has a strong social science component, where the Master's in Plant Sciences is more focussed on natural science.
• The Master's in Plant Biotechnology has some overlap with the Master's in Plant Sciences, but is focused more on molecular aspects and tools used for plant research and plant breeding. Plant Biotechnology addresses more fundamental research questions, while Plant Sciences includes more applied research.
• The Online Master's in Plant Breeding is focused solely on breeding of new plant varieties. This special three- to four-year, part-time programme is meant for professionals already working in the field of Plant Breeding who want to broaden their knowledge and skills. The Master's in Plant Sciences has a much broader scope and is an on-campus programme for full-time students. 

Check for more information on Studiekeuze123.nl. 

Graduates in Plant Sciences are university-trained professionals who are able to contribute to the sustainable development of plant production at various integration levels, based on their knowledge of fundamental and applied plant sciences and their interdisciplinary approach. 

Graduates with a research focus are employed at universities, research institutes and biotech or agribusiness companies. Other job opportunities can be found in management, policy, consulting and communication in agribusiness and governmental and non-governmental organisations.

Some job opportunities after this master's are:

• Plant Breeder
• PhD candidate
• Researcher
• Policy adviser
• Consultant
• Entrepreneur

Want to gain more insight on the programme, admission, and examples of thesis topics? You can also download the Information booklet of Plant Sciences.

Purpose and reason for the admission requirements

The admission requirements for the master's programme Plant Sciences are defined in such a way that the students should be able to successfully complete at least one of the specialisations in the programme nominally in two years. To comply, students should have sufficient knowledge on concepts and methodologies related to plants, for example genetics, plant breeding, crop production and (agro-)ecology. For experimental design and analysis of experimental data, a solid basis in research methodology and statistics is necessary.

The criterion used for admission is:

A WUR BSc degree in Plant Sciences, a Dutch BSc in Biology (with CROHO 56860 or 59325), or equivalent.

The norm for this equivalence is

An assessment of the students' expertise in the field of plant sciences:

• Agricultural sciences (agronomy, agroecology, crop production)
• Biology (plant physiology, genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, ecology)
• Horticulture

And all of the following topics:

• Statistics (formulate hypotheses for population means, t-tests, confidence intervals, binomial and normal distributions)
• Mathematics (differentiation, integration, first order differential equations, calculus, linear algebra)
• Basics in chemistry and physics
• Research methodology

Not all topics mentioned need to be mastered at the same level; they will be weighed by the Admission Board per individual application.

Method of assessment whether this norm is met

• Transcript of records displaying the content of previous course subjects and project work;
• Curriculum vitae displaying relevant work, internship and/or project experience on an academic level in a relevant field if applicable.

Scores attributed by the Admissions Board

Admitted / not admitted / admitted under condition obtaining the BSc or MSc degree / not admitted with offer of pre-master's.

Compensation of knowledge gaps

The Admission Board may allow and/or suggest compensation of knowledge gaps by:

• a GPA≥7.0* for the previous education for small discrepancies as new knowledge is sufficiently easily acquired;
• a GPA≥7.0* and an individual pre-master's programme for larger discrepancies that can be compensated in ≥30 ECTS and one year of study.

*Check the general admissions page for the International credentials evaluation guide for international equivalencies to a Dutch GPA>7.0. This guide includes compensating factors for a slightly lower GPA the Admission Board may include in their judgement.

Contact the study adviser to discuss the possibilities of a pre-master's or how to mitigate knowledge gaps if you are still in the process of obtaining your degree.

Find out more about enrolment and fees of a pre-master's programme.

Admissible study programmes

Graduates from study programmes that may meet the knowledge requirements for Plant Sciences are for example: Plant Sciences, Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences.

Study programmes with knowledge gaps

Study programmes whose students may have to follow additional courses during the previous study programme or a pre-master's to fulfil the knowledge requirements are for example: Forest and Nature Conservation, International Land and Water Management, and Gardening and Landscaping.

Ready to start your application process? Find everything you need to know about Application & Admission before applying for a master's.

Compensation of knowledge gaps

The Admission Board may allow and/or suggest compensation of knowledge gaps by:

• a GPA≥7.0* for the previous education for small discrepancies as new knowledge is sufficiently easily acquired;
• a GPA≥7.0* and an individual pre-master's programme for larger discrepancies that can be compensated in ≤30 ECTS and one year of study.

*Check the Application & Admission page for master's for the International credentials evaluation guide for international equivalencies to a Dutch GPA>7.0. This guide includes compensating factors for a slightly lower GPA the Admission Board may include in their judgement.

Do you want to know more about compensating knowledge gaps for your specific situation? Then take the following steps:

• For students that already completed their bachelor’s: apply for our master’s programme via the application process. In the application process, you can upload your transcript of records and curriculum vitae. If you are eligible for a pre-master’s programme, the admissions board will contact you to discuss the possibilities.
• For students that are still following their bachelor’s: contact us through the contact button above. It might be possible to close your knowledge gap already during your bachelor’s by adding specific courses to your current study programme. Please include in your e-mail:
  • A list of all courses from your bachelor’s (the ones you completed and the ones you still have to follow)
  • Detailed information about your knowledge on statistics and mathematics (algebra)
  • If you have room for electives in your bachelor’s programme, and if so, in which months.

Contact the study adviser directly via mps.msc@wur.nlto discuss your possibilities at WUR, options on pre-masters' based on your transcript of grades, and how to mitigate knowledge gaps if you are still in the process of obtaining your degree. Find out more about pre-master's programmes. 

Explore more about Tuition fees and study finances.

Wageningen offers a diverse, enjoyable, and amiable student community. Despite being a small town, you get to know people from all over the world because of Wageningen University & Research's global atmosphere. Everything in town is relatively accessible by bicycle, and the campus is contemporary and green. Whether it's a sporting event, a party, or a laid-back evening with friends at one of the student associations, there's always something going on. Additionally, there are parks, forests, and a river nearby, so if you enjoy the outdoors, you're in the right area. It's a fantastic combination of learning, socialising, and taking in the scenery. 

Explore more about Student life in Wageningen.