Master's in Plant Biotechnology

The MSc in Plant Biotechnology has a duration of two years and comprises a total of 120 ECTS credits. Credits are measured in terms of the hours of study involved: one credit is equivalent to a study load of 28 hours. Most Wageningen master's programmes include the academic consultancy training and an academic internship. For more in-depth information on this programme's courses and specialisations, check the Study Handbook.

Courses
Students start the year with the common course “Current Topics in Plant Biotechnology, PHP32006”. Further course selection will depend on your choice of specialisation, thesis topic and your personal preferences.   

Academic Master Cluster 
Students in the Master Plant Biotechnology can choose between Academic Consultancy training + Modular Skills Training or Research Master Cluster, depending on your preferred career path.  

Academic Consultancy Training (9ECTS) + Modular Skills Training (3ECTS) 
In the ACT course, teams of 5 to 8 students execute a transdisciplinary academic consultancy project for an external commissioner (for example governmental, private and civil society organizations). This might be the design of new technologies, policy papers, business strategies, regional development arrangements, communication plans or draft research plans for integrated research programmes. 

Furthermore, students select two MOS-modules to work on professional or academic skills of their preference, such as academic writing, negotiation skills or intercultural communication.  

Research Master Cluster (12ECTS) 
The course Research Master Cluster: Proposal Writing focuses on acquiring and improving students' professional skills in writing and defending a scientific PhD proposal. Students start the course with their own realistic scientific idea and develop it into an attractive grant proposal of high quality that will be defended before a jury of experts and peers. 

Thesis 
The Master thesis (36 ECTS) is the core of the Master programme and is an independent academic research project conducted at one of the chair groups of Wageningen University. Students will develop a research plan, collect and process data, and report their findings through a written report and oral presentation.  

Internship
During the internship (24ECTS), students will go to an external host organization, such as a company, governmental organization, NGO, research institute or another university, to apply their obtained knowledge and practice their professional competences. The student may choose the internship topic and host organization to match their preferred career path.  

Within the master's programme, you can choose one of the following specialisations to meet your personal interests. For more information on the structure of all specialisations, check the Study Handbook.

• Functional Plant Genomics
  Genomics profoundly affects plant molecular biology and genetics. Genomic information on Arabidopsis and rice has revolutionised insight into plant genomics. By using array technology, gene expression can be studied to improve our understanding of the complexity of the plant transcriptome and interactions between genes and gene products.

  Some optional courses available for this specialisation are Molecular Systems Biology, Data Management or Programming in Python. In addition, you are able to select between 5 thesis tracks and 11 internship possibilities.

• Plants for Human Health
  Plants are increasingly being used as a safe and inexpensive alternative for the production of valuable proteins for food supplements and pharmaceuticals. This specialisation provides a fundamental understanding of how plants can be exploited for the production of foreign proteins and metabolites. In addition, biomedical aspects, including immunology and food allergy, and also nutritional genomics and plant metabolomics can be studied.

  The compulsory course of this master’s programme is Plants and Health 2. In addition, there are several optional courses, for example Immunotechnology, Pharmacology and Nutrition, or Applied Nutrigenomics. You will also have the chance to choose between 4 thesis tracks and 5 insternship possibilities.

• Molecular Plant Breeding and Pathology
  Molecular approaches to analyse and change qualitative and quantitative traits in cultivated plants are highly effective to improve yield and quality of food and renewable resources, disease resistance and abiotic stress tolerance. Molecular plant breeding focuses on the application of molecular markers and genomics to explore natural variation and on the development of transgene technologies to expand genetic variation.

  Some optional courses available for this specialisation are Molecular Aspects of Bio-interactions, Genomics or Data Science for Plant Breeding and Genetics. In addition, you are able to pick between 9 thesis tracks and 10 internship possibilities.

The MSc Plant Biotechnology offers a high-quality, research-driven learning environment where you combine advanced theoretical knowledge with practical laboratory skills. You’ll engage with cutting-edge techniques in molecular biology, genomics, and biotechnology, while developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and project management abilities. Through close interaction with leading scientists and industry experts, you’ll be prepared to contribute innovative solutions to global challenges in agriculture, health, and sustainability.

At WUR, we believe that personal support drives success, and our study guidance is known for being highly 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. All new students will be invited for an intake meeting with their study advisor before the start of the academic year to discuss your specialisation choice and course planning.  

The Master's in Plant Biotechnology at Wageningen University focuses on the development and application of new technologies to create better plants. You will also gain a deeper understanding of the biological processes of the plant. Think of plants that can be used as a health food for people and animals, as a natural resource in food technology and medicine or as a replacement of crude oil products (plastics and fuels). You combine the knowledge of plant physiology and genetics with the newest developments in molecular biology and biotechnology. The Master's in Plant Biotechnology is truly a research master's that perfectly suits students with a Bachelor's in Biology or a bachelor's degree in another laboratory oriented education. 

Compare the programme in Wageningen

• The Master's in Plant Sciences focuses on all aspects of the plant production chain. In order to study the refinement of new plant breeds and for the protection of plants against diseases and plagues, molecular biology and biotechnology is often applied in this study as well as in the master's Plant Biotechnology. The master's Plant Sciences is not limited to the molecular perspective, however, as research can also be conducted at a plant-, crop- or ecosystem level.
• The Master's in Biotechnology focusses on a broad range of organisms, such as fungi, algae and bacteria, while the Master's Plant Biotechnology almost exclusively focusses on plants. Furthermore, the production of biobased compounds and the associated process technology are not part of Plant Biotechnology, but can be studied in the Master's Biotechnology. 
• The online Master's in Plant Breeding is focused solely on (molecular) breeding of new plant varieties. This special three- to four-year, part-time programme is meant for professionals already working in the field of Plant Breeding who want to broaden their knowledge and skills. The Master's Plant Biotechnology has a much broader scope and is an on-campus programme for full-time students.  
• The Master's in Biobased Sciences focusses on the development of biobased compounds and the transition towards a circular economy. While this may involve using molecular tools to change gene expression or protein production in plants, this Master considers a much broader scope of organisms, production technology and societal transitions. 
• The Master’s in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology has its roots in computer science, modelling, statistics and molecular biology with specific focus on storing, retrieving and analysing large amounts of biological data. The Master's Plant Biotechnology has a broader scope in applying bioinformatics to study for example plant-environment interactions at the molecular level. 

Read more about comparing this programme on Studiekeuze123.nl for more information. 

Graduates in Plant Biotechnology are university-trained professionals. Their main career opportunities will be on research and development positions at universities, research institutes and biotech or agribusiness companies. Some job opportunities after graduation consist of:

• PhD candidate
• Researcher
• Molecular Plant Breeder
• Consultant
• Bioinformatics specialist 

Other job opportunities can be found in the fields of policy, advice, and communication in agribusinesses and governmental and non-governmental organisations. Most graduates in Plant Biotechnology start their (academic) career with a PhD. 

Interested in the master's programme Plant Biotechnology? Find out whether your knowledge and skills match the entry level of the programme.

Purpose and reason for the admission requirements

The admission requirements for the master's programme Plant Biotechnology are defined in such a way that 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 biotechnology, for example molecular biology, genetics, plant physiology, breeding, and bioinformatics. 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, Biotechnology, Molecular Life 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 two topics:

• Biology (plant physiology, genetics, molecular biology, microbiology, cell biology)
• Lab skills (at least DNA/RNA isolation, PCR analysis)
• Chemistry (biochemistry)
• Bioinformatics (genome, gene and protein sequence analysis, high-throughput measurement data analysis, experience with widely used bioinformatics databases and tools)
• 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.

A pre-master's programme can be constructed based on the deficiencies of your bachelor to the entry requirements of the master's programme. A pre-master's runs from 12 ECTS up and until 30ECTS, depending on your situation. An example below is applicable to a university of applied science student lacking statistical background. Please note that from this example no rights can be derived.

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 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. 

Contact the study advisor directly via mpb.msc@wur.nl to discuss your possibilities at WUR, options on pre-masters' based on your transcript of grades, and how to mitigate knowledge gaps if you are still in the process of obtaining your degree.

Admissible study programmes

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

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: Agricultural Sciences bachelors without molecular biology and lab skills, and Biotechnology or Bioinformatics related bachelors without plant biology and genetics.

All information about the costs of this programme can be found on this page. 

Wageningen offers a diverse and enjoyable 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.