6 ECTS credits
150 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 4016113ENR for all students in the 1st semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.
The course ‘Guided self-study’ (GSS) within the MSc Biology program may have two objectives:
! Note that as a student choosing GSS as an elective, it is your responsibility to contact the coordinator and relevant supervisor (option 1) or lecturer (option 2).
Regardless of the option, GSS topics are chosen in October (in agreement with supervisor and program coordinator). Before November 1st, your topic title and name of your supervisor should be sent by email to:
No changes to topic and/or supervisor will be allowed after this date.
Your GSS involves the preparation of a written report (10–20 pages). Conducting your GSS involves regular communication with your supervisor to discuss the content and progress of this report. Guidelines on how to write your GSS report can be found on the 'Guided self study' course page via the CANVAS platform (https://canvas.vub.be/; Guidelines_GSS_2019_2020.pdf).
An electronic version of your report (MS Word or converted pdf) should be submitted by e-mail to your supervisor AND the chairman of the Biology Master program (Kim.Roelants@vub.be). In addition, one hard copy should be submitted to the Department’s secretariat (Bert Vervloessem, building F, 7th floor, office 7F426).
The deadline of submission is the first Monday of the relevant exam session, before 4 pm (January in case of first session, August in case of second session). Consult the exam calendar on the VUB website (https://www.vub.ac.be/en/academic-calendar) to see when the relevant exam session officially starts. This is a strict deadline. Exceptions will only be made in case of legitimate medical or family emergency reasons.
Guidelines to choose a subject for your guided self study as well as writing the report are provided on the course page 'Guided Self study' accessible through the Canvas learning platform (https://canvas.vub.be/).
After completing the GSS, the student has gained in-depth knowledge of a specific biological topic;
- has an overview of its research history and literature;
- knows the current state-of the-art in relevant techniques and methods;
- is familiar with current problems and controversies;
- is capable to make a critical assessment on the topic’s current state of affairs, including a future perspective.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
SELF Paper determines 100% of the final mark.
Within the SELF Paper category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Your supervisor will give a score based on your work and the final version of your GSS report. Your work will be evaluated based on your motivation, initiative, resourcefulness, punctuality and attitude during the preparation of your report. The final version of your GSS report will be evaluated based on the completeness and depth of your literature study, the way you synthesized the existing literature, the way you integrated this literature in a critical discussion and future perspective, your writing style and the overall format of your report.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Life sciences
Master of Biology: Human Ecology
Master of Biology: Ecology and Biodiversity
Master of Biology: AR Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems, start at Paris
Master of Biology: AR Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems, start at Cayenne