Wageningen University Netherlands

Wageningen University was established in 1918 and was the successor of the Agricultural School founded in 1876.

Wageningen University provides education and generates knowledge in the field of life sciences and natural resources. Wageningen UR aims to make a real contribution to our quality of life. Quality of life means to the university both an adequate supply of safe and healthy food and drink, on the one hand, and the chance to live, work and play in a balanced ecosystem with a large variety of plants and animals.

The university has about 6,000 students from 98 countries. Its core business are life and agricultural sciences.

BSc programmes

Wageningen University offers 18 BSc programmes (2005-2006). The language of instruction is partly Dutch, partly English. For some BSc programmes the language of instruction is English. The programmes start each year in September, they last three years and consist of 180 ECTS credits. The programmes are in the field of economy& society, health, life sciences & technology, nature & environment, animals & plants.

Economy and society
Business and consumer studies
Economics and policy
International development studies

Health
Health and society
Nutrition and health

Technology
Agro technology
Biotechnology
Food technology
Molecular life sciences

Nature and environment
Soil, water and air
Forest and nature conservation
International land and water conservation
Landscape architecture and spatial planning
Environmental studies

Animals and plants
Biology
Biological Production Sciences
Animal sciences
Plant sciences

MSc programmes

Wageningen University offers a wide range of MSc programmes (2005-2006). The language of instruction is English. The programmes start each year in September, they last two years and consist of 120 ECTS credits. Most programmes offer various specialisations and possibilities for majors.
Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering
Animal Sciences and Aquaculture
Aquaculture and Fisheries
Bioinformatics
Biology
Biotechnology
Communication Science
Earth System Science
Environmental Sciences
European Masters Degree in Food Studies
Food Quality Management
Food Safety
Food Technology
Forest and Nature Conservation
Geo-information Science
Hydrology and Water Quality
International Development Studies
International Land and Water Management
Landscape Architecture and Planning
Leisure, Tourism and Environment
Management of Agro-ecological Knowledge and Social Change
Management, Economics and Consumer Studies
Meteorology and Air Quality
Molecular Life Sciences
Nutrition and Health
Organic Agriculture
Public Health and Society (independent specialisation under Management, Economics and Consumer Studies)
Plant Biotechnology
Plant Sciences
Soil Science
Urban Environmental Management

PhD programme

The PhD programme is a four-year programme which consists of a research component and a smaller education component. To apply for a PhD position, the applicant must contact one of the Graduate Schools of Wageningen University. In order to guarantee adequate supervision, the research subject must fit in the research programme of a Graduate School. The four-year PhD programme consists of a research component (conducting research under supervision and writing a thesis) and a smaller education component (up to 15% of the total PhD time) Upon completion of PhD programme, the PhD student is expected to be:
Able to function as an independent scientist.
Able to integrate his/her own work in the theoretical framework of his/her discipline(s) in a broader area of research and able to communicate this in a scientific or general setting.
Competent in identifying priority areas of research and in formulating questions and experimental hypotheses pertinent to this research.

The following research institutes are part of Wageningen UR :
Agricultural Economics Research Institute (LEI)
Agrotechnology & Food Sciences Group (AFSG)
Alterra - Research Institute for the Green World (ALTERRA)
International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improvement (ILRI)
Animal Sciences Group (ASG)
Applied Plant Research (PPO)
Central Institute for Animal Disease Control (CIDC-Lelystad)
International Agricultural Centre (IAC)
Plant Research International (PRI)
RIKILT-Institute of Food Safety

Wageningen University ranked:

148th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking

142nd in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking

155th in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking

178th in the 2010 QS World University Ranking

175th in the 2011 QS World University Ranking