How to select courses at Wageningen University
Explanation for exchange students
1. In short - Instructions on how to select courses
Visit our site: http://www.wur.nl/UK/
First go to the Scheduling website.
Choose: Programme – Master. This will give an overview of all the master programmes and their courses.
You can also search for courses through Subjectsby department or Subjects by period.
In general you may choose courses on MSc level and 3rd year BSc level, because the 1st and 2nd year BSc courses are taught in Dutch. By clicking one of these you will find detailed information including timetable information.
Choose Calendar academic year for information on the study periods at Wageningen University.
Below are the steps to follow to make your study plan. More extended explanation is given in the paragraphs that follow this one. You can also download the form: Instructions Study Programme Student Exchange Information Socrates.
Please read all the instructions well!!!
- You can select two courses per period (one in the morning, one in the afternoon).
- Check if the language of instruction is English. All the courses on Masters level are in English as well as the 3rd year BSc courses ('phase' should say B3).
- Most of the courses equal 6 ECTS units.
- All courses from MSc level are on an advanced level and assume background knowledge on the topic on a BSc level. We strongly recommend you to choose courses from your own field.
- It is strongly recommended to select courses from one specific MSc programme
- To know if the classes are during the morning or the afternoon, look at: MO/AF in the schedule (MO = morning, AF = afternoon) or choose Online version of the planning booklet on the web page Scheduling, which can be found in the menu Study handbook, scheduling.
- Contact the exchange coordinator at WU who is contact person of the specialisation of your choice to discuss your study-program as soon as you have made your selection (see list in 2).
- To be allowed to attend courses you have to register for them at least 6 weeks before the starting date of the course. See Calendar academic year. Registration can be achieved by contacting the teacher/contact persons for the course mentioned in the course description (for instructions see chapter 6). Registration for courses is mandatory and failing to register will result in no admittance to the course.
2. General Information
Courses at Wageningen University are taught in five periods, the first starting at the beginning of the academic year in September. Each period has a duration is of roughly eight weeks. Go to Calendar academic year to find the exact dates.
As a rule each course is only offered once a year. At the end of each period, the student takes examinations in the courses of that period. In general courses in period 1 (September - October) and 2 (November -December), are introductory or methodological courses. Nevertheless, these courses assume background knowledge on 3rd year BSc level within the same field of study. In most cases courses in period 3 (January - February) and period 4 (March - April) continue on those offered during previous periods). In general, courses in period 5 (May - July) are more advanced courses and assume that the student has also attended the WU courses mentioned in the assumed knowledge section that is specified in each course description. Take this into account when making up your programme. Courses often involve group-work. Also fieldwork and excursions are frequently planned in the 5th period. No courses are offered during summer. All the subjects from the MSc programmes are given in English, as well as some of the 3rd year BSc courses. The language of instruction can be found in the course description of the Study handbook on the website.
Different types of teaching methods are used. The most commonly used teaching methods are lectures and practicals. (Group) assignments, presentations, literature studies and case studies are often involved. The final mark is based on the different elements.
Students can select two courses per period. Two courses (12 ECTS) per period may not seem very much, but this is quite a considerable workload (42 hrs/week), including lectures and “practicals” (computer work), additional work in individual and group assignments, presentations, and preparation work (reading) for classes. Please note that in general you can follow one course during morning hours and one in the afternoon. Check the schedule for subjects yourself in Schedulingat the website. Usually lectures take either the whole morning or the whole afternoon, and attending the lectures is obligatory. So in most cases it is simply not possible to attend more than two courses, because you cannot be present at two lectures at the same time!
Every course has its own subject-code, e.g. ‘AEP 20306 Economics of Agribusiness’. The three letters in this code indicate the Chair group offering the course. The next part of the code indicates the level of the course. Digits 1 and 2 indicate introductory (bachelor) level and digit 3 and above more advanced level. Courses with a first digit of 1 are frequently offered in Dutch only. Check the course language in that case. The last digit indicates the number of ECTS credits.
3. Finding courses in the Study Handbook
For the latest description of courses and the course schedule,see Study Handbook.
The best way to search for courses is to look at the courses of the MSc programmes that you find in the site-menu. Click on the Programme you are interested in and you will obtain a list of all the courses involved. By clicking on a particular subject you will see a description of the course, including textbook titles if any are used, names of lecturers, a course schedule, and an examination schedule. Please check also the heading ‘assumed knowledge’, to see whether your background is sufficient to follow the selected course.
We strongly recommend you to select courses within one MSc study programme or specialisation as far as possible, according to your preference and background. This guarantees a coherent and well-balanced selection. Moreover, if you choose courses exclusively from one of the MSc programmes, you leave the option open to decide later to obtain the Masters degree at Wageningen University. By including the courses you passed during your stay at Wageningen University as an exchange student, you will obviously save considerable time.
If you are interested in courses from a particular Chair Group you should select Subjects by Department.
Feel free to contact your specialisation coordinator at WU or your WU exchange coordinator (depending on your field of study) and discuss your study plan with her/him. The exchange coordinators can be found on the website by clicking successivelyEducation – Student information – Exchange incoming students – Exchange coordinators at WU.
Please note that your supervisor from your home university should approve your selection of courses in order to be sure about the academic recognition.
4. Thesis Research
If you would like to do an individual supervised research project, for example a thesis, you should contact the exchange coordinator in Wageningen of the field of science of your interest. Send him or her an overview of the courses and techniques you have studied so far and add the name of the chair group you prefer to be working at. The number of credits given for this type of education depends on the time demanded to execute the project and has to be determined in consultation between you and the professor.
At Wageningen University credits awarded for a thesis run from 12 to 39 ECTS credits. Check Wageningen University – Research – Specialisation for a link to the chair groups and a list of their current projects. Please note that not every chair group has sufficient time or staff available for supervision of individual students.
If you intend to work on a thesis research project mention on the application form the project title, ECTS, chair group and supervisor within Wageningen University.
5. Application Form, Learning Agreement and Transcript of Records
Specify your selection of courses on the Learning Agreement as soon as you have decided which subjects you want to do. Ask the coordinator at your home university to return it together with the Application Form and your Transcript of Records to one of the exchange coordinators at Wageningen University. Their names can be found on the website Exchange Coordinators at WU. If you are not sure if the preliminary selection of courses on the application form is correct, you may wait in sending the learning agreement. Send the learning agreement as soon as your programme is determined.
The transcript of records should be in English, and should include ECTS credits. More information about these credits can be found by choosing Exchange incoming students in the webmenu. The link Grades and credits on this page gives an explanation of ECTS. All forms need to be signed and stamped by your exchange contact at your university. Without these documents the application will not be taken into consideration.
Note: Sending these forms does not mean that it will be possible to attend the selected courses. Attendance only gets definitive after approval of the study programme and subsequent registration for the courses. The teachers of the courses have the final decision in this. Follow the instructions below for registration.
6. Registration for courses
Registration for courses is mandatory. Failing to register will result in no admittance to the course. The courses can be 'full' by the time the lectures start, so it is wise to register at least 6 weeks in advance.
To register you have to contact the lecturer (contact person) mentioned in the course description. Select the person and you will get the address & e-mail. Tell him or her that you are a new exchange student and that you are not able to register electronically yet. Add your full name, date of birth & selected courses (+ codes) to your message. You should register only for the courses you have selected for the first period of your study at Wageningen University. If you have already registered and decide to change your study-programme, do not forget to cancel the registration of the courses you are not going to attend. You can do this the same way you registered. To avoid changes at the last moment you should only register for the courses after your study programme has been approved by the exchange coordinator at Wageningen University.
Registration for courses and examinations of extra periods should be done after arrival. You will receive your student registration number as soon as you have registered as a student at the Central Students Administration in Wageningen. With this number you will be able to register for courses through the electronic student administration system at education net.
Please send your Socrates exchange coordinator a copy of the e-mails you send to the university lecturers.
7. Registration for exams
Do not forget to register for the exams as soon as you have arrived in Wageningen; consult the list for the final date for registration. Choose Calendar academic year in the menu under Study handbook .
You can register either at the student administration desk or through the electronic administration system of Wageningen University at education net.