What it’s really like to study an Online Master’s Plant Breeding
- Annalise Wellman
- Online Master's student Plant Breeding
“You really have to work hard and be willing to adapt along the way, but I learned so much that is directly applicable to my future career, which makes it absolutely worth it.”
Growing up between the United States and the Netherlands, studying at Wageningen University & Research had always been a dream for this student from Florida. Passionate about plant sciences from an early age, she originally considered completing her bachelor’s degree in Wageningen, but chose to stay in the US because of a scholarship opportunity and family commitments.
The Online Master’s in Plant Breeding eventually offered the flexibility she needed to begin that journey while remaining close to home.
“My grandmother is older and I didn’t want to move abroad immediately,” she explains. “The online programme seemed like the perfect solution because I could stay with my family, continue working and slowly transition toward studying in Wageningen.”
More intensive than expected
The flexibility of the programme was one of the main reasons she enrolled. At the time, she was teaching full-time while planning to study during evenings and weekends. The online structure made that combination appear realistic at first, especially since the programme is designed to allow students to combine study with professional responsibilities. But once the courses became more intensive, she quickly realised the reality was more demanding than expected.
“The first course went well and I thought: okay, I can do this. But when genetics started, I realised very quickly that combining the programme with a full-time teaching job was going to be too much.”
Although the online format offers freedom in terms of location and planning, she stresses that prospective students should not mistake flexibility for simplicity. “If you think it’s going to be easier because it’s online, it’s not. It’s still a very intensive master’s programme.”
Rather than seeing this as a setback, she now describes it as one of the defining lessons of the programme. “You really learn how to adapt,” she says. “You have to be flexible, independent and willing to figure things out along the way. That’s probably one of the biggest things this programme teaches you.”
Eventually, she decided to leave teaching and focus fully on her studies and future career in plant breeding.
“You have to be flexible, independent and willing to figure things out along the way. That’s probably one of the biggest things this programme teaches you.”
Connecting theory with practice
She now works as an intern at an heirloom tomato farm, where she combines phenotyping work with farm management tasks. That practical experience has helped her connect the theory from the programme directly to real-world agricultural challenges.
“You see what farmers are dealing with, you work with plant diseases, seed laws, crop traits and field management. It gives you a much broader understanding of what plant breeding is actually about.”
In hindsight, she believes that having hands-on experience alongside the programme can make a major difference. “If I had already been working in this field when I started, I think some of the courses would have been easier because I would have had more practical context for the theory.”
Finding support during the Wageningen Weeks
One of the biggest turning points in the programme came during the first Wageningen Weeks, where online students finally met each other in person. Before that moment, she says, many students struggled in isolation and questioned whether they truly belonged in such a demanding academic environment.
“You think you’re the only one struggling. Then suddenly you meet everyone and realise everybody feels the same way. It immediately felt much more like a family.”
Those in-person practicals not only strengthened the connection between students, but also made the programme itself feel more tangible and collaborative. Working together helped students gain confidence and created a shared sense of belonging that had been difficult to build fully online.
Her experiences with lecturers varied depending on the course and teaching style, but she appreciated the professors who took time to guide students through difficult material and offer personal feedback. “Some teachers were incredibly supportive and really helped me understand where I was struggling and how to improve.”
“You think you’re the only one struggling. Then suddenly you meet everyone and realise everybody feels the same way. It immediately felt much more like a family”
Tough, but worth it
Despite the challenges, she remains positive about the programme overall and believes the academic content has been highly valuable for her future career.
“I learned a huge amount of information that I had never encountered before, and a lot of it is directly applicable to the work I want to do.”
Her advice to future students is honest but encouraging: “Prepare for it to be difficult. Don’t go into it expecting an easy or relaxed online programme. But if you’re willing to work hard and adapt, it will absolutely be worth it.”