Master in Biology of Organisms and Ecology with focus Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems (TROPIMUNDO)

Organism biology and ecology covers the entire diversity of life—bacteria, protists, fungi, animals, and plants—, but also the relationship between organisms, the environment, and humans.

Organism biologists are, all at once, witnesses, advocates, scholars and managers of the biological heritage of our planet, which is currently under serious threat from human activities. Their training should enable them to approach the living world from different perspectives.

This is why the Master in Organism Biology and Ecology teaches students to handle various experimental tools of analysis and observation: morphological, physiological, and molecular analysis techniques, statistical methods and modelling, management, cultivation or breeding of organisms, etc. The programme offers a comprehensive overview of living organisms, from the molecular scale to the scale of entire communities and ecosystems.

Skills taught are structured in four main directions:

1) To establish, maintain and develop knowledge in the biological sciences.

2) To provide scientific expertise in problem solving.

3) To develop and implement independent scientific research projects.

4) To communicate in a language appropriate to the context and audience.

• profil d'enseignement

Most courses combine several approaches, including lecture classes illustrated with exercises or practical activities. Certain courses also require personal essays, usually based on literature research.

Members of the Department of Biology of Organisms are in charge of the Museum of Zoology and Anthropology, the Jean Massart Experimental Botanical Garden, and the African Herbarium and Botanical Library. These provide the original educational tools required for practical work, making them available to students for their personal projects.

The research specialisation and teaching specialisation include field courses in marine biology, terrestrial ecosystems, and eco-ethology, during which theoretical training is put into practice by conducting observations and field experiments.

The ‘tropics’ programmes, i.e. BEVT and TROPIMUNDO, also place emphasis on field training activities, organised by our tropical partners.

For all students, training in scientific research culminates with the dissertation. Each student integrates one of the research laboratories in the Department of Biology of Organisms or in the Interfaculty School of Bioengineering, where they are introduced to the basic methods and procedures of research.

In all specialisations students are also taught how to write and present a research project, specifically their own dissertation. Upon completing their dissertation, students who have not received specific training in didactics must also learn how to compose and present a scientific communication.

The purpose of this Master is to advance scientific knowledge. It aims to train researchers who will enhance knowledge in organism biology and ecology using a scientific approach; experts who will answer questions, pose diagnoses, suggest initiatives for environmental protection, nature conservation, or sustainable development; and teachers who will transmit knowledge and skills to the next generation.

The programme also encourages students to gain international experience. It offers courses in English, offered in partnership with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).

Student mobility and participation in intra- or extra-European exchange programmes is strongly encouraged. In particular, the specialisations BEVT and TROPIMUNDO are strongly oriented towards acquiring field knowledge and experience on tropical environments