Admission requirements

Academic background

In order to be eligible for the Master programme ‘Global Change Biology’, you should have following profile:

• A strong scientific background, including basic knowledge of mathematics, physics, and inorganic and organic chemistry
• Knowledge of the basic principles of statistics;
• Knowledge of plants, animals and other organisms (diversity, evolution, cell biology, biochemistry, physiology, genetics etc.);
• Familiarity with ecology;
• An understanding of the physical environment (soil, water, air)
• Basic computer skills (word processing, spreadsheets…)
  • If these are lacking, we recommend you to take tutoring before coming to Belgium.

Students with degrees from outside the Flemish Community

All Bachelor degrees in the field of Science, Applied Sciences or Life Sciences that have a strong focus on biology will be considered by a board of admission of the specific programme (e.g. Biology, Bio-engineering, Environmental science, ...).

Students with degrees of the Flemish Community

Direct admission

• holders of a Bachelor in Biology degree

Admission after permission

• holders of an academic bachelor or master in exact, medical, engineering or industrial sciences

The programme is taught in English and candidates must be proficient in this language. Candidates with a prior degree issued outside Belgium, the Netherlands or Luxembourg are required to demonstrate their English language skills in one of the following ways:

• By submitting proof that they have studied at least one academic year in an English-language Bachelor or Master programme. The Board of Admission may ask additional proof of your proficiency in English.

• Applicants can also prove their knowledge on the basis of a language certificate showing their TOEFL or IELTS results: 
  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language, organized by ETS): paper-based TOEFL level of minimum 550, or an internet-based TOEFL level of minimum 79-80. You can find more information on the TOEFL-website
  • 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 on the IELTS-website

Candidates with a bachelor degree from a Flemish university are strongly advised to take a test to ensure they possess the necessary language skills to successfully complete the programme.