Master's degree Biology and Agrosciences Track Ecoproduction, Plant Biotechnologies and Biovalorisation
field(s) of training :
Science, Technology, Health
diploma level :
Grade de Master (Bac+5)
duration of the program :
2 years
location(s) :
Caen
Course overview
You wish to learn how to face new agricultural challenges in agroecological transition and plant resources biovalorisation? The Biology and Agrosciences specialised in Ecoproduction, Plant Biotechnologies and Biovalorisation (EcoBioValo) master’s programme aims at acquiring state-of-the art knowledge in ecophysiology, plant biotechnologies and agronomy.
This two-year full-time master’s programme is jointly organised by the universities of Caen and Rouen Normandy and the UniLaSalle engineering school of Rouen Normandy. This course will train you to:
- Develop new methods to diagnose the nutritional or health status of a crop in order to adjust irrigation, fertilisation, and phytosanitary products
- Valorise plant and algae resources in industries (energy, agro-based materials, agroindustry, green chemistry, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics)
The master’s prepares you to pursue research in academy or private organisations (research and development, research and innovation, doctoral studies) within agro-industrial industries and ecological production, in France or abroad.
Highlights
This programme is taught by research professors of the universities of Caen and Rouen Normandy and UniLaSalle engineering school. Some course units in Year 2 also include sessions with specialists working in agrosupport, agronomy, valorisation of plant and algae resources, and plant biotechnologies. UniLaSalle contributs to the programme with teaching and organisational insights, as well as providing a professional network for internships and careers opportunities.
Besides, to prepare you to use scientific English in your professional environment, you will attend some courses in English, including
- The analysis of scholarly articles written in English
- Conferences
- Oral presentations on cutting-edge science topics
Thanks to these three higher-education actors, the master’s programme is supported by various scientific facilities:
- The service unit EMERODE (university of Caen Normandy) and its technical centres (CMABio (a quantitative histoimaging platform, Proteogen, Platin’, CBM (including Algobank), infrared spectroscopy…)
- The service unit HERACLES (university of Rouen Normandy) and its technical centres, including units of cell imaging (PRIMACEN) and of proteomics (PISSARO)
Moreover, as part as the research group SFR Normandie Végétal (Norvege) in Integrative Biology, Imaging, Health and Environment, the master’s programme is also supported by professional partners:
- Public services: universities, INRA, CNRS, IFREMER
- Technical structures: Terres Inovia, Arvalis-Institut du végétal…
- Private companies: ROULLIER, SILEBAN, Astredhor, Terre de Lin, Comité Nord…
Application requirements
Entry requirements
To enter this master’s programme, you should
- Have solid knowledge in plant physiology
- Graduate from a Life sciences programme
Language proficiency requirements
Minimum French proficiency level: C1
Specific conditions
If you successfully completed Year 1 of this programme, you will enter Year 2 automatically.
If you completed Year 1 in another programme such:
- Biology and Agrosciences
- Plant Biology
- Agrosciences, Environment, Territories, Landscape, Forest
Or if you are a Year-5-student in UniLaSalle Rouen engineering school, you can apply to the EcoBioValo master's programme in Year 2.
Course structure
Courses
- Take place on site
- In campus 1 (Caen) in the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Caen Normandy for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd semesters
- In the Mont-Saint Aignan campuses of the University of Rouen Normandy for the 2nd and 3rd semesters
- In the UniLaSalle Rouen engineering school for the 3rd semester
- Amount to 680 hours divided in the 4 semesters
- Are completed by one compulsory internship each year
Course units
The courses of the master’s programme in Biology and agrosciences rely on:
- A core curriculum in biology and course units specialised in plant sciences and agronomy
- Theoretical lessons and their practical applications
As such, in Year 1, you will acquire fundamentals and methodlogy in the 1st semester:
- Biology: genomic analysis, transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics and fluxomics approaches, confocal microscopy imaging, biostatistics and scientific English
- Agrosciences: plant productions, plant improvement and biolotechnologies, plant-environment interactions, agroecology, biomembranes and cell signaling
Then, in the 2nd semester, you will attend
- 2 theoretical courses units in plant polymers and their applications
- 1 practical course unit (70-hour long) to discover and master methods related to crops, physiological, biochemical and molecular analysis; this course includes an autonomous experimentation practice (in a practical lab or a research unit)
In Year 2, in the 3rd semester, you will acquire theoretical and practical lessons in
- Biostimulants, agroresources and transformations
- Glycobiology, phycology and ecophysiology
- 4 introductory modules in either marketing, innovation and industrial property, agronomy, economy and new phenotyping tools, plant diagnosis
- Literature review
The 4th semester is dedicated to an end-of-studies internship.
Internships and placements
The master’s programme includes two compulsory internships:
- In Year 1, 2nd semester: from 2 to 4 months
- In Year 2, 2nd semester: from 5 to 6 months
Internships can be done in laboratories or companies, in France or abroad. You will be graded on a detailed report of your internship, an oral presentation of the report, and an evaluation table filled by your employer.
Coursework and assessment
The course lasts 2 years and is divided in 6 semesters, each comprising several course units. Examinations are held at the end of each semester and are graded on a scale from 0 to 20, 20 being the best grade. Grade compensation is organized without eliminatory marks and on the basis of the general average obtained in every course unit.
The 2 semesters do not compensate each other in year 2.
To successfully complete a semester, you must have an average mark of at least 10 points out of 20. If you have not completed your semester, you can retake the course units you failed; you do not have to retake the courses in which you have obtained at least 10 points out of 20.
Language
French
English
Study abroad
You wish to study or do an internship abroad? Benefit from exchanges programmes (including Erasmus) supported by research laboratories! The most popular destinations include:
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Greece
- Belgium
- Australia
- South Africa
- United States of America
Learning outcome
By the end of this course, you will acquire fundamentals and methods in
- Agronomic sciences
- Plant ecophysiology
- Glycobiology and omics analysis (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, fluxomics and metabolomics)
Hence, you will be able to:
- Take part in the conception of research or technological innovation projects
- Manage a project and a team
- Master scientific English and communication techniques
- Write reports, synthesis reports, and present results
- Keep track of technical evolutions, write literature reviews and follow norms and rules
- Publish and valorise (through patents) theoretical and applied research
Further study
Once you’ve obtained your master’s programme, you will have several careers opportunities, including pursuing doctoral studies, for example in:
- Plant physiology
- Plant ecophysiology
- Agronomics
- Plant biotechnologies
Careers
Research and development, expertise, consulting… From public research to technical centres, including private companies, you will be able to pursue careers such as:
- Consulting engineer
- Research assistant
- Mission officer, head of experimentations
- Head of plant production development, plant selection, and agroresources valorisation
If you choose to pursue doctoral studies and obtained a PhD, you will be able to work as:
- Research associate
- Research professor
- Head of research, Research project manager
Address
Université de Caen Normandie
UFR des Sciences
Esplanade de la Paix · CS 14032 · 14032 Caen Cedex 5
France