Master’s in Biosystems Engineering

The MSc in Biosystems Engineering is a two-year programme. Starting in September, the first year consists of 40 weeks of coursework. This includes compulsory courses for your profile and courses of your own free choice. The second year is divided into a thesis research (26 weeks) and an academic internship (16 weeks).

The programme is individually tailored to your interests and requirements. The Biosystems Engineering programme, like all master's programmes at Wageningen University & Research, is taught in English. For more in-depth information about the programme and its courses, consult the Study Handbook.

Compulsory courses

• Modelling of Biobased Production Systems 
  Mathematical models are a powerful tool to predict and improve the behaviour and performance of novel biobased production systems. This course teaches students through case studies to develop or improve models to simulate complex food production systems.
• Quantitative Analysis of Biobased Production Systems 
  This course focuses on the quantitative analysis of new design concepts, innovative ideas and technologies for biosystems with the main question: Do innovative systems have a better integral sustainability performance than traditional systems?
• Biosystems Design 
  In the course students will apply a structural engineering design method to a biosystems engineering related design problem with a focus on system innovation. Sustainability, ecological, economic and social aspects, play an important role in the design process.  

Profile courses – Thesis preparation 

You will choose one of seven thesis tracks to gain in-depth knowledge and skills in (see specializations section) one field of Biosystems Engineering. Within each track, you have to choose a minimum of two courses to prepare you to write a thesis with the affiliated chair group.  

Optional Courses/ Free choice 

You can take courses from nearly all disciplines taught at WUR. This gives you the opportunity to broaden your knowledge and explore different interests or to dive deep into one specific topic.  

Career Preparation  

To help you prepare for your time after graduation, you can choose one of four options:  

• Academic Consultancy Training: Work in an interdisciplinary consultancy project for an external organization on a real-life challenge.
• Entrepreneurhsip track: Develop new skills to kickstart running your own company or being responsible for bringing new products to the market after you graduate.
• Research Master Cluster: Prepare for the next step in your scientific career and learn how to write the perfect proposal for a PhD project.
• Become a teacher: Gain your teaching qualification for Physics or Mathematics for Dutch secondary school.  

Courses first year.

Thesis  

The second year of the MBE programme starts with a 36 ects thesis. With the help of one of the experienced researchers of WUR you have about 6 months to do research on a topic of your choice in one of seven chair groups (see specialization section). Generally, this research is done as part of the ongoing research at WUR, but often it is also possible to come up with your own project.  

Internship 

The final part of the master's programme is the internship. For four months you can put into practice all that you have learned and experience what you might do after graduation. You can use the WUR network to help you find a suitable internship in companies and research institutes in the Netherlands and all over the world.

Courses second year.

The programme does not have specialisations, but instead seven thesis tracks linked with one of the chair groups of Wageningen University & Research:  

• Agricultural Biosystems Engineering
• Biobased Chemistry and Technology
• Environmental Technology
• Information Technology
• Geo-information Sciences and Remote Sensing
• Mathematical and Statistical Methods
• Operations Research and Logistics

Your study adviser will help you find the thesis track that aligns best with your interests.  

The programme has a lot of on-campus classes with a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, tutorials (involving group assignments), practical sessions, problem-based learning (working in groups on real-life cases), and excursions. 

At WUR, a personal study adviser is available to guide you in shaping your study path and helping you stay on course. The learning environment is designed to be supportive and stimulating, with a strong focus on collaboration, self-reflection, and individual development. 

The MSc Biosystems Engineering is for students with an (agricultural) engineering background on a bachelor's level who are interested in pursuing a master's degree about technology and engineering in the food production sector. The programme focuses on the interaction between technology and the living environment of agricultural production, with one main goal: the development of innovative technology for food production systems.  

Compare the programme in Wageningen

• MSc Biotechnology shares the technological approach with different courses in mathematics, process engineering and control technology. The difference is that Biotechnology is mainly focused on technology in relation to cells and molecules and not on production systems like the master's programme of Biosystems Engineering is.
• MSc Plant Sciences and MSc Animal Sciences are also related master's programmes, however the focus on the above master's programmes are more into the biological processes within plants or animals, whereas the master's programme of Biosystems Engineering focus more on the technology.
• MSc Organic Agriculture shares the focus on (re)designing and innovation of systems in agriculture. However, while Biosystems Engineering focuses more on the technological aspects, Organic Agriculture dives deeper in the societal debate and biology of sustainable food production systems.
• Another closely related MSc program is Biobased Sciences. Both study programmes have a multi-/interdisciplinary approach. However, Biosystems Engineering has a broader scope in the agricultural context and focuses more on the technological aspects of it. Biobased Sciences, on the other hand, focuses more on the transition from a fossil based society to a circular economy.

Curious how you could compare this programme? Check more information on Studiekeuze123.nl. 

Almost all graduates from the Biosystems Engineering programme find jobs that directly connect to the study programme. In this list, you will find common roles that the graduates get into. 

• Product/ systems designer: Design new and innovative agricultural systems using sustainable and economic practices.
• Product engineer: Be responsible for a group of products within a company, where your role requires you to draft product requirements and specifications and ensure the quality is maintained.
• Logistics engineer: Develop systems that deliver products to the right place, at the right time and in the right quantity.
• PhD: Continue your education and academic career at university with your personal research project.
• Researcher: Be a part of the R&D division of a company or university, where you will take up different topics to research and implement in an industrial environment.  

Student Career Services facilitates WUR students towards the labour market. If you need help in your orientation towards your future career. 

Interested in the Master's in Biosystems Engineering? Find out whether your knowledge and skills match the entry level of the programme. Are you interested in the programme, but not sure whether your background matches the stated requirements? Feel free to contact us.

The admission requirements for the master's programme Biosystems Engineering are defined in such a way that the prospective students should be able to complete the programme nominally in two years. The goal of the programme is to analyse, model and design biosystems based on physical mathematical knowledge. Therefore, a solid basis in these subjects is required to follow the advanced courses in the master’s programme. 

The criterion used for admission is

a WUR BSc degree in Biosystems Engineering, or equivalent. 

The norm for this equivalence is

≥60 ECTS in Engineering, including:

• (Quantitative) modelling skills
• Programming skills (for example MatLab, Python or R)
• Mathematics (system theory, linear algebra, first order differential equations)
• Statistics ((multiple) linear regression, formulation of hypotheses, non-parametric tests, contingency and chi-squared tests)

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

Admissible study programmes

Study programmes of which the graduates may meet the knowledge requirements of Biosystems Engineering are for example: Mechanical, Industrial Automation, Agricultural, or Electrical Engineering, Computer Sciences, Applied Physics, Industrial Design Engineering, Biotechnology, or Environmental Technology.

Study programmes with knowledge gaps

Having passed the entire pre-master or the minor Biosystems Engineering at WUR gives admission to MBE. Study programmes whose students often have to follow additional courses within their current programme or in a pre-master to fulfil the knowledge requirements are for example: Plant Sciences, Biology and Animal Sciences.

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 Application & Admission 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.

Thinking about the financial side of studying? Here’s what to expect. All information about the costs of this programme can be found on this page.

Student life here is about balance. Yes, there’s studying, but there’s also music festivals, themed parties, diverse sports clubs, and plenty of places to hang out with friends. All information about student life in Wageningen can be found on this page.