Ecology: VU University Amsterdam

Course Description

The Master’s in Ecology offers further study of the functioning of earth’s plants and animals. The Master’s is designed to improve students’ understanding both of how nature works and how they can apply appropriate measures to maintain biodiversity and combat the effect of pollution and climate change.

The Master’s Ecology at VU University Amsterdam offers a unique course of study as ecology is studied from a plant’s, an animal’s and from a systems perspective. Ecological properties are determined starting from a molecular level, i.e. which genes trigger a response of an organism to environmental stress, and from field knowledge. Field observations are used to extract ecosystems’ patterns and functions.

Career prospects

As a Master’s graduate in Ecology, you have a wide range of career options. The demand for ecologists is considerable these days. About 40 percent of their graduates continues their studies, pursuing a PhD project. Others  find jobs in applied environmental sciences or with consultancy firms. They deal with topics like:

• Nature management and restoration
• Landscape planning
• Plant breeding
• Developing molecular tools to assess pollution
• Improving food quality
• Identifying alternative energy sources

Some graduates work in policy preparation for government, water boards or NGO’s. Others are involved in scientific communication or environment and nature education.

Admission requirements

In general, you can be admitted to the Master’s programme in Ecology if you have completed a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. If you have a Bachelor’s degree in another subject, the Examination Board will decide whether you can be admitted. If necessary, the examination board will set additional requirements.

Language requirements

Foreign students for whom English is not their first language are required to have adequate results in an English language proficiency test:

• TOEFL score of 580 (237 in the TOEFL computer-based test)
• IELTS score of 6.5
• If you have another English qualification, please enclose relevant information and a photocopy of the diploma, in order for the examination board to take your papers into consideration
• Please note that photocopies of diplomas or lists of records must be certified and translated into English, French, Spanish, German or Dutch by a sworn translator