Master of Bioscience Engineering: Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering
Leuven, Belgium
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English, Dutch
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 Jun 2025*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 7,771 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for non-EEA; June 1st for EEA | for the most recent – and only official – information on application deadlines, please check the KU Leuven webpage
** for non-EEA; EUR 1157 for EEA | for the most recent – and only official – information on tuition fees, please check the KU Leuven webpage
Key Summary
Introduction
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About the Programme
The Master of Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering (ACE) provides in-depth knowledge of the functioning and management of natural and production-oriented ecosystems. You complement the interdisciplinary core programme with a major specialisation in one out of four different domains: (i) plant production systems, (ii) agricultural and resource economics, (iii) soil and water systems, and (iv) forest, nature, and landscape systems.
Structure
- The major plant production systems specialize in crop production, production forestry systems (achieved through a semester in Chile), and horology (achieved through a semester in South Africa).
- The major agricultural and resource economics focuses on the economic and policy-related aspects of natural and production-oriented ecosystems.
- The major soil and water systems offer you an in-depth understanding of the abiotic aspects of natural and production-oriented ecosystems.
- The major forest, nature, and landscape systems offer you a thorough knowledge of the biotic aspects of natural and production-oriented ecosystems and teach you how to optimally manage these systems on a landscape scale.
Strengths
- The program is internationally oriented, focused on training international and local students to tackle climate- and environmental problems in global agro- and ecosystems.
- A core component of the program is an integrated field project abroad, in a temperate or tropical environment. Here students are not only challenged regarding their scientific knowledge and technical skills, but they also develop transferable skills like interactive and multicultural learning in teams, project management, efficient communication, and economic assessment.
- All students can opt for an initiative exchange semester and/or an international internship and/or an international thesis research project at other partner universities. Students of the major Plant Production Systems are encouraged to make use of specific opportunities for international outgoing mobility: an exchange semester of Hortology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa or an exchange semester of Production Forestry Systems at the Universidad de la Frontera in Chile.
Curriculum
Truncus Communis
- Earth Observation
- European Perspectives on Religion and Meaning
- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
- Agro-Systems
- Global Biogeochemical Cycles
- Environmental and Resource Economics
Choice
- Integrated Project Tropical Agro- and Ecosystems
- Integrated Project Temperate Agro- and Ecosystems
Major Segment
Fixed Course Package (major)
- Plant Physiology
- Global Soil and Land Resources Management
- Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis
- Plant Disease Biology and Management
- Crop Production
- Plant Nutrition and Soil Fertility Management
Extended Course Package (major + minor)
- Global Soil and Land Resources Management
- Plant Physiology
- Inventario y Monitoreo de Recursos Naturales II
- Protección Forestal
- Silvicultura y Manejo Forestal
- Práctica Integrada I
- Sistemas de Producción Silvoagropecuaria y Acuícola
- Forest, Nature, and Landscape Planning
- Tropical Forests
- Silviculture
Option 'Hortology' (major + minor)
- Global Soil and Land Resources Management
- Plant Physiology
- Agricultural Economics - South African Agriculture
- Applied Plant Physiology - Ecophysiology of Horticultural and Agronomical Crops
- Horticultural Science - Applied Plant Physiology and Tree Architecture
- Horticultural Science - Deciduous Fruit Production
- Crop Production - Plant Propagation
- Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis
- Plant Disease Biology and Management
- Crop Production
Master's Thesis Research Project
- Research Project Planning
Option A
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Plant Production Systems: Part I - Semester 1
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Plant Production Systems: Part II - Semester 2
Option B
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Plant Production Systems: Part I - Semester 2
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Plant Production Systems: Part II - Semester 1
Major Subject: Agricultural and Resource Economics
Fixed Course Package
- Survey Methodology
- Agricultural Economics and Development in an International Perspective
- Econometric Methods and Models
- Applied Bioeconomics and Policy
- Global Value Chains
- Climate and Resource Economics
Extended Course Package
- Advanced Microeconomics I
- Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis
- Advanced Applied Econometrics
- Advanced Topics in International & Development Economics
- Welfare Economics
Master's Thesis
- Research Project Planning
Option A
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Agricultural and Resource Economics: Part I - Semester 1
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Agricultural and Resource Economics: Part II - Semester 2
Option B
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Agricultural and Resource Economics: Part I - Semester 2
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Agricultural and Resource Economics: Part II - Semester 1
Major Subject: Soil and Water Systems
Fixed Course Package
- Global Soil and Land Resources Management
- Stochastic Hydrology
- Agricultural Water Management
- Applied Soil and Aquatic Chemistry
- Remote Sensing of Vegetation, Soil and Water Systems
- Plant Nutrition and Tropical Soil Fertility Management
Extended Course Package
- Soil Water Modelling
- Management of Soil and Groundwater Contamination
- River Modelling
- Water Productivity and Irrigation Design
Master's Thesis
- Research Project Planning
Option A
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Agricultural and Resource Economics: Part I - Semester 1
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Agricultural and Resource Economics: Part II - Semester 2
Option B
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Agricultural and Resource Economics: Part I - Semester 2
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Agricultural and Resource Economics: Part II - Semester 1
Major Subject: Soil and Water Systems
Fixed Course Package
- Global Soil and Land Resources Management
- Stochastic Hydrology
- Agricultural Water Management
- Applied Soil and Aquatic Chemistry
- Remote Sensing of Vegetation, Soil and Water Systems
- Plant Nutrition and Tropical Soil Fertility Management
Extended Course Package
- Soil Water Modelling
- Management of Soil and Groundwater Contamination
- River Modelling
- Water Productivity and Irrigation Design
Master's Thesis
- Research Project Planning
Option A
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Soil and Water Systems: Part I - Semester 1
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Soil and Water Systems: Part II - Semester 2
Option B
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Soil and Water Systems: Part I - Semester 2
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Soil and Water Systems: Part II - Semester 1
Major Subject: Forest, Nature, and Landscape Systems
Fixed Course Package
- Global Soil and Land Resources Management
- Silviculture
- Urban Ecology and Green Management
- Ecological Data Collection and Processing
- Remote Sensing of Vegetation, Soil and Water Systems
- Forest, Nature, and Landscape Planning
Extended Course Package
- Geospatial Information Technologies
- Freshwater and Marine Ecology
- Tropical Forests
- Modelling Land Use Changes
Master's Thesis
- Research Project Planning
Option A
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Forest, Nature and Landscape Systems: Part I - Semester 1
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Forest, Nature and Landscape Systems: Part II – Semester 2
Option B
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Forest, Nature and Landscape Systems: Part I - Semester 2
- Master’s Thesis Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering - Forest, Nature and Landscape Systems: Part II - Semester 1
Thematic Minor
Fixed Minor Package
- Industrial Microbiology and Fermentation Technology
Variable Minor Package
- Microbiology of food
- Environmental Microbiology
- Malting and brewery technology: basic aspects
- Microbial Physiology
- Applied Synthetic Microbiology
- Bioconversion Technology
- Microbial Processes for the Bio-based Circular Economy
Courts minor Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Psychological and Social Aspects of the Management of Organisations
- Strategic IP Management
- Entrepreneurship and New Business Development
- Technology Trends and Opportunities
- Project Management
Gerichte minor Applications for Human Health Engineering
Compulsory Courses
- Functional Anatomy of the Human Locomotor System
- Modelling of Biosystems
- Human System Physiology
Complementary Courses
- Privacy and Big Data
- Research Topics in Human Movement Biomechanics
- Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Artificial Neural Networks and Deep Learning
- Seminars Human Health Engineering
- The Science of Nutrition and Health
- Inclusive Design
Thematic Minor Milieucoördinator
- Atmospheric Chemistry
- Middle-economy
- Social aspects of environmental policymistry
- Noise control
- Environment and human health
- Safety of Chemical and Biological Products and of Chemical Processes
- Industrial management is only for students who have not completed this course in their bachelor’s program
- Introduction to Business Management
Thematic Minor Tropical Agro- and Ecosystems Engineering (No new enrollments as of 2023-2024)
- Integrated Project Tropical Agro- and Ecosystems
- Agro-Systems
- Global Soil Resources Management
- Agricultural Economics and Development in an International Perspective
- Tropical Forests
- Plant Disease Biology and Management
- Crop Production
Ideal Students
This MSc 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.
Admissions
Program delivery
The courses are fully taught in English and also available in Dutch.
Program Tuition Fee
Why study at KU Leuven
What sets us apart as a university?
A highly ranked university
KU Leuven is among the best 100 universities in the world according to both Times Higher Education World Rankings and QS World University Rankings. All of KU Leuven’s disciplines proudly belong to the top 100 of their field. Furthermore, KU Leuven was ranked by Reuters as the most innovative university in Europe in 2016.
Research-based education
Education at KU Leuven is research-based, which means students will learn from the same professors who are performing the ground-breaking research you read about in the press. New insights are instantly integrated into classes and students are encouraged to perform their own research. In our FabLab, students can use a number of high-tech machines to create whatever they want – all free of charge.
Affordable tuition fees
Higher education is highly valued in Belgium and therefore subsidised by the government. This allows KU Leuven to keep tuition fees relatively low, which gives you a price/quality ratio very few top-100 universities can match. We take pride in keeping our programmes as accessible as possible to allow the brightest students from around the globe to join our courses.
International student life with respect for diversity
According to Times Higher Education, KU Leuven is in the top 50 of most international universities worldwide with staff and students from over 150 different nationalities. For all our international students, the Pangaea student centre is their home away from home. Our university also strives for diversity and inclusion and wants to work together on a pact for more respect.
Faculty
Info Sessions
Rankings
KU Leuven is among the best 100 universities in the world according to both Times Higher Education World Rankings and QS World University Rankings. KU Leuven’s disciplines proudly belong to the top 100 of their field. Furthermore, KU Leuven was ranked by Reuters as the most innovative university in Europe in 2016.
Accreditations
Gallery
Career Opportunities
The interdisciplinary nature of ACE ensures that you are prepared to enter any of the various professional fields related to biological production systems and ecosystem management, with particular emphasis on plant production, natural resource economics and policy, sustainable environmental management, and applications of earth observation and geomatics.
Abundant employment opportunities exist in public sector organisations, both nationally and internationally, NGOs and private companies. You will be qualified to fill technical-, research- and/or policy/ management-oriented positions. Finally, this MSc programme provides excellent preparation for undertaking PhD research.
In Belgium, graduates of the ACE programme are entitled to use the professional title of 'Bio-ingenieur' ('Bioscience Engineer').