Programme outline

The major research project (9 months) is carried out in one of the participating Environmental Biology research groups and will teach you the practice of scientific research. Under the guidance of a staff member, a post-doctoral fellow, or an advanced PhD student, you work on a well-defined project of your choice, practising all aspects of research: designing experiments, planning, conducting experiments, collecting and interpreting data, drawing conclusions, and writing reports or an article for a scientific publication. Furthermore, you take part in work discussions and journal club meetings in order to understand the meaning of the work compared to that of the research group and of the scientific community as a whole. The project is finished with a written report and an oral presentation.

Decide for yourself which topic you find most interesting by looking at the websites of the groups and people pages. We offer a wide array of research projects to which you contribute to ongoing research. As research within the Environmental Biology groups develops rapidly, please contact the researchers directly for the latest opportunities.

As part of your study programme you have to select a profile. There is a choice of 9 different profiles with the aim of focusing your education in a specific direction. These include profiles with a research project component and a flexible curriculum, profiles with a more set course-list and assignments, and profiles that are a mix of the two.

For more information visit the GSLS-page Profiles.

The Environmental Biology programme offers a variety of advanced courses. Most courses are taught on a half-time basis. Students may also participate in MSc courses offered by other MSc programmes at Utrecht University, but this needs first to be approved by the Programme Coordinator.

Repair courses Behavioural Ecology

The repair courses "Theory of Behavioural Biology" and "Observing Behaviour" are provided to students that plan to follow the track Behavioural Ecology and whom are advised to take one or more of these courses at the start of the Master Programme. The credit points can be used in the electives. Please contact Liesbeth Sterck for further information and the time schedule of these courses.

General courses 

For a list of general courses (part of free electives) see the electives of the Graduate School of Life Sciences.

Electives give you the possibility to create your personal profile. Contact the programme coordinator how to use the electives in your programme.

For more information on the courses that you can choose to fulfill your elective component, visit the GSLS page on electives.

You will write a review presenting a literature overview including a discussion/evaluation of hypotheses and a personal view. Alternatively, you write a research proposal using the format of the open programme of NOW-ALW.

For more information visit the GSLS-page Writing assignment.

The Life Sciences Academy (BMB509718, GSLS-ACAD) is a compulsory 3-part module of 1.5 EC in total. This module is a combination of courses, workshops, seminars, and career events designed to cover all aspects of academic education and to acquaint you with a wide range of life sciences-related topics. Moreover, special focus is put on giving a comprehensive overview of the different choices you can make, both in terms of study components and personal development opportunities, but also to prepare you for your upcoming entry into the job market.

For more information visit the GSLS-page Life Sciences Academy.