Admission requirements - MSc Biosystems Engineering

Interested in the master's programme Biosystems Engineering? 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 Biosystems Engineering 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?

Are you interested in the programme, but not sure whether your background matches the stated requirements? Feel free to contact us.

Admission requirements

Required knowledge and skills

Purpose and reason for the admission requirements

The admission requirements for the master's programme Biosystems Engineering are defined in such a way that the prospective students should be able to complete the programme nominally in two years. The goal of the programme is to analyse, model and design biosystems based on physical mathematical knowledge. Therefore, a solid basis in these subjects is required to follow the advanced courses in the master’s programme.

The criterion used for admission is

a WUR BSc degree in Biosystems Engineering, or equivalent.

The norm for this equivalence is

≥60 ECTS in Engineering, including:

  • (Quantitative) modelling skills
  • Programming skills (for example MatLab, Python or R)
  • Mathematics (system theory, linear algebra, first order differential equations)
  • Statistics ((multiple) linear regression, formulation of hypotheses, non-parametric tests, contingency and chi-squared tests)

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
Study programmes of which the graduates may meet the knowledge requirements of Biosystems Engineering are for example: Mechanical, Industrial Automation, Agricultural, or Electrical Engineering, Computer Sciences, Applied Physics, Industrial Design Engineering, Biotechnology, or Environmental Technology.

Study programmes with knowledge gaps
Study programmes whose students often have to follow additional courses within their current programme or in a pre-master to fulfil the knowledge requirements are for example: Plant Sciences, Biology and Animal Sciences.