Admission requirements - MSc Biobased Sciences
Interested in the master's programme Biobased Sciences? Find out whether your knowledge and skills match the entry level of the programme.
This page specifically describes the previous knowledge and skills required for admission to the Biobased Sciences programme. For the additional general admission requirements of Wageningen University & Research, application deadlines and the application procedure, visit How to apply for a master's programme?
Admission requirements
Required knowledge and skills
Purpose and reason for the admission requirements
The admission requirements for the master's programme Biobased Sciences are defined in such a way that the students should be able to successfully complete the programme nominally in two years. This interdisciplinary progamme values a broad influx of students from different backgrounds. Therefore, students should have specialised in their pre-education in one of the relevant disciplines, or followed an interdisciplinary programme in the field of biobased sciences, circularity or sustainability. Relevant disciplines for this are engineering, biomass production or economy.
The criterion used for admission is
a WUR BSc degree in Biosystems Engineering, Management and Consumer Studies, Biotechnology, Economics and Governance, Environmental Sciences, Molecular Life Sciences, Plant Sciences, or equivalent.
The norm for this equivalence is
An assessment of the student’s expertise the following topics:
Biomass production and Engineering
- Agricultural sciences (agrotechnology, biosystems engineering)
- Biology (plant production)
- Biotechnology
- Chemistry (biochemistry, biorefinery)
- Engineering (systems engineering, chemical engineering)
Plant sciences economy:
- Economics (micro and macroeconomics)
- Logistics
Candidates are expected to have a specific expertise in one of the topics above or an interdisciplinary view on connections between most of these topics.
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 Admission Board
Admitted / not admitted / admitted under condition obtaining the BSc or MSc degree / not admitted with offer of pre-master
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 us through the contact button above to discuss the possibilities of a pre-master 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.
Additional context for admission
Admissible study programmes
Graduates from study programmes that may meet the knowledge requirements for Biobased Sciences next to those similarly named to the ones above are for example: Future Planet Studies, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and Applied Biology.