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Plant Biology for Sustainable Production MSc with a major in Biology

A unique Master’s programme covering essential knowledge about how plants work, their genetics and interaction with the environment.

PROGRAMME INFORMATION

How can the cultivation of plants be adapted to new climate conditions? How do we best protect plants from disease and how can plant breeding contribute to good quality, high yield and sustainability? Learn how to address these questions (and more) by studying this international Master’s programme.

Held by internationally renowned experts, the courses included in this programme focus on plant-based solutions for the development of agriculture and horticulture. Elective specialisation courses will give you the opportunity to broaden your knowledge in a specific area of plant biology. You will choose to specialise in one of the following fields: 

  • Plant Protection and Breeding (Campus Alnarp) 
     
    In this specialisation, you will focus on plant protection and plant breeding, or in other words “what we grow in our fields and how we do it”. Agriculture contributes to the majority of our food and feed production, and can provide new environmentally-friendly materials and chemicals. The aim with plant protection and breeding is to secure our crop production and increase yield, without increasing inputs and lessening the environmental and climate impacts.

  • Abiotic and Biotic Interactions of Cultivated Plants (Campus Uppsala)

    In this specialisation, you will get an insight into the complex life of plants. Plant constantly interact with the environment. Some of these interactions are positive, such as with beneficial microorganisms, but plants also face different types of stress that they have to handle. It can be abiotic factors, such as heat or drought, or biotic factors, such as herbivory animals or pathogens. The specialisation Abiotic and Biotic Interactions of Cultivated Plants prepares you to develop plant-based solutions to the predicted increase in such stresses in the near-future.

  • Erasmus Mundus emPLANT+ (Campus Uppsala)

    In the European ERASMUS Mundus Plant Breeding Masters programme, emPLANT+, you will take the second year at a partner university. Application to emPLANT+ is done through the consortium homepage, where it is also possible to apply for scholarships: http://emplant-master.eu/scholarship-erasmus-mundus.  

 

With a Master’s degree in biology you will be able to continue your studies towards a PhD and will be prepared for research in all of the specialisations included in the programme. You will also have the skills required for employment in several land-based sectors related to both industry and public authorities

Would you like to ask questions to a student currently enrolled in the programme? Chat with our Unibuddy, Anh, here.

FACTS & REQUIREMENTS

Name: Plant Biology for Sustainable Production - Master's Programme
Level: Master
Language: English
Programme scope: 2 year, 120 credits
Next start: Autumn semester 2025

Tuition Fees: Citizens of countries outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland are required to pay application and tuition fees.

First semester: SEK 83500
Total: SEK 334000

Application deadline for international students: 2025-01-15
Application deadline for Swedish students: 2025-04-15

Please note, there are different application codes for the different specializations.

Specialisation: Plant Biology for Sustainable Production - Master´s programme - Erasmus Mundus Plant Biology
Specialisation code: ERAS
Study location: Uppsala
Programme scope: 2 year, 120 credits
Pace of study: Full-time
Teaching form: Campus
Application code for international students: 81154

Specialisation: Plant Biology for Sustainable Production - Master´s programme - Abiotic and Biotic Interactions of Cultivated Plants
Specialisation code: ODLA
Study location: Uppsala
Programme scope: 2 year, 120 credits
Pace of study: Full-time
Teaching form: Campus
Application code for Swedish students: 81160
Application code for international students: 81156

Specialisation: Plant Biology for Sustainable Production - Master´s programme - Plant Protection and Breeding
Specialisation code: VÄXT
Study location: Alnarp
Programme scope: 2 year, 120 credits
Pace of study: Full-time
Teaching form: Campus
Application code for Swedish students: 81162
Application code for international students: 81161

Requirements:

To be admitted to the Master’s programme Plant Biology for Sustainable Production, the following is required:
- general entry requirements: a first-cycle degree of 180 credits
- specific entry requirements: first-cycle specialisation in one of the following:
- 90 credits in the main field of study, biology, or
- 60 credits in biology and 30 credits in agricultural sciences, forest science or forestry science.
The specific entry requirements above may also be met by having acquired equivalent knowledge through a foreign degree or some other means.
Admission also requires knowledge equivalent to the upper-secondary course English 6. By local decision of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), this requirement is met by someone with a Degree of Bachelor of 180 credits awarded by a Swedish higher education institution or 120 credits for completed courses at SLU. English 6 may also be obtained in other ways, as specified at antagning.se/universityadmissions.se.
The specific entry requirements for admission to the courses included in the programme are stated in individual course syllabuses.

Degree:

Degree awarded upon successful completion of the programme

The Master’s programme Plant Biology for Sustainable Production leads to the award of Degree of Master of Science in Biology, which is a general degree. Other degrees may be awarded provided that the qualification requirements are fulfilled. See SLU’s local system of qualifications.

Students who fulfil the qualification requirements for a degree will be issued a degree certificate upon request. The degree certificate will specify the qualification as Master of Science in Biology (120 credits).

Degree requirements

A Degree of Master (120 credits) is awarded to students who have successfully completed the qualification requirements of 180 credits, with the following requirements:

a minimum of 30 credits from courses with specialisation within the main field of study, biology (A1N; A1F);
a minimum of 30 credits for an independent project in the main field of study, biology (Master’s project/A2E).

A maximum of 30 credits from successfully completed first-cycle courses may be included.

In addition, the prior award of a Degree of Bachelor, Degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts, professional or vocational qualification of at least 180 credits, or a corresponding qualification from abroad, is required.

 

Admission: There are two admission rounds for this Master's programme. The first admission round is open to all international applicants at www.universityadmissions.se. SLU strongly encourage all international students to apply in this first admission round.

CONTENT

Modern biology enables detailed study of the genetics and physiology of plants. When combined with new technical methods of analysis, the production of crops and trees can be studied from molecular level to farm and forest level. This Master’s programme is designed to educate the next generation of plant biologists, enabling them to develop plant-based solutions to complex problems within agriculture and forestry.

The courses are taught by internationally renowned experts in plant biology and sustainable agriculture and forestry. The programme utilises resources from SLU’s main campuses. During the first year, all lectures are live-streamed so that students can follow the courses from dedicated classrooms on campus in Alnarp or Ultuna. In the second year, students will specialise in one of the following fields:

  • plant breeding and protection
  • abiotic and biotic interactions of cultivated plants

Students who complete the programme are awarded a Master’s degree (120 credits) which enables students to apply for doctoral studies as well as work in the industry or for public authorities, with a focus on sustainable solutions for our future society.

As the programme is aimed at students from various academic backgrounds, it begins with an introductory course in which students obtain basic knowledge of plant biology and molecular genetics as a foundation for other courses. The introduction also covers general skills such as scientific writing and sustainable development.

In their first year, students will take three courses which will provide them with deepened knowledge of subjects that are of importance to sustainable crop production, providing a progression in the subject.

The elective courses give students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and specialise in an area of plant biology of their choice, e.g., plant protection and plant breeding to handle climate change, plants’ interaction with their surroundings and how they are affected by abiotic and biotic factors, or forestry and how biotechnology and breeding can be used to produce renewable biomaterials from forests.

The programme is taught in English.

Specialisations

The programme has two specialisations.

The specialisations are coordinated during the first academic year, and students take foundation courses that give a solid basis in plant biology for continued studies during year 2, as well as providing training in general areas. The students can take these courses in Alnarp or Uppsala.

In year 2, students choose one of the specialisations:

  • Plant Protection and Breeding (Alnarp)
  • Abiotic and Biotic Interactions of Cultivated Plants (Uppsala)

The specialisations build on the world-leading competence at SLU and complement one another.

The students are expected to acquire knowledge of important research, development and methods with respect to plants used for sustainable crop production and thereby be able to work independently with related questions in agriculture and forestry, horticulture, industry, biotechnology and the environment.

The skills acquired on the programme include demonstrating the ability to independently, critically and creatively identify and formulate issues that concern the life processes of plants. All qualitative targets are covered during the foundation courses during the first year, as well as the independent project.

An overview image of the course schedule with specialisations can be found here.

CAREER

The programme aims to prepare students for research. All of the specialisations included in the programme are connected to strong research environments, which provides a good basis for future study. The degree will also enable the students to work within several land-based sectors for example companies in plant breeding, plant protection, farming advisor and farming companies as well as at public authorities

Degree awarded

Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) with a Major in Biology.

PROGRAMME COURSES

An overview image of the course schedule with specialisations can be found here. 

Year 1

Year 2

Plant pathology

2024-09-02 - 2024-10-31
15.0 hp
Beskrivning av grafiken nedan

SYLLABUS

Student life

Studying at SLU is not just about attending lectures and seminars. It’s also about newfound friends, sports, fun parties, and exciting experiences. It’s about creating memories that will last a lifetime.

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How to apply

Sweden's unique application system makes it possible to apply for programmes and courses at different universities on the same application.

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Fees and scholarships

Who has to pay application and tuition fees? What is the cost of living in Sweden? Read more about these and other questions regarding tuition fees and scholarships.

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Chat with our students

Connect with our international student ambassadors and explore their blogs for a firsthand glimpse into their journeys as students in Sweden and at SLU.

Chat with our students on Unibuddy

Meet our students

Curious about what our students think of this master’s programme? Jemal shares his experiences at SLU in this interview.

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The Swedish Way

Are you on your way to Sweden and wondering what it’s like to study here? Well, get ready to question the way things have always been done. Studying in Sweden comes with critical thinking, freedom and responsibility.

Meet our students

Curious about what our students think of this master’s programme? Sujan shares his experiences at SLU in this interview.

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Let’s connect on Instagram!

Are you curious about life at SLU? Follow our students on Instagram.

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Campus Alnarp

Campus Alnarp is located in a large park surrounded by agricultural fields close to the sea between Malmö and Lund in southern Sweden. There is so much for students to explore here. Apart from all the activities on campus, you will also have access to the cities of Malmö, Lund and Copenhagen. Campus Alnarp’s study programmes focus on landscaping, horticulture, and agriculture and silviculture in southern Sweden. The campus has computer rooms, a restaurant, café, landscaping and horticultural laboratories, and a library with thousands of digital journals, databases and three kilometres of printed materials. The student unions organise many activities, ranging from weekly coffee-drinking get-togethers to comedy sketches and proms. 

Central Uppsala in summer

Campus Uppsala

Uppsala is Sweden’s fourth largest city, and the hub of SLU’s educational activities. Located just outside of the city centre, SLU’s Uppsala campus is spacious, leafy and picturesque. It is a fitting setting for Sweden’s only agricultural university, and possibly the most research-intensive of all universities. With two universities located in Uppsala, students can enjoy a lively, dynamic and stimulating atmosphere. 


Contact

Study and career guidance

Ask us about: courses or programmes, which education that suits you and how to reach your future goals, your study environment and get support in your career choises.

Do you have questions about the university or our programmes? Maybe you can find your answers here. FAQ: Frequently asked questions about studies

E-mail
studyguidance@slu.se

Telephone
+46 (0)18 67 28 00 

Telephone hours
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10-11
 

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