Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences
Enrolling for this study plan is possible after having obtained one of the following degrees:
Academic Bachelor's programme biologie
You may also be asked to provide additional documents so we may evaluate your application.
Puntenlijst / Transcript of records
Enrolling for this plan is also possible having completed the Preparatory Programme Master of Science in Biology.
Semester 1 (S1): Basic and specialised introductory courses
Semester 2 (S2): In situ experience and specialised field courses
Semester 3 (S3): In-depth specialisation semester
Semester 4 (S4): Joint masters thesis
In the first semester, students start at the VUB/ULB to acquire similar competences. In the second semester field experience and courses will take place in a university in a non-EU country. The third semester will cover a specialisation in a European university, different from the first one. Courses vary at this semester. In the fourth semester students return to where they started out for their thesis research.
In each semester, the student is able to choose a course outside the list and in relation to the specialisation provided approval of the jury and of the Tropimundo Steering Board.
For more information visit the website at http://www.tropimundo.eu
The courses of the first semester in Brussels are all comprised of a number of basic courses and a limited selection of specialised courses based on local expertise present and on expertise needed in the second semester.Provided agreement by the inter-university jury the student can choose optional courses outside the proposed courses but accepting the risk of overlapping schedules.
Brussels Courses
These are the compulsory courses of the first semester in Brussels (ULB/VUB).
From the courses listed below, students must obtain 15 ECTS credits.
| 6ECTS credits - Social-Ecological Systems |
| 6ECTS credits - Analysis of Biological Data |
| 3ECTS credits - Scientific Presentation Skills and Career Planning |
Brussels Courses
15 ECTS to choose
From the courses listed below, students must obtain 15 ECTS credits.
During the second semester in situ field experience and courses will take place in one of the universities in the south with their specific expertises::
- Université des Antilles (UdA), France: Insular ecology in the tropics (biogeography, terrestrial and semi-terrestrial forests);
- Université de Dschang in Dschang, Cameroon (UDsch): African tropical rainforests and woodlands (sustainable management of forests resources, identification, characterisation and domestication of non-timber forest products, biodiversity evaluation and characterisation);
- Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT): tropical coastal forests, mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs;
- Université d'Antananarivo (ANIVANTA): Ecology of fauna and flora of Madagascar (systematics, physiology, anatomy, evolutionary ecology and adaptation), socio-ecological and behavioural science (primatology, ethnobotany);
- University of Hong Kong (HKU): Rocky shore ecology (behavioural and physiological adaptations of fauna), coral reef ecology (anthropogenic impacts on coral reefs), mangrove ecology (crab and vegetation ecology), seagrass and subtidal ecology (impact of ocean acidification), terrestrial ecology (entomofaunal ecology), freshwater ecology (pollution and other human disturbance), urban ecology (animal biodiversity in cities and behavioural consequences);
- Technical University of Mombasa (TUM);
- Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia (UDEA)
- Université de la Nouvelle Calédonie (UNC)
The courses heavily depend on the regional and geographic settings of the third-country Higher Education Institutes in the south, which in part shapes the specialisation of the student.
To complete this module, students must obtain 30 ECTS credits.
Compulsory
All courses are compulsory in the second semester of the first year.
From the courses listed below, students must obtain 15 ECTS credits.
| 3ECTS credits - Geomatics |
| 3ECTS credits - Thesis Proposal |
| 9ECTS credits - Skills and qualifications in tropical biodiversity |
Field School
1 optional choice of 15 ECTS-credits depending on the Tropimundo trajectory
From the courses listed below, students must obtain 15 ECTS credits.
During the third semester specialisation will be sought at a European university different from that where the respective student started. The Sorbonne Université, Paris (SU) and the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN) have a solid expertise on botany (plant taxonomy, phylogeny, bioinformatics and man-plant interactions, and on the management of biological collections, incl. nearly 4 centuries of collection of plant and animal specimens). Università degli Studi di Firenze (UNIFI) has a profound expertise in zoology (faunistic aspects and plant-animal interactions particularly applied to terrestrial and semi-terrestrial ecosystems). The Université de la Guyane focuses on amazonian ecosystems (biodiversity, landscape processes, socio-cultural diversity of Amazonian rainforests and wetlands).
The fourth semester is entirely dedicated to original research in the framework of a Masters thesis.
To complete this module, students must obtain 30 ECTS credits.
SU, UPMC and MNHN
These are the courses of the third semester in the Sorbonne Université, Paris (SU) and the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN).
Florence, Università degli Studi di Firenze
These are the courses of the third semester in Florence, Università degli Studi di Firenze (UNIFI).
Université de la Guyane
These are the courses of the third semester in the Université de la Guyane.
The fourth semester is entirely dedicated to original research in the framework of a Masters thesis.
To complete this module, students must obtain 30 ECTS credits.
From the courses listed below, students must obtain 30 ECTS credits.
| 30ECTS credits - Master Thesis |