Location:

Leuven, Belgium

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Academic Year

Program Overview

Program Description:

Do you have a keen interest in the sustainable management and functioning of natural and/or production-based ecosystems? Let us help you turn that interest into a career. Our multi-disciplinary bioscience engineering programme is dedicated to training the next generation of experts in the sustainable management and functioning of natural and agro-ecosystems, not only from a biophysical perspective but also from a wider socio-economic perspective that takes into account today's information society.

ACE provides in-depth scientific and application-oriented knowledge of the physical, chemical, ecological, agronomical and economical dimensions of natural and production-oriented ecosystems. You focus your studies on either temperate or (sub)tropical settings, or a combination of both. You complement the interdisciplinary core programme with a major specialisation in one of four domains: Biological PRODUCTION Abiotic and biotic ENVIRONMENT Bio-ECONOMICS BioGeo-INFORMATION

ACE is designed for highly motivated students with a solid background in exact sciences and a keen interest in the functioning and sustainable management, design and engineering of agro- and natural ecosystems. ACE is open to any applicant holding an academic bachelor's degree in engineering (bioscience engineering, agricultural engineering, environmental engineering, or any equivalent engineering degree), and to applicants holding other bachelor's or master's degrees encompassing thorough coursework in at least two of the following three domains (i) mathematics and statistics, (ii) Earth and environmental sciences, and (iii) biology and ecology. Students may be required to take strengthening elective courses to fill any gaps in educational background. Approval of the individual application and a proposal of a strengthening course package is given on a case-by-case basis by the programme's Steering Committee.

Setting Description:

Situated in the heart of Western Europe, KU Leuven has been a centre of learning for nearly six centuries. Founded in 1425, it is both Belgium’s largest university and one of the oldest and most renowned universities in Europe. Continuing in this tradition, ACE, which launches in 2014-2015, has its roots in two earlier MSc programmes: Earth Observation and Tropical Natural Resource Management. These programmes have been merged and extended to offer a wider range of exciting, English-taught MSc opportunities at KU Leuven. ACE is embedded in the research activities of two discipline-leading research departments associated with the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering: the Department of Biosystems and the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences. The former conducts state-of-the-art research in plant and animal production and the characterization of its biodiversity in relation to a changing environment, while the latter works on issues as varied as silviculture and forest management,

Cost:

890 EUR