Search MSc Programs in Life Sciences 2019 in Flanders in Belgium

You will acquire insight into the causes and consequences of the current worldwide loss of plant, animal and other species, and into the theory and practice of managing endangered species and the conservation and restoration of habitats. Links with society, for example, biodiversity policy, legislation and international treaties, will also be highlighted. You will undertake an internship with an external organization involved in conservation/restoration.

The global demand for plant-derived products such as feed and food is increasing dramatically, as illustrated by the recent doubling of the price of most commodity crops. How can we deal with these exponentially growing demands for food, feed, and bio-energy? How can we cope with the fact that we will have to produce more food on less arable land, under environmentally more challenging conditions? These are just a few questions to be solved by the modern plant biotechnology.

The training in plant biotechnology is embedded in an environment of top science and industrial entrepreneurship where translational research enables the transfer of knowledge from plant models to crops. If you choose to study at Ghent University, you will be studying at the largest Agro-Biotech Campus in Europe.... [-]

Recent technological advances have turned biology in a data-driven science. Bioinformatics is the interdisciplinary domain in which biology, computer science, statistics, mathematics and engineering are combined to support this data-driven approach.

Bioinformaticsis a booming interdisciplinary field that is driving innovation in many disciplines ranging from fundamental science in biology and computer science to applied research in biotechnology, pharma industry, medical decision making, food science, and big data analysis.

The increasing impact of the field, together with the need for multi-angle approaches to tackle bioinformatics related problems has created an urgent need for highly trained scientists with an interdisciplinary mindset.... [-]

The training in biochemistry and biotechnology has the aim of forming scientists who not only have a thorough knowledge of biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, cell biology and physiology but who can also use the biochemical and biotechnological techniques in a creative and inventive manner on plants, animals or humans. The students are also initiated in the interesting world of bioinformatics.

The program also has a social aim: to apply research and knowledge in favor of humanity and society. The focus within the training reflects this social involvement in research on the origin and treatment of all kinds of illnesses (such as cancer, chronic inflammation and metabolic diseases), on the improvement of plants (sustainable food production, production of food with improved nutritional quality, production of bio-fuels) and on the use of micro-organisms in certain chemical processes (detoxification of contaminants).... [-]

Technological advances have turned biology in a data-driven science. The avalanche of molecular data enables key discoveries in biology, ecology and molecular evolution drives innovation in biotech and pharma industry and supports medical and governmental decision making.

However, the power of using these data for innovation depends on interdisciplinary skills to analyze, integrate and interpret the data. There is thus an urgent need for bioinformatics scientists and engineers with an interdisciplinary mindset.

The interfaculty Master of Science in Bioinformatics at Ghent University provides a curriculum of 120 credits, taught in English, which - depending on the chosen track - can result in an Engineer’s or Bioscience Engineer’s degree.... [-]

The first year of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Rural Development aims at giving an in-depth knowledge and know-how related to nutrition and rural development related topics, creating a common academic level between all program students of diverse backgrounds. The programme consists of the one hand of basic knowledge, insights and skills in the areas of production, transformation, preservation, marketing and consumption of food products. On the other hand, it contains a practically oriented component that enables the alumni to identify problems by means of quantitative and qualitative research methods and analytical techniques, to assess and rank causes, and to plan, to execute and to evaluate appropriate interventions.... [-]

Food should not only be produced, but it should also be delivered to the ultimate consumer in an acceptable form if it is to fulfil its nutritional destiny. To bring foods to the consumer in an acceptable form, on the one hand, processing technologies are used to convert edible raw materials into foods with decreased inherent stability; on the other hand preservation technologies are required to increase the stability and shelf life of foods.

Based on these considerations two technological dimensions are the key objectives: the transformation (processing) of raw materials into products suited for human consumption and the role of postharvest and food preservation unit operations in delivering safe and nutritious foods to the end consumer.... [-]

Aquaculture is defined as the production of aquatic plants and animals for human consumption. Under the pressure of the increasing world population on the one side and the stagnating or even declining fishery landings on the other side, aquaculture is considered as the only option to respond to the growing demand for healthy and sustainable seafood.

Commercial aquaculture is a relatively young, diverse and dynamic bio-industry with growth figures exceeding any other traditional primary production sector.

Modern aquaculture is a strongly research-driven bio-industry requiring constant innovation and highly skilled entrepreneurs. On the other hand, it is also a very diverse discipline with a wide range of involved species (plants, molluscs, crustaceans, fish), climates, environments (freshwater, brackish water, marine), and exploitation modes (developing versus developed economies; subsistence versus business aquaculture).... [-]

The International MSc in Rural Development (IMRD), part of the Erasmus Mundus scholarship programme, is a joint degree which offers you the opportunity to study rural development in its diversity of international approaches and applications. The 2-year master programme (120 ECTS) is jointly organized by 12 institutes leading in agricultural economics and rural development from all over the world. IMRD offers a combination of basic and specialized theoretical and practical training in technical, economic and social sciences. This competitive master programme has a high extent of international student mobility, making it possible to learn from specialists worldwide.

To fulfill its nutritional destiny, food must be both safely produced and safely delivered to its end consumer. This requires, on the one hand, processing technologies for converting edible raw materials into foods with decreased inherent stability, and, on the other, preservation technologies for increasing the stability and shelf life of foods.

The Interuniversity Program in Food Technology (IUPFOOD) focuses on two technological dimensions of prime and crucial importance in food processing and preservation:

Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering is about ensuring the prosperity and well-being of current and future generations in both the global North and global South. Agro- and ecosystems provide a wide range of essential goods and services such as food, water, energy, and biodiversity. Yet, the contemporary context of population growth, rapid urbanization, economic globalization, climate change, deforestation, soil pollution and degradation challenges the future provisioning of a sufficient quantity and quality of these goods and services.

The Master of Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering (ACE) provides in-depth knowledge of the functioning and management of natural and production-oriented ecosystems. You can choose to focus on either temperate or (sub)tropical settings, or a combination of both. You compliment the interdisciplinary core programme with a major specialization in one out of four different domains: biological production, abiotic and biotic environment, bioeconomics, and bio-geo information.... [-]

Bioinformaticians are distinguished by their ability to formulate biologically relevant questions, design and implement the appropriate solution by managing and analyzing high-throughput molecular biological and sequence data, and interpret the obtained results.

This interdisciplinary two-year programme focuses on acquiring:

The 120-credit programme consists of a reorientation package (one semester), a common package (two semesters) and a thesis.... [-]