Study programme - MSc Biobased Sciences

The first year begins with a joint start of two foundation courses with the emphasis on circular material flows, followed by one of the three specialisations and space for personalisation in optional courses. In the first year you will also be a team member in the Biobased and Circular Solution Design-course, where you will tackle a real-life case together with students from different specialisations.

Foundation courses

The two foundation courses, Circular Economy (BMO26806) and Principles of Biobased Economy (BCT23806), are both taught in September/October (period 1).
In the course Circular Economy, you will learn how to realize a transition from a linear economy to a circular economy. This requires an interdisciplinary approach, combining technical, managerial, and environmental considerations. A systems approach to the circular economy is taken, considering different stakeholder perspectives, their incentive structures, and their impacts on circular alternatives.
The course Principles of Biobased Economy is about exploring how to create a sustainable future by moving away from dependence on fossil resources to biomass resources for the production of food, chemicals, and energy-carriers. In this course students will learn which different disciplines are important and how they are connected. Lectures about logistics, economy, biomass production, biorefinery and catalysis are included.

Biobased and Circular Solution Design (ORL6AA12)

In this course you will work in an interdisciplinary team to design a new, innovative biobased circular solution, in which the three biobased disciplines are integrated. You will work on real projects, commissioned by companies or other interested parties from outside Wageningen University.

Together with your teammates you will design a biobased circular solution, work out the whole production and value chain in details, and assess technological, circular, ethical, societal, and economic performance.

The second year will involve a research thesis (36 credits) at one of the chair groups and an internship (24-36 credits) at a host organisation outside Wageningen University & Research. The chair groups differ per specialisation. More information can be found on the website of the specialisations.

In year 2 you will also finalise the trajectory of Boundary Crossing in Biobased Sciences. You will write several reflection reports about your view on interdisciplinarity, how you can benefit from it in teamwork, how your thesis topic contributes to the bioeconomy, and about your future role in the transition towards it. You will discuss the reports during a final oral interview with one of the interdisciplinary experts in your specialisation.

You will develop expertise in one of the three disciplines:

• Biomass Production and Carbon Capture
• Biorefinery and Conversion
• Biobased and Circular Economy

Based on this, you will be able to research and develop robust biobased concepts, products, or processes and consider their technical, economic, and societal sustainability.

Many aspects are important if you want to create a biobased and circular system. Within each specialisation there are several courses with an interdisciplinary approach. In these courses you will look at topics from different perspectives.

Of course, the specialisation will focus mainly on in depth knowledge of either biomass production and carbon capture, biorefinery and conversion, or biobased and circular economy.

prosperity and welfare in 2050. For this to happen, however, major changes are required in the way we deal with food, animal feed, materials and energy. Right now, materials and energy are often produced from fossil fuels, and this should increasingly be replaced by biomass.

Wageningen University & Research covers the transition from a petrochemical to a biobased society from the different disciplines in an interdisciplinary, holistic approach. Wageningen has many pilot facilities, such as AlgaePARC and Acrres, as well as production facilities for products such as bioplastics, chemicals and packaging materials.