MicroMasters Business and Operations for a Circular Bio-Economy

Why follow this MicroMasters programme?

• Directly apply what you learn to your own business
• Study at the best agricultural university in the world from the comfort of your own home
• Plenty of opportunities to ask questions and to interact with other learners
• Earn credits for the on-campus master’s programme Biobased Sciences

The world is moving from a linear ‘cradle-to-grave’ economy to a more sustainable circular ‘cradle-to-cradle’ economy. In this new world, it’s critical to determine if alternative (biobased) resources have the potential to become economically viable sustainable sources for the production of high value food and materials, feed and energy. This requires the development of feasible biobased business strategies and the skills to apply these strategies to operations and logistics. Companies that want to succeed in this industry must be prepared for the challenges and opportunities ahead.

This MicroMasters programme consists of three courses and a capstone. The courses will teach you about the basics of biobased materials and their conversion to useful products and services. This will help you to understand and evaluate strategic, technological, and operational aspects of running a biobased business and therefore understand the dynamics in biobased business investments and the factors that influence them. You will learn to design and evaluate biobased supply chains using quantitative methods. In the final course you will perform a capstone project in which you apply the knowledge from all courses to your own business case, which gives you the opportunity to receive feedback from experts in the field of biobased business and operations.

What you will learn

Completion of this MicroMasters programme in Business and Operations for a Circular Bio-Economy will provide you with knowledge and tools to analyse the business and operations sides of the switch from fossil to renewable, biobased resources. Upon earning the programme certificate, you will be able to contribute substantially to managerial decision-making, as well as deal with issues regarding supply chain management and planning.

After completion of the programme, you will be able to:

• Understand and evaluate strategic, technological, and operational aspects of running a biobased business
• Understand the basics of biobased materials and their conversion to useful products and services
• Identify factors that affect biobased investments and innovations
• Create business strategies in a biobased economy
• Design and evaluate biobased supply chains using quantitative methods

Contents of the MicroMasters programme

The programme consists of the following MOOCs:

Is this MicroMasters programme for you?

This MicroMasters programme is for anyone who is interested in deepening their knowledge on the business and operations aspects of a biobased economy. It is specifically aimed at those currently working in biobased industries, industries that are transitioning to be more biobased, or non-profit and governmental institutions. In addition to a brief introduction of the technological aspects related to biobased materials and their conversion, the programme will focus on the business and operations aspects of the biobased economy. The programme emphasizes a systems approach and will provide you with various tools and methods (e.g. life cycle assessment and the decision support system) to apply in your organization.

If you would like to know more about the economics and policies side of the circular economy, you might be interested in the following MicroMasters.

Applying for the on-campus master's Biobased Sciences

When you complete all the MOOCs of the programme you can earn a MicroMasters credential that equals up to 18 ECTS. If you successfully earn the MicroMasters programme Credential (a verified certificate for all MOOCs of the MicroMasters programme) and decide to apply for the master’s programme Biobased Sciences at Wageningen University & Research (120 ECTS, 2 year full time on-campus programme), you will need to go through the regular admission procedures for MSc students and meet the entry requirements. If you are admitted and would like to be exempted from courses in the MSc programme, you can send a formal waiver request. Campus courses that can be waived (up to 18 credits) are courses that are equivalent to the online courses in the MicroMasters programme.

Please note: if your intention is to apply, please start your application procedure as early as possible.

If you have any questions about the on-campus master’s and/or if you have attented the 'old' MicroMasters programme (MicroMasters Programme Biobased Sciences for Sustainability/up to 24 ECTS), and like to apply, please contact team Online education.