Biodiversity, Conservation and Restoration

The Master programme in Biology with a specialisation in ‘Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration’ helps students acquire a thorough insight into the local and global threats of biodiversity. Graduates have an advanced knowledge of the organism-environment interactions that determine biodiversity, and are trained in skills to maintain and restore biodiversity at different scales, from individual populations and species to habitats and landscapes. The Master dissertation enhances research competences by exposing students to high-level research environments in the department, through interaction with professors, PhD students and staff members of the faculty. The Conservation Internship immerses students in the daily practice of conservation and restoration outside the university, which includes working with NGOs, policy makers, farmers, environmental legislators etc.

Students strengthen their insights into the following key conservation and restoration issues:

• species conservation and management
• habitat conservation
• conservation genetics
• restoration of degraded ecosystems
• links and conflicts between conservation and society

Model Path part 1

Fundamentals and skills

• Plant Ecology
• Biostatistics
• Geografic information systems (GIS)
• Ecology of populations and communities
• Landscape ecology

Conservation and restoration in practice

• Conservation biogeography
• Habitat conservation
• Conservation and society
• Conservation genetics

List of optional courses

• Applied and conservation behaviour
• Aquatic ecology
• Biogeomorphology
• Bioinformatics
• Ecological modelling
• Energy from biomass
• Herpetology
• Microbial ecology
• Ornithology
• Remote sensing

Model Path part 2

Fundamentals and skills

• Ecohydrology field course

Conservation and restoration in practice

• Restoration ecology
• Species conservation and management

List of optional courses

• Animal Physiology
• Applied and conservation behaviour
• Aquatic ecology
• Behavioral ecology
• Biogeomorphology
• Bioinformatics
• Coastal and estuarine management
• Debating Development
• Ecological modelling
• Energy from biomass
• Entomology
• Evolutionary & Ecological Physiology
• Herpetology
• Infectious disease ecology
• Mammalogy
• Microbial ecology
• Ornithology
• Plant Physiology and Functional Morphology
• Primatology
• Remote sensing

Requirements

• As the programme builds on your knowledge of ecology and environmental science at the Bachelor level, applicants should hold an academic Bachelor’s degree in Biology or equivalent. All Bachelor degrees in the field of Science, Applied Sciences or Life Sciences that have a strong focus on biology will be considered (e.g. Biology, Bio-engineering, Environmental science). The equivalence of Bachelor’s degrees will be decided by the Board of Admission. In some cases the successful completion of a preparatory programme (15 to 90 ECTS, only available in Dutch) may be required. Students in the last year of their Bachelor’s programme are encouraged to apply, but their admission will be conditional
• Applicants are also required to submit a GMAT or GRE test score. Both the verbal and quantitative score will be taken into consideration.
• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): paper-based TOEFL level of minimum 550, a computer-based TOEFL level of minimum 213 or an internet-based TOEFL level of minimum 80. You can find more information about TOEFL at www.toefl.org
• IELTS (International English Language Testing System): a minimum score of at least 6.5, and on each part minimum 6.0. You can find more information about IELTS at www.ielts.org;
• A copy of your valid passport or identity card/a curriculum vitae
• A motivation letter
• A legalised copy of your degree certificate (please read more information on legalisation)
• Applicants that are enrolled in the final year should submit an original and signed letter from their college or university confirming that they are expected to finalise the program at the end of the current academic year
• A copy of your academic transcripts, provided with a stamp of the university

Scholarships

• VLIR-UOS: scholarships for students from developing countries: Scholarships are available for students from 54 scholarship countries in Africa, Asia and Latin-America to follow a training or master programme at the University of Antwerp.
• ASEM-DUO: Scholarships are available for students from China, India, South-Korea and Vietnam.
• Transition Fellowship Programme: Scholarships are available for students from 4 countries in transition (Brazil, Morocco, South Africa and Turkey).
• Mastermind: Scholarships are available for international students who want to take up a master degree programme.
• Global Study Awards: An individual global study award with a maximum value of £10000