Master in Agricultural Bioengineering

The training meets the growing requirements of society, which are reflected in the constant expansion of bioengineering applications. The study programs are rooted in the field of environmental management, agro-ecosystems and all the living-based industrial activities.

The highly multidisciplinary training allows students to develop their creativity and versatility to become operational in various jobs related to engineering and to life sciences.

The Master in agricultural Engineering focuses on natural resources management in order to reconcile conservation and production of a variety of biomasses. It refines knowledge about the functioning of living matter at organisation levels in between those of organisms and the entire biosphere. It helps to develop or enhance the following skills:

• Designing innovative scientific and technological solutions.
• Leading scientific research in the field of agricultural sciences.
• Skills concerning measurement, analysis and diagnostics for an operational and sustainable implementation of the proposed solutions to solve a complex engineering problem.

In addition, the Master promotes the development of the students’ personality (their ethical commitment) and their preparation for responsible citizenship, by allowing them to get involved into decision-making processes of the ULB and the EIB.

The program is divided between compulsory courses, optional courses and internships. It encourages the student to switch between different ways of learning: through lectures, exercises and practical laboratory works or personal projects. In the first year of the Master, one half of the teaching is divided into exercises, practical work, visits and personal work, the other half is devoted to theoretical courses.

In the second year of the Master, learning is reinforced by the Master’s Thesis (25 ECTS) which is a thorough research work and by a 12-week internship (15 ECTS). These modules represent almost 60% of the academic year program.

The Master in Agricultural Bioengineering is a EUR-ACE ® labelled programme, like all the EIB Masters. Awarded by the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE), the European label EUR-ACE ® attests the quality of teaching and management of the establishment. It is awarded to engineering schools that meet the quality criteria of the specific EUR-ACE® Framework Standards & Guidelines (EAFSG). It promotes the mobility of students between certified institutions and the professional integration of graduates in Belgium and abroad.

The studies leading to the academic degree of Master in Bioengineering provide students with a unique versatility which rests on the acquisition of general scientific bases in combination with engineering techniques. This versatility facilitates the development of the capacity to integrate multidisciplinary concepts for a comprehensive approach to complex problems and the development of sustainable solutions.

In addition to the general training, the Masters in Bioengineering provide more specific training in three major directions that reflect the main areas of bioengineering activities: agricultural sciences, chemistry and bio-industries, environmental science and technology.

The bioengineer trained at the ULB enjoys a unique interfaculty environment in a multidisciplinary university located in the capital of Europe, near the European institutions. The combination of the Faculty of Sciences and the Brussels School of Engineering is a genuine asset to enhance the versatility of the training.

The Master in Agricultural Engineering at ULB is transverse (not favoring a particular discipline but focused on the links across disciplines). More specifically, it is very open to social sciences in order to take into account a plurality of societal dimensions of natural resource management. An important place is therefore naturally devoted to agroecology, the foundations of which are laid down in the three blocks of the BA.