Aquaculture

Declining fisheries catches and a growing consumer demand for a diverse range of safe and high-quality aquatic products, is putting a lot of pressure on the natural resources. This explains the extraordinary expansion of aquaculture activities around the world. Due to the diversity of species grown, production systems, and the fragility of the early larval stages, aquaculture science demands a multidisciplinary approach to cope with this complexity.The MSc in Aquaculture, organized by the Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Center at Ghent University, calls upon recognized aquaculture experts to educate and train students from Europe and third countries and to introduce them to the principles of sustainable development of aquaculture.

The Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Center of Ghent University has a long-standing worldwide reputation in the field of education and training in aquaculture.

The learning outcomes of IMAQUA are formulated as follows. A student:

• possesses a broad knowledge at an advanced level in a number of basic disciplines (biology, ecology, pathology, genetics, zootechnology, nutrition, management, economics and statistics) relevant to aquaculture;
• understands the processes ongoing in different forms and systems of aquatic production;
• has acquired a broad knowledge on the production of aquatic organisms;
• can analyze the interactions between biological production systems and the natural resources and the socio-economic context in a systems approach;
• can identify interactions between human activity, environmental conditions and exploitation of aquatic production systems, and can implement potential mitigating interventions;
• can draw and implement strategies for future development in the aquaculture industry;
• can understand and communicate with the industry, and is familiar with the practicalities of commercial ventures;
• has acquired a scientific approach to formulate and test hypotheses, to design research protocols, and to collect and analyze data;
• understands the ethical considerations of animal production and experimentation;
• is able to present personal research, thoughts, ideas, and research proposals in a suitable way, both written and orally, to peers and to a general public

General Courses

• Aquatic Ecology
• Biology of Fishes
• Freshwater Fish Culture Techniques
• General Aspects of Aquaculture
• Microbial Ecology and Environmental Sanitation
• Physiology of Aquatic Organisms
• Technology of Fishery Products
• Algae Culture
• Aquatic Farm Management Training
• Mollusc and Crustacean Culture
• Aquaculture and the Environment
• Marine Fish Larviculture
• Applied Statistics
• Aquaculture Nutrition
• Management in the Aquaculture Industry
• Aquaculture Genetics
• Diseases in Aquaculture

Elective Courses

Major Aquaculture Health Management 

• Viral Disease Management
• Fish and Shellfish Immunology
• Aquatic Microbial Community Management
• Internship Aquaculture Health Management
• Project Aquaculture Health Management

Major Sustainable Management of Aquatic Resources 

• Law and Ethics on Conservation of Aquatic Systems
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Economics and Management of Natural Resources
• Biodiversity of Aquatic Food Webs
• Ecology of Coastal Seas
• Marine and Lacustrine Biology
• Aquatic Microbial Ecology
• Internship Sustainable Management of Aquatic Resources
• Project Sustainable Management of Aquatic Resources

Requirements

• Applicants must have at least a Bachelor's degree of min. 3 year with good overall scores (at least a second class upper or equivalent).
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate through their transcripts basic science training in at least 5 out of 7 of the following fields: (i) Mathematics, including basic statistics; (ii) Physics; (iii) Chemistry; (iv) Biochemistry; (v) Biology; (vi) Microbiology; (vii) Engineering. Some background in aquaculture is recommended too.

• Language requirements:
  The applicant must be proficient in the language of the course or training programme, i.e. English. The English language proficiency can be met by providing a certificate (validity of 5 years) of one of the following tests: (TOEFL/IELTS predictive tests and TOEIC will not be accepted)
  -    TOEFL IBT 80
  -    TOEFL PBT 550
  -    ACADEMIC IELTS 6,5 overall score with a min. of 6 for writing
  -    CEFR B2 Issued by a European university language centre
  -    ESOL CAMBRIDGE English CAE (Advanced)

Scholarships

• VLIR-UOS Scholarships
• Master grants
• University Development Cooperation Programme