European Master in Animal Breeding and Genetics (EM-ABG)

Contents

The aim is building capacities in the fields of animal breeding and genomics to meet the following challenges in developed and developing countries:

• increase of livestock and fish production, while preserving the quality of the products and the welfare of animals
• preservation of natural resources, especially biodiversity, which become scarcer and scarcer
• development of sustainable animal breeding programmes that contribute to improved livelihood of farmers and efficient food chains
• development of sustainable breeding programmes that contribute to the improved health and welfare of companion animals (including populations
  in zoos and nature reserves)

EM-ABG aims to offer high quality international training, both in terms of scientific knowledge as well as in didactic skills, provided by six excellent universities (WU, the Netherlands; SLU, Sweden; UB, Norway; CAU, Germnay; BOKU, Austria; Agro Paris Tech, France). Integrating education in a joint masters programme offers the students better opportunity to specialize in a certain aspect, as well as to have access to a broad range of subjects. The main language of instruction is English.

The two-year EMABG Master´s programme consists of obligatory and optional studies, covering disciplinary and complementary subjects, as well as problem oriented studies and thesis. EMABG starts with a three-week orientation period in Wageningen (the Netherlands) jointly for all the students. Thereafter, students conduct the major part of their training at two universities of the consortium, one year at each university. Successful students are awarded two nationally recognized Master´s degrees (double degree)

GLOBAL STRUCTURE

Orientation period (in August at WU, The Netherlands)

At the opening of the course, all EM-ABG students will attend a common Orientation Period (OP) in Wageningen. The OP introduces the students to a European and Global dimension that will complement their existing knowledge of farm animal breeding and genetics. The OP is the cornerstone of the EM-ABG, because it provides the students with an invaluable insight into the multi-faceted nature of European farm animal breeding and genetics.

The three-week intensive subject provides the students with an introduction to topics ranging from biodiversity to business management and to questions of social responsibility. The OP also introduces students to each other and to staff, introduces the EM-ABG to the students and starts collective discussions between staff and students regarding their choice of optional modules in their future studies.

Disciplinary subject (at all universities)

Each university provides a number of disciplinary subjects related to Animal Breeding and Genetics. Students have the ability to make a careful selection in the following subjects: Biometrics, Genetic parameters, Prediction of breeding values, Use of molecular genetics, Population genetics, Inbreeding, Heterosis, Biological aspects, Genotype x Environment interactions, Breeding goals, Selection response, Breeding plans, Economic evaluation of breeding programmes, Animal Genetic resources, Animal Breeding and Society and Use of Biotechnology.

Applied Period (in a national, trans-national or international organization)

The aim of the Applied Period (AP) for the students is to apply their skills and knowledge gained throughout their student and working life. The AP consists of a study assignment with a national, transnational or international organization. The AP is project based, and the topic of the work assignment is agreed upon in cooperation with the host organisation, the mentor, and the student. The form in which the AP is offered differs between universities but all universities have subjects that meet the objectives of AP.

Problem Oriented Study (in any of the partner universities)

The Problem Oriented Study (POS) provides the students with tools to respond to a challenging situation in animal breeding programmes. The POS focuses on problem solving through team working and concerns relevant problems of the issue in question. The POS provides the students with an all-compassing view of issues that are relevant to modern-day breeding of farm animals, companion animals, or aquatic species. The focus of the POS is on working together as an international team to realise a goal, and on utilising all the experiences of the team and available expertise of teaching staff. The POS can be offered as a separate subject or be integrated as a teaching method in other subjects.

Elective subjects (in any of the partner universities)

Students can chose from a large variety of subjects from each partner university to complete their personal study plan. The partner universities offer a broad range of subjects lectured in English (and, of course, the national language) in such fields as Animal Health, Product Quality, Natural Resource Management, Business Economics, Plant Science and Soil Science.

Thesis research (in any of the partner universities depending on the subject)

The thesis is the main area of the EM-ABG MSc Course and consists of the preparation at a host university of a thesis with an international dimension. The research plan also has to be approved by the two universities awarding the double degree, and there will be dual supervision of thesis research. Video conferencing and distant learning tools will be used to facilitate dual supervision and to enhance contacts between partners.

Complementarity of the partner universities within the EM-ABG course

The complementarity of the partners is clearly illustrated by the overview of animal breeding and genetics subjects offered by the different partners in the consortium. As to be expected, there is overlap between the subjects offered by the partners. For example, all partners provide the basic skills needed for animal breeding and genetics. The partners have their own profile:

1. WU and UMB focus on Animal Breeding and Genomics;
2. CAU and BOKU focus on Animal Breeding and Animal Production in general;
3. Agro ParisTech focuses on Animal Breeding and Statistical Genetics;
4. SLU focuses on Animal Breeding and Animal Welfare.

Choosing your host universities

The profiles showed above assist the students in selecting an EM-ABG university for the first year of the course. In making the choice of university for the second year, students need to consider the ongoing research projects (item and species) at the different partner universities.

Exploiting the existing complementarities during the MSc course

The EM-ABG offers the opportunity to exploit existing complementarities and provides excellent opportunities for increasing complementarity in the future. Complementarity is essential for the success of EM-ABG. Examples to illustrate this are:

• Complementarity in species: all partners deal with farm animal species (cows, pigs, and poultry). UMB and WU offer subjects on aquaculture and fisheries. SLU and BOKU offer subjects on horses. Agro ParisTech offers subjects on sheep and goat breeding.
• Complementarity in approach: some partners offer subjects that are developed around one single species (e.g. horse breeding, cattle breeding).

These profiles assist the students in selecting an EM-ABG university for the first year of the course. In making the choice of university for the second year, students need to consider the ongoing research projects (item and species) at the different partner universities.