What

The Master of Science in Plant Biotechnology at Ghent University covers all aspects of
modern Plant Biotechnology related to state of the art technologies, plant growth and
development, abiotic stress and biotic interactions, IP and safety regulation. Moreover,
through elective courses and a substantial Master project, students can specialize in their
field of interest. Teaching language is English.

Where

Our 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.

Ghent University in collaboration with the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) has a
long standing tradition of converting basic plant science into successful
industrial entities: Plant Genetics Systems (now Bayer Cropsciences), CropDesign
(now BASF Plant Sciences),

Devgen and more recently Solucel. Today, these companies together with our plant
research center form the largest European Plant Biotechnology campus. Both our
companies and research labs are continuously recruiting talented people for research
positions.

Program overview

In the first column you find the name of the course, in the second column the name(s) of
the professor(s). In the third column you can find credits of every course. Mostly this is
directly proportional to the amount of work this course requires. In the last column you
can see which students will follow these courses together with you (MA1/MA2) and in
which semester (Sem1 from September until December, Sem2 from February until May).
As this is a master training of only 1 year you will get mixed with students from different
educations. The students following the plant biotechnology option in the 2 years-Master,
also have to follow a second option, which makes this a two-year education.

Minimum Admission Requirements

A Master’s degree in Life Sciences and a successful knowledge & motivation
interview/test is mandatory.

Contact

Interested? Contact the program coordinator:

Prof. Dr. Sofie Goormachtig

Application instructions

You should be able to find all necessary info online:
http://www.ugent.be/en/teaching/admission/degreestudent/application/apply.htm.

But here is briefly listed what is needed.

Application Deadline:

• 1^st of March for students who need a Visa

• 1^st of June for students who do not need a Visa

Your application for admission is free of charge.
To start the application and receive the application form (.pdf), you need to send
an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
In this email, you need to mention:

• your first name and last name(surname) stated separately;

• the complete postal address;

• the date and place of birth;

• the programme at UGent that you are applying for
  (check "Studying at UGent" for more information);

• a confirmation that you have read, understood and accept the admission requirements.

Information regarding the application submission:

1. Make sure that your completed application form is dated and signed.

2. Enclose the required documents:

   1. A legalised copy of your Master diploma and its transcript of records;

   2. If not in Dutch, French, German or English, a translation of these documents into Dutch, French, German or
      English, translated by a sworn translator;

   3. A curriculum vitae;

   4. If you have never studied at a university before,
      the form "Certificate attesting the equivalence of a foreign diploma for the purp
      ose of access to a bachelor at a Flemish University (PDF)": correctly filled in;

   5. A document explaining the grading/credit system in your country: the
      system which expresses how your school work is evaluated can differ
      from country to country. To allow us to assess your application we
      need to understand your transcripts (report card) and the grading
      system that was used;

   6. If you are a political refugee: an original letter stating that you are a
      political refugee;

   7. If you wish to do a Ph.D, you need to provide a provisional description
      of the doctoral dissertation (research plan), the methodology, timing,
      proposed title, proposed supervisor and any previously accomplished
      research related to the present proposal;

   8. Proof of Dutch / English proficiency, depending on the programme that you are applying for.

3. Enclose any documents that can add value to your application (recommendation letter,
   certificates of programme-related courses, letter of motivation, ...).

4. Make sure that you submit the application package
   before the deadline.

5. Send the application package by post to the International
   Admissions Desk. Since we require original documents,
   you cannot email or fax your application package.

During the admission procedure, Prof. Dr. Goormachtig will contact you for an interview, necessary to approve your application.

Regarding the costs, the application itself is free of charge, and if you are allowed
to follow the 1-year Master of Science in Plant Biotechnology, the Master program
costs 1630€, without living expenses.

Master Grants

Here you can find all information regarding obtaining a scholarship for
students from developing countries: http://www.ugent.be/en/research/devcooperation/mastergrants.htm
But here is briefly listed what is needed (for academic year 2013-2014 as an example).

1. Send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the following information:

• Title of your email: Admission - Master Grant 2013-2014

• Content of your email

• Your first and last name (surname) separately

• The complete postal address

• The date and place of birth

• The program you are applying for

• A confirmation that you have read, understood and accept the admission requirements
  (http://www.ugent.be/en/teaching/admission/degreestudent/requirement/overview.htm).

2. The application form will be sent by email to you after an application file
   has been opened in our database.

3. Send your completed application form together with all the required documents before the 21st of December 2012 to the International Admission Desk.
   Postmark date will serve as proof.

If the outcome is successful, then the International Admissions Desk will forward
the application and letter of admission to the Department of Research Affairs.
No further action needs to be taken by the applicant. Once the Research
Coordination Office gets your application from the International Admissions
Desk, you will be informed by email.

Practical

Housing

Regarding the housing, you can find details here: http://www.ugent.be/en/facilities/housing/overview.htm.

VISA

All information about obtaining a visa for Belgium is available at http://www.ugent.be/en/living/paperwork/visa/overview.htm.

As a rule, students must apply for this visa at the Belgian Consulate or Embassy in their
own country or in the country where they legally reside, and not from the public authorities
in Belgium itself. If there is no Belgian Consulate or Embassy in their home country, they
may submit their application at the Belgian Consulate or Embassy in one of the
neighbouring countries.

ATTENTION: Students should not enter Belgium with a tourist visa if they intend to
stay longer than 90 days or three months.