Master's in Plant Breeding (online)

The Online Master's in Plant Breeding is organised in a structured way. It is designed for part-time study (approx. 20 hrs/week) to combine work and study for a period of 3 to 4 years. A course programme of 2 years will be followed by a tailor-made internship and master's thesis. During the courses you will closely collaborate with lecturers, tutors, and fellow distance learning students on a virtual learning platform.

The course programme includes two two-week campus visits in Wageningen for essential practicals that relate to the theory. There may be options to organise the internship and master's thesis in your professional context, either part-time in year 3 and 4, or full-time in year 3. For more in-depth information, visit the Study Handbook of this programme.

In year one, the programme builds a strong foundation in the principles of plant breeding, genetics, population genetics, plant pathology, and plant biotechnology. Students also develop analytical skills through advanced statistics and gain applied knowledge in marker-assisted breeding. The year combines theoretical courses with the first part 1 of the Wageningen Weeks, providing opportunities for interaction and practical engagement, and includes the start of the Plant Breeding Skills Cluster.  

• Principles of Plant Breeding (PBR37303)
• Population Genetics (GEN31302)
• Genetics (PBR31803)
• Plant Pathology and Disease Epidemiology (PBR21803)
• Plant Biotechnology (PBR23803)
• Advanced Statistics -DL (MAT25303)
• Wageningen Weeks Part 1 (PBR32303)
• Markers in Quantitative Genetics and Plant Breeding (PBR36804)
• Plant Breeding Skills Cluster (PBR60806) 

In year two, the focus shifts to specialised breeding topics such as abiotic stress tolerance, germplasm and seed technology, breeding for quality and resistance, as well as genomics, bioinformatics, and experimental design for breeding trials. Students continue developing practical and design-oriented competencies through the Plant Breeding Design Project, further part 2 of the Wageningen Weeks, and courses on new trends in the field, integrating advanced knowledge into applied breeding strategies. 

• Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance (PBR32302)
• Germplasm and Seed Technology (PBR33803)
• Breeding for Quality (PBR31802)
• Breeding for Resistance (PBR32802)
• Genomics and Bioinformatics (PBR34303)
• Experimental Design and Data Analysis of Breeding Trials (PBR34803)
• Wageningen Weeks Part 2 (PBR35303)
• New Trends in Plant Breeding (PBR36303)
• Plant Breeding Design Project (PBR60309) 
  

In this phase you learn to apply knowledge and skills in a thesis research project and in the professional setting of plant breeding. 

• MSc Thesis Plant Breeding (PBR80436)
• MSc Internship Plant Breeding (PBR70424) 

There may be options to organise the internship and master's thesis in your professional context, either part-time in year 3 and 4, or full-time in year 3. 

-

The following teaching methods are used (amongst others): 

• Watching knowledge clips
• Studying e-books, book chapters and scientific articles
• Discussing topics though an online forum
• Performing assignments: individual and group assignments, varying in size 

Specifically during the Wageningen Weeks, the following teaching methods are used: 

• Practicing lab skills
• Presenting
• Debating
• Visiting university  research facilities and companies 

At WUR, we believe that personal support drives success. Our study guidance is known for being 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 key contact for navigating your academic journey and aligning your studies with your career goals. 

Related programmes at WUR

• Master’s in Plant Sciences (on campus, fulltime) 
  This programme studies the links between diet, nutritional status, and health outcomes, combining epidemiology and public health. It is part-time and online, but unlike Plant Breeding, it focuses on human nutrition and population health rather than plant science or breeding.
• Master’s in Plant Biotechnology (on campus, fulltime) 
  This programme is oriented toward advanced molecular biology, genomics, and bioinformatics to improve plants for food, health, and bio-based applications. It integrates classical plant sciences such as physiology, breeding, and bio-interactions with cutting-edge biotechnological techniques. Compared to the Online Master’s in Plant Breeding, the Master’s in Plant Biotechnology is less focused on population genetics, statistical breeding designs, or field trials, and more on molecular regulation of biosynthetic pathways, functional plant genomics and molecular aspects of plant-environment interactions.
• Online Master’s in Nutritional Epidemiology and Public Health 
  This programme studies the links between diet, nutritional status, and health outcomes, combining epidemiology and public health. It is part-time and online, but unlike Plant Breeding, it focuses on human nutrition and population health rather than plant science or breeding.
• Online Master’s in Food Technology 
  This master centres on food product development, ingredient functionality, and sustainable processing. Like Plant Breeding, it is part-time and online, but its focus is on engineering and innovation in food production rather than plant genetics or breeding.

Graduates from the online master’s programme Plant Breeding are fully prepared for jobs in both the breeding business and academia. The demand for students who specialized in plant breeding is high and the online master’s programme serves exactly that. The level of academic thinking allows our graduates to find interesting jobs at universities or research institutions. Depending on personal skills and interest, some participants end-up in management, consultancy, and agribusiness organizations. Part of our students are already working in a breeding company and the knowledge of the master’s often helps them advance in their career, even before they receive their diploma.  

Interested in the online Master’s in Plant Breeding? 

Check if your knowledge and skills meet the programme’s entry requirements.

This page outlines the specific knowledge and skills required for admission to the online Plant Breeding programme. For general admission requirements, deadlines, and application procedures, see How to apply for a master's programme.

Admission Requirements 

Purpose and reason for the admission requirements

The admission requirements for the online master's programme Plant Breeding are defined in such a way that the students should be able to successfully complete the programme nominally in two years. To comply, students should have sufficient knowledge on concepts and methodologies related to plant biology, for example genetics, plant breeding, plant physiology, molecular biology. 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 student’s expertise in the following three topics:

• Biology (plant physiology, genetics, molecular biology)
• Statistics (formulate hypotheses for population means, t-tests, confidence intervals, binomial and normal distributions)
• 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 Admission Board

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

You can apply for this Master's here.

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 equivalences 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.

Admissible study programmes

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

Study programmes with knowledge gaps

Study programmes whose students may have to follow additional courses during the previous study programme or a pre-master to fulfil the knowledge requirements are for example: Agriculture related bachelors without genetics and molecular biology.

The programme’s tuition fees depend on your nationality. EU students pay the statutory tuition fees just like the University’s on-campus students. Non-EU students get a 50% reduction of the regular on-campus tuition fees for Non-EU/EFTA students outside Europe. 

Read more about tuition fees of this online master’s.

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.

All information about student life in Wageningen can be found on this page.