Masters in Plant Biology for Sustainable Production
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* citizens of countries outside the EU/EEA and switzerland are required to pay application and tuition fees.
Introduction
How can the cultivation of plants be adapted to new climate conditions? How do we best protect plants from disease and how can plant breeding contribute to good quality, high yield and sustainability? Learn how to address these questions (and more) by studying this international Master’s programme!
Held by internationally renowned experts, the courses included in this programme focus on plant-based solutions for the development of agriculture and forestry. Elective specialisation courses will give you the opportunity to broaden your knowledge in a specific area of plant biology. You will choose to specialise in one of the following fields:
- Plant Protection and Breeding (Campus Alnarp)
In this specialisation, you will focus on plant protection and plant breeding, or in other words “what we grow in our fields and how we do it”. Agriculture contributes to the majority of our food and feed production, and can provide new environmentally-friendly materials and chemicals. The aim with plant protection and breeding is to secure our crop production and increase yield, without increasing inputs and lessening the environmental and climate impacts.
- Abiotic and Biotic Interactions of Cultivated Plants (Campus Uppsala)
In this specialisation, you will get an insight into the complex life of plants. Plant constantly interact with the environment. Some of these interactions are positive, such as with beneficial microorganisms, but plants also face different types of stress that they have to handle. It can be abiotic factors, such as heat or drought, or biotic factors, such as herbivory animals or pathogens. The specialisation Abiotic and Biotic Interactions of Cultivated Plants prepares you to develop plant-based solutions to the predicted increase in such stresses in the near-future.
- Erasmus Mundus emPLANT+ (Campus Uppsala)
In the European ERASMUS Mundus Plant Breeding Masters programme, emPLANT+, you will take the second year at a partner university. Application to emPLANT+ is done through the consortium homepage, where it is also possible to apply for scholarships: http://emplant-master.eu/scholarship-erasmus-mundus.
With a Master’s degree in biology you will be able to continue your studies towards a PhD and will be prepared for research in all of the specialisations included in the programme. You will also have the skills required for employment in several land-based sectors related to modern crop and tree breeding and plant protection.
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
This SLU Programme is part of an European ERASMUS Mundus Plant Breeding Masters programme, which provides scholarships for students who follow the Erasmus Mundus specialisation. For more information, please visit the programme page.
Curriculum
Modern biology provides tools so that we can conduct detailed studies of the genetics and physiology of plants. Combined with new technical methods of analysis, production of crops and trees can be studied from molecular level to farm and forest level. This new MSc programme is designed to educate the next generation of plant biologists, enabling them to develop plant-based solutions to complex problems within agriculture and forestry.
The courses are taught by internationally renowned experts in plant biology and sustainable agriculture and forestry. The programme utilises resources on two campuses of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), located in Alnarp, and Ultuna (Uppsala). During the first year, all lectures are streamed live so that you can follow the courses from any of the three locations.
Program Outcome
Degree of Master (120 credits) with a major in Biology.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
The programme is aimed at preparing the students for research and all of the specialisations included in the programme are connected to strong research environments, which provides a good basis for future research studies. The degree will also enable the students to work within several green sectors related to modern crop and tree breeding and plant protection.