Master of Science in Bioscience Engineering: Forest and Nature Management

There is a growing interest in the preservation/conservation of existing forests and natural patrimony, and the acquisition of new nature areas. This tendency requires a growing expertise in sustainable management of natural areas. Our study programme aims at training academic engineers who are able to contribute to the sustainable use and integrated forest and nature management.

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Master's Programme

2 year 120 credits

Faculty of Bioscience Engineering

Dutch

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About the programme

Programme summary

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Off to a good start

After graduation

Study programme content subject to change

First year

(version 14 )

1 General Courses

Course	MT1	Semester	Language	Instructor	Crdt
Wood Anatomy and Identification of Wood Species	1	sem 1	nl	Joris Van Acker	4

Forest Exploitation and Nature Management Techniques	1	sem 1	nl	Joris Van Acker	4

Inventory of Forest and Nature	1	sem 1	nl	Jan Van den Bulcke	5

Biodiversity and Nature Conservation	1	sem 1	nl	Lander Baeten	4

Urban Green Management	1	sem 1	nl	Jan Mertens	4

Forestry	1	year	nl	Kris Verheyen	4

Vegetation Modelling	1	sem 2	en	Hans Verbeeck	4

Wood Technology: Basic Material Properties	1	sem 2	en	Joris Van Acker	4

Management for Ecosystem Services	1	sem 2	nl	Kris Verheyen	5

Advanced Remote Sensing	1	sem 2	en	Kim Calders	5

2 Elective Courses

Subscribe to 32 credit units from 2 modules from the following list, of which at least 17 credit units from module 2.1 and at least 5 credit units from module 2.2.

2.1 Discipline-Specific Courses

Subscribe to no less than 17 credit units from the following list.

Course	Semester	Language	Instructor	Crdt
Tropical Forestry	sem 1	en	Joris Van Acker	5

Wood Technology: Wood Processing and Forest Products	sem 2	en	Joris Van Acker	5

Nutrient Management	sem 2	en	Stefaan De Neve	5

Soil Water Management	sem 2	en	Wim Cornelis	5

Soil Biology	sem 1	en	Stefaan De Neve	4

Water Quality Management	sem 2	en	Peter Goethals	4

Water in the City	sem 1	nl	Katrien Van Eerdenbrugh	4

Agroecology	sem 1	en	Eduardo de la Pena	5

Meteorology and Ecoclimatology	sem 2	nl	Hans Verbeeck	5

Sustainable Cities	year	nl	Michiel Dehaene	6

Applied Marine Ecology	sem 1	en	Colin Janssen	3

2.2 Cross-Disciplinary Elective Courses

Subscribe to 1 module from the following list.
Courses for which the final competencies are already (largely) achieved by another course in the curriculum cannot be included as part of the elective set.
Subject to approval by the faculty.

2.2.1 Elective Set

2.2.1.1 Cross-Disciplinary Elective Set for Bioscience Engineers
Elective Set

Subscribe to 15 credit units from the following list, with no more than 10 credit units with reference A.

Course	Ref	Semester	Language	Instructor	Crdt
Machine Learning for Life Sciences		sem 1	en	Willem Waegeman	4

Computer Vision for Life Sciences		sem 2	en	Jan Verwaeren	5

Advanced Biosystems Modelling		sem 2	en	Paul Van Liedekerke	5

Experimental Design		sem 2	en	Stijn Luca	3

Management for Engineers		sem 1	en	Jeroen Buysse	4

Economics and Management of Natural Resources		sem 2	en	Stijn Speelman	4

Isotopes in Biosciences		sem 1	en	Pascal Boeckx	5

Biodiversity and Nature Conservation		sem 1	nl	Lander Baeten	4

Multidisciplinary Analysis of Climate Change		sem 2	en	Pascal Boeckx	3

Human Nutrition and Health		sem 1	en	John Van Camp	5

Food Marketing and Consumer Behaviour		sem 1	en	Wim Verbeke	5

Bioethics		sem 1	en	Michiel De Proost	3

Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	5

International Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	5

Extended Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	10

Extended International Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	10

2.2.2 Open Choice

Subscribe to course units from courses offered at Ghent University, including the Ghent University Elective Courses.
A minimum of 5 credit units is required from module 2.2.1.1. "Cross-Disciplinary Elective Set for Bioscience Engineers".
Maximum 8 credit units language courses are allowed within this master programme.

Second year

(version 14 )

1 General Courses

Course	MT1	Semester	Language	Instructor	Crdt
Forest and Nature Policy	2	sem 1	nl	Myriam Dumortier	5

Planning for Multifunctional Landscapes	2	sem 2	nl	Kris Verheyen	5

Integrated Ecosystem Management Practicum	2	sem 2	nl	Lander Baeten	5

2 Elective Courses

Subscribe to 32 credit units from 2 modules from the following list, of which at least 17 credit units from module 2.1 and at least 5 credit units from module 2.2.

2.1 Discipline-Specific Courses

Subscribe to no less than 17 credit units from the following list.

Course	Semester	Language	Instructor	Crdt
Tropical Forestry	sem 1	en	Joris Van Acker	5

Wood Technology: Wood Processing and Forest Products	sem 2	en	Joris Van Acker	5

Nutrient Management	sem 2	en	Stefaan De Neve	5

Soil Water Management	sem 2	en	Wim Cornelis	5

Soil Biology	sem 1	en	Stefaan De Neve	4

Water Quality Management	sem 2	en	Peter Goethals	4

Water in the City	sem 1	nl	Katrien Van Eerdenbrugh	4

Agroecology	sem 1	en	Eduardo de la Pena	5

Meteorology and Ecoclimatology	sem 2	nl	Hans Verbeeck	5

Sustainable Cities	year	nl	Michiel Dehaene	6

Applied Marine Ecology	sem 1	en	Colin Janssen	3

2.2 Cross-Disciplinary Elective Courses

2.2.1 Elective Set

2.2.1.1 Cross-Disciplinary Elective Set for Bioscience Engineers
Elective Set

Subscribe to 15 credit units from the following list, with no more than 10 credit units with reference A.

Course	Ref	Semester	Language	Instructor	Crdt
Machine Learning for Life Sciences		sem 1	en	Willem Waegeman	4

Computer Vision for Life Sciences		sem 2	en	Jan Verwaeren	5

Advanced Biosystems Modelling		sem 2	en	Paul Van Liedekerke	5

Experimental Design		sem 2	en	Stijn Luca	3

Management for Engineers		sem 1	en	Jeroen Buysse	4

Economics and Management of Natural Resources		sem 2	en	Stijn Speelman	4

Isotopes in Biosciences		sem 1	en	Pascal Boeckx	5

Biodiversity and Nature Conservation		sem 1	nl	Lander Baeten	4

Multidisciplinary Analysis of Climate Change		sem 2	en	Pascal Boeckx	3

Human Nutrition and Health		sem 1	en	John Van Camp	5

Food Marketing and Consumer Behaviour		sem 1	en	Wim Verbeke	5

Bioethics		sem 1	en	Michiel De Proost	3

Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	5

International Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	5

Extended Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	10

Extended International Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	10

2.2.2 Open Choice

3 Master's Dissertation

Course	Ref	MT1	Semester	Language	Instructor	Crdt
Master's Dissertation		2	year	nl	Joris Van Acker	30

Full programme

(version 14 )

Print

1 General Courses 58

Course	MT1	Semester	Language	Instructor	Crdt
Wood Anatomy and Identification of Wood Species	1	sem 1	nl	Joris Van Acker	4

Forest Exploitation and Nature Management Techniques	1	sem 1	nl	Joris Van Acker	4

Inventory of Forest and Nature	1	sem 1	nl	Jan Van den Bulcke	5

Biodiversity and Nature Conservation	1	sem 1	nl	Lander Baeten	4

Urban Green Management	1	sem 1	nl	Jan Mertens	4

Forestry	1	year	nl	Kris Verheyen	4

Vegetation Modelling	1	sem 2	en	Hans Verbeeck	4

Wood Technology: Basic Material Properties	1	sem 2	en	Joris Van Acker	4

Management for Ecosystem Services	1	sem 2	nl	Kris Verheyen	5

Advanced Remote Sensing	1	sem 2	en	Kim Calders	5

Forest and Nature Policy	2	sem 1	nl	Myriam Dumortier	5

Planning for Multifunctional Landscapes	2	sem 2	nl	Kris Verheyen	5

Integrated Ecosystem Management Practicum	2	sem 2	nl	Lander Baeten	5

2 Elective Courses 32

Subscribe to 32 credit units from 2 modules from the following list, of which at least 17 credit units from module 2.1 and at least 5 credit units from module 2.2.

2.1 Discipline-Specific Courses

Subscribe to no less than 17 credit units from the following list.

Course	Semester	Language	Instructor	Crdt
Tropical Forestry	sem 1	en	Joris Van Acker	5

Wood Technology: Wood Processing and Forest Products	sem 2	en	Joris Van Acker	5

Nutrient Management	sem 2	en	Stefaan De Neve	5

Soil Water Management	sem 2	en	Wim Cornelis	5

Soil Biology	sem 1	en	Stefaan De Neve	4

Water Quality Management	sem 2	en	Peter Goethals	4

Water in the City	sem 1	nl	Katrien Van Eerdenbrugh	4

Agroecology	sem 1	en	Eduardo de la Pena	5

Meteorology and Ecoclimatology	sem 2	nl	Hans Verbeeck	5

Sustainable Cities	year	nl	Michiel Dehaene	6

Applied Marine Ecology	sem 1	en	Colin Janssen	3

2.2 Cross-Disciplinary Elective Courses

15

2.2.1 Elective Set

2.2.1.1 Cross-Disciplinary Elective Set for Bioscience Engineers
Elective Set

Subscribe to 15 credit units from the following list, with no more than 10 credit units with reference A.

Course	Ref	Semester	Language	Instructor	Crdt
Machine Learning for Life Sciences		sem 1	en	Willem Waegeman	4

Computer Vision for Life Sciences		sem 2	en	Jan Verwaeren	5

Advanced Biosystems Modelling		sem 2	en	Paul Van Liedekerke	5

Experimental Design		sem 2	en	Stijn Luca	3

Management for Engineers		sem 1	en	Jeroen Buysse	4

Economics and Management of Natural Resources		sem 2	en	Stijn Speelman	4

Isotopes in Biosciences		sem 1	en	Pascal Boeckx	5

Biodiversity and Nature Conservation		sem 1	nl	Lander Baeten	4

Multidisciplinary Analysis of Climate Change		sem 2	en	Pascal Boeckx	3

Human Nutrition and Health		sem 1	en	John Van Camp	5

Food Marketing and Consumer Behaviour		sem 1	en	Wim Verbeke	5

Bioethics		sem 1	en	Michiel De Proost	3

Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	5

International Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	5

Extended Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	10

Extended International Internship	A	year	nl,en	Paul Van der Meeren	10

2.2.2 Open Choice

3 Master's Dissertation 30

Course	Ref	MT1	Semester	Language	Instructor	Crdt
Master's Dissertation		2	year	nl	Joris Van Acker	30

Learning outcomes

Competence field 3: Knowledge competency

Have advanced knowledge of the components of (semi-)natural ecosystems in Belgium and the world, insight into the processes that take place there and insight into the influence of human actions on these components and processes
Have knowledge and understanding of management and planning strategies to optimally provide the goods and services required by society from (semi-)natural ecosystems
Apply qualitative and quantitative techniques to support forest, nature and landscape management (e.g. inventory and planning techniques, spatial information techniques, processing techniques of woody biomass)
Apply the national and international policy frameworks for forests and nature
Have insight into the functioning of the field of work of the forest, nature and landscape manager

Competence field 4: Scientific competency

Identify and analyze problems in forest and nature manegement and formulate clear research questions with a view to achieving effective and potentially applicable solutions
Consult and critically interpret professional literature according to scientific standards
Select, adapt or, if necessary, develop the appropriate analysis methods and process techniques
Extract yseful information from excessive, incomplete, or conflicting data
Plan, monitor and adjust scientific research
Accurately collect, scientifically process, critically analyze and interpret data in accordance with the principles of scientific integrity
Identify new or remaining bottlenecks and research questions based on knowledge, insight and experience

Competence field 5: Intellectual competency

Use one's own knowledge creatively, purposefully and innovatively in research, design and production
Argument scientifically in a multidisciplinary context
Demonstrate openness to new scientific developments and their applications in a broad scientific, economic and social context
Adopt an active and honest attitude towards permanent knowledge development, lifelong learning and independently steer one's own learning process

Competence field 6: Competency in collaborating and communicating

Have the required social and communication skills to work in a team
Collaborate and display early leadership in a multidisciplinary environment
Communicate clearly in writing and orally about one's own discipline in Dutch and English

Competence field 7: Social competency

Act ethically, professionally and socially responsible, also in an international or intercultural environment
Function autonomously within a short period of time in scientific research, in industrial functions, at consultancy firms, NGOs and government institutions
Consider sustainability aspects and social preconditions when developing a high-quality system, product, service or process

Competence field 8: Engineering competency

Design, plan and execute an engineering project at the level of a starting professional in an independent and result-oriented manner
Understand the complexity of a problem/system using quantitative methods
Assess the risks and technical feasibility of a project
Integrate biological, physico-chemical, technological, economic and ecological aspects into research, production, quality management, management or policy