Master's in Biology

Ghent University is a public university in Ghent, Belgium. It was founded in 1817 and is one of the largest universities in Belgium. The university has over 40,000 students and 6,000 staff members. It offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in the fields of humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, medicine, and engineering. Ghent University is ranked #121-130 in the QS World University Rankings 2024. It is also a member of the League of European Research Universities and the Coimbra Group.

The Master in Biology has a far-reaching influence on numerous areas within science and society. The research domain of biology itself is very broad, and covers the entire spectrum of life, its diversity and its formation at all the different organization levels, ranging from a cell and ecosystem to the level of the biosphere. Actual topics and challenges such as protection of endangered species, global change, sustainability, cloning of organisms, dangerous diseases and medical progress all have their roots in biology. Biology also contributes to numerous conceptual innovations that lead towards new disciplines such as molecular biology and biotechnology. Biology is an exciting and ever-evolving field of study thanks to its close interaction with a broad range of other disciplines such as chemistry, geology, geography and physics. For whom The admission requirements vary. Depending on your preliminary training, you are either able to enrol directly, or there are additional requirements. Structure The two-year Master's programme (120 credits) contains the following components: 18 credits worth of general course units; 42 credits worth of major course units; 30 credits worth of minor (elective) course units; 30 credits worth of Master's dissertation. The general course units prepare students for making an informed choice of major course units and their Master's dissertation. In the first year of the Master's programme students choose one of four possible majors: General Biology Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology Global Change Ecology Functional biology Their choice of major allows students to deepen their knowledge of one of the research areas in which Ghent University has expertise. Students can also choose one of two minors, both consisting of broadening elective course units. Possible combinations between minors and majors are: Bio-inspired Innovation and Sustainability Minor - General Biology Major Research Minor - Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology Major Research Minor - Global Change Ecology Major Research Minor - Functional Biology Major. Students write their Master’s dissertation on a topic related to their choice of major. Most Master’s dissertations dovetail with current national or international (research) projects. However, the Master’s dissertation can also exploit the results of specific projects or it can even have a prospective character regarding future projects. In addition to the (domain) Master’s programme described above, you can also choose a Master’s Programme in Teaching (in Dutch: Educatieve Master). The Educatieve Master, however, is a Dutch-taught programme. For more information, go to (www.ugent.be/educatievemaster 120 ECTS-credits).