How to prepare for your Master’s degree programme
This information concerns the master’s degree programmes of
Biology (BIO)*, Ecology & Evolution (EE)*,
Marine Biology (MB)*, Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (MBB)*,
Biomedical Sciences (BMS)# and Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences (MPS)#
1
Contents
Preface ... 2
1.
Preparing for your degree programme ... 3
2
Preface
This information guide concerns the preparation for the master degree programmes in Biology (BIO), Ecology & Evolution (EE), Marine Biology (MB), Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (MBB), Biomedical Sciences (BMS) and Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences (MPS). As a student, you have much freedom to plan your own study programme (‘tailor-made’). One of the resulting advantages is that you have the chance to design a programme that fits well with your personal interests and planning (‘tailor-made’). On the other hand, this freedom comes with much responsibility to constantly think ahead during your programme.
The Dutch have a saying, called ‘Een goed begin is het halve werk’ (a job well conceived is a job half done). This is particularly true for the preparation of your degree programme. It is essential to start orientating early, on the programme in general, on courses, and on possible topics for a first research project.
This information document describes the necessary steps to prepare well for your degree programme. Combined with the other information documents, this should offer you the most important information to start your programme well. The last section of this document contains an extensive FAQ-section with accompanying answers. In case you have any questions remaining after reading this and the other relevant information documents, please don’t hesitate to contact the academic advisor1).
3
1.
Preparing for your degree programme
This chapter describes the best way to prepare for one of the Master's degree programmes listed on the first page. This preparation can involve matters such as admission and registration, formulating and organizing your first research project, various
administrative matters and a description of the main sources of information.
1. Profile and tracks
Most of the aforementioned programmes allow you to choose between a research (R) profile and a Science, Business & Policy (SBP) profile. We strongly recommend giving some thought to which profile you want to follow before you start your Master's programme, even though you do not actually need to make a definitive choice yet. If you compare the curriculum and regulations of the two profiles, you will note the following: if you do a research project with a minimum student workload of 40 ECTS in your first year, it can count towards either of the two profiles. You can make your definitive choice of profile on the basis of the experience and knowledge you gain during the first project. A number of Master's degree programmes offer specialization tracks, so you also need to think about whether you want to follow such a track (with some mandatory course units) or if you prefer to follow the standard programme (containing more elective courses). The specialization tracks focus on a particular specialist field within the Master's programme. You can find the programme requirements of the tracks in the study guide.
2. Ideas for a research project
You may already have ideas about an interesting research area from your previous education programme. The question is, which course units or subjects that you followed during your previous programme really inspired you? You may search for interesting research groups and the themes they are working on at http://www.rug.nl/research/fmns/. Important research institutes for our Master's degree programmes include GELIFES, ESRIG, GBB, GRIP and GUIDE (http://www.researchinstituteguide.nl/). Biomedical students interested in ageing processes could also find a place in one of the ERIBA research groups (www.eriba.umcg.nl). Normally, you will carry out a research project that is part of a bigger project from a PhD student or a Postdoctoral researcher. He/she will normally be your daily supervisor at the lab. You may carry out a research project, thesis or colloquium under the supervision of any authorized examiner (see the study guide for your Master's degree programme). The first research project must in any case be carried out 'internally', i.e. under the primary supervision of one of the authorized examiners from the list in the study guide. He/she is usually not your daily supervisor at the lab, but is ultimately responsible for your project supervision, including grading.
3. Finding a research project
After you have selected a number of interesting research groups, you could contact the leaders of these groups to make an appointment to talk about possible research projects. Do not give up right away if you don’t receive a reply; sometimes researchers are simply very busy and they may have missed your e-mail or have forgotten to reply, so a lack of response does not necessarily mean that they do not have time for you. Try sending a reminder or visiting the research group in person. We recommend talking with at least two or three research groups to get a good idea of the differences and similarities between the groups and which project is the most interesting for you. Prepare for the meeting by reading a few of the group's recent articles and use the opportunity to ask everything you want to know, such as which projects they are working on at the moment, where and when you could start, what kind of work is involved, what you could learn there, which techniques are used, what kind of supervision they offer, who will be your day-to-day supervisor, etc. Take a walk around the lab and talk with the Master's students who are currently conducting research there. This will help you to get a feel for the atmosphere and you will be able to compare the various groups. Do not hesitate to call on the supervisors; they should welcome you with open arms (because you basically generate work for them!). Once you have met with all the research groups of interest, you can decide which one to join and on what date. Do not forget to politely inform both the group of your choice and the groups you have rejected of your decision.
4
4. Making choices and planning your study programme
An important characteristic of our follow-on Master's degree programmes is that you yourself have to choose which course units, individual assignments (colloquium and thesis) and research projects you want to do and when to do them (during the two years nominally allocated for the programme). This makes it easier to tailor the degree programme to your interests. You will need to discuss these choices with your mentor first. The mentor will be your main point of contact throughout the entire Master's programme. You need to choose and approach one yourself (in person or via e-mail). Instead, incoming international students may also ask the academic advisor1) to contact a suitable mentor for them (please let the academic advisor know in advance if you’d like
him to do that). The list of mentors can be found in the study guide. Many students ask their mentor to be the supervisor of their first research project as well. This is not only convenient; conducting your research in your supervisor's research group is also a good way to build on your relationship with him or her. Once you have made your choice and drawn up a preliminary study plan for the first year of the Master's programme, you can discuss your plans with your mentor and complete the yellow form together (Step 5).
You can find all important information about course units and timetables in the study guide, on Nestor2) and in Ocasys. Warning if
you are considering the SBP profile: the compulsory SBP course units are only offered from September to December, and the corresponding SBP-internship can only be followed after you have completed these course units (from January up to the summer break). You will also need to have completed your first research project with a student workload of 40 ECTS before you can start your SBP internship. In practice, most students will plan to do the entire SBP programme (20 ECTS for the course units + 40 ECTS for the internship) in the second year of the Master's programme. Finally, make sure you use the latest version of the time table schedule (available for download on Nestor1)) when drawing up your study plan. Minor changes are made to the time table schedule
every year, which can give problems if you use an older version. See also the FAQs in Chapter 2 of this information folder for more information about drawing up a study plan.
5. Board of Examiners approval and the yellow form
Because the Master's programme involves a lot of optional components, there is a risk that students will include study elements in their programme that do not meet the minimum requirements. This could concern an unsuitable research topic, too small a project, too easy subject matter, student workload, unsuitable supervisor, etc. The Board of Examiners is responsible for ensuring that the Master's degree programme maintains an acceptable level, which is why you need to have its approval for each study element. You will need to complete a special yellow form for each component and have this signed by your mentor. You can hand the form in to the Education Support Desk (Bernoulliborg or ADL) and you will hear within a few weeks whether the component has been approved or not. If you do not request approval of a curriculum component in advance you will be running a real risk: the component may be rejected after you have completed it, so that the ECTS credit points gained for that component will not count towards your Master's degree programme and you will have done all that work for nothing! It is in any case not possible to graduate before all components have been approved by the Board of Examiners using the yellow form. Make sure you do this as much as possible prior to starting a new programme element, to prevent a potentially major problem! You do not have to enter your entire study plan on the first yellow form. In fact this is not possible, because time table schedules change slightly every year and you will very likely only choose the subject of your second research project and/or thesis and/or colloquium later on in the programme. We recommend that you submit your first yellow form as soon as you know where you will be doing your first research project. Enter that project on the yellow form along with any other study element that you have already planned (e.g. one or more course units), have your mentor sign the form and hand it in to the ESD for approval by the Board of Examiners. You will probably decide on other study elements somewhere during the first research project. This will be a good time to hand in a new yellow form with your new plans. And so on.
1) Academic advisor for master degree programmes in Life Sciences: Wouter van Egmond (w.n.van.egmond@rug.nl).
5
Most students (especially those of BMS and MPS) generally start their programme in the autumn period with one or a few course units instead of a research project. Many of these course units have a limited capacity so it is important to register for them well in advance. An information meeting discussing registration procedures etc. will be held just before the start of the academic year (make sure you are present there!). However, in order to be on time with your course enrollments for the first year, you will have to send your course preferences by email, before July 15. See for more information also the welcome letter in the information package that has been sent to you by email. If you send in your preferences later, risks are very high that there will be no place available anymore. In case this happens however, you may participate in that course during your second year. Note that it is not mandatory or absolutely necessary to follow one or more courses in the first year of your programme. However, our experience is that it would be wise to start with a course in September, it makes you settle well in a completely new environment. See also the welcome letter for advice on which courses are available for you in September.
6. Information and communication
In the Master's degree programme you will discover that you have a lot more responsibility for obtaining information about timetables, the programme, registration, administrative matters, etc., than in your previous education programme. The most important sources of information in the Master's degree programme are:
- The study guide: for all information about your Master's programme. Download via Nestor1) or find it in your information package.
- Nestor:1) for the latest news and announcements, important forms, information about study and internships abroad, tips for
preparing for the labour market, information on graduation, contact details, etc.
- Mentor: for all information about programme content, discussing your study plan, contacts abroad.
- Academic advisor:1) for all other questions if the information sources do not have the answer, or remain unclear to you. Also, if
you suffer from extraordinary circumstances that could affect your study progress (illness, handicap, family matters, pregnancy, etc), report this to your academic advisor immediately! Conversations with the academic advisor are always 100% confidential. - Other standard University of Groningen information systems: e-mail, Progress, Ocasys, etc.
7. Other tips & tricks for your Master's degree programme
a) More and more students are opting to conduct their second research project abroad (outside the Netherlands) during the degree programme. This will usually be harder to organize than an internal project and it is of course more expensive. However, the benefits of a project abroad are usually well worth the investment: it is extremely beneficial to conduct a project in a different culture and laboratory environment, it is good for your personal development, it is an adventure, you will meet new people in an international setting, experience abroad looks good on your CV, and in some cases it will open new doors that otherwise would have remained closed (e.g. a PhD opportunity). And you might even have time to add a great holiday on to the end of the project! Grants are available for financial support (although these will not cover all costs). You can find information about studying abroad on Nestor.2)
b) The days when there used to be a job waiting for you once you had a degree are long gone. The number of jobs for fresh graduates has decreased in recent years, while competition has increased. This means you will need to prepare extra thoroughly for the labour market if you want to have a good chance of a job after graduation. Do not leave this preparation until the final months of your Master's degree programme, but give this matter your attention regularly during the entire two years of your programme. You can find tips and tricks for preparing for the labour market on Nestor.2) You could consider following courses or workshops on writing
a CV, application letter and LinkedIn profile, visit job fairs and conferences, gain relevant work experience (on a student council, for example), build on your network, etc. Do not hesitate to go out and sell yourself. You will not regret it!
1) Academic advisor for master degree programmes in Life Sciences: Wouter van Egmond (w.n.van.egmond@rug.nl).
6
3. Frequently Asked Questions
How does the document ‘Time table schedule’ work?
The time table schedule shows the most relevant courses that we offer in our programmes, and the time periods in which they are scheduled. Page 2 of the document explains the abbreviations in the schedule. Note the difference between fulltime courses, non-fulltime courses, and special courses:
A) Fulltime courses usually have a study load of 5 ECTS and can be recognized by being scheduled in only 3 or 4 weeks. Examples in the various programmes are: Radioisotopes (General), Drug Development (MPS), Neurodegenerative Diseases (BMS), Research proposal in Ecology & Evolution (EE/MB) and Tools in systems biology (MBB).
B) Non-fulltime courses usually have a study load of 5 ECTS and can be recognized by being scheduled for about 5-10 weeks. Examples: Food and Pharma products and processes (Impact of Energy and Material Systems (General), Current themes in healthy ageing (BMS/MPS), Advanced selforganization of social systems (EE/MB) and Biocatalysis & Green chemistry (MBB). Use www.rug.nl/ocasys for course descriptions (use ‘2015/2016’). Don’t be misled by day-to-day schedules of some fulltime courses; They sometimes have little lectures scheduled, but also in these courses you will be working fulltime, for example because of non-scheduled group assignments, preparing presentations, writing assignments, selfstudy, etc.
How does the document ‘Course list’ work?
This document provides a list of all available courses for all programmes. Next to each listed course, you can find the relevant programmes for that course. Notice the difference between courses that may count as part of your ‘compulsory courses’, and courses that can only count as ‘electives’. See also the next FAQ.
What is the difference between ‘compulsory courses’ and ‘elective courses’?
The term ‘Compulsory courses’ may be a bit confusing, as there are no or very little courses that are mandatory (compulsory). The term means that it is compulsory to include 20 ECTS (or 5 ECTS for the SBP Profile) of programme-topic related courses in your 2-year study programme. You choose these 20 ECTS from a list of courses that are indicated on the document ‘Course list’. Besides the list of compulsory courses, you will also find a list of ‘elective courses’ on this document. Courses listed under ‘elective courses’ can only count as ‘electives’ in your programme (20 ECTS for the research profile or 10 ECTS for the SBP profile). The difference in these two type of courses can be explained with the note that elective courses don’t have much to do with the general topic of your degree programme. For example, the elective courses ‘Excel’ and ‘Word’ have nothing to do with (for example) Marine Biology or Biomedical Sciences, but they may be interesting for master students to follow, in case you lack this kind of IT experience.
7
Are there any courses that are worth mentioning, because they differ from most other courses?
Yes, here are the most important ones, see also www.rug.nl/ocasys for more details:
- Current themes in Healthy ageing (BMS), Gelifes Lectures (EE/MB), Groningen lectures in theoretical biology (EE/MB) and current themes seminar series (EE/MB) are scheduled for a very long period (up to the full academic year). This means that every now and then, a lecture is scheduled. You can attend these lectures, and after passing a small assessment you will receive ECTS for it.
- Animal and Human experimentation (General) is a course that you are only able to follow (and have to follow) in case you have arranged yourself a research project involving animal or human experimentation. So you cannot decide on choosing this course before you know when and where you will do your first (or second) research project.
- Orientation on international careers (General) is a course organized by the study association GLV Idun. It involves a literature study and ends with an excursion week (companies, universities) in a European country. More details about next year’s course will be communicated during winter time.
- iGEM (General, MBB) is a worldwide competition on synthetic biology, in which the RUG participates every year. You can receive 20 ECTS of elective study points for participation. Selection takes place during winter time.
Can I choose two courses that are scheduled in the same time period?
Usually no, because most courses are scheduled as full-time courses. This means that you will be working fulltime on this course in this time period, so you won’t be able to do something else (or be at a different location), such as following another course (full time or part time), writing an essay, preparing a colloquium or doing research. There are however a few exceptions:
a) As you may imagine, it is possible to combine a fulltime course with a lecture series course in which one or two lectures are scheduled during the month.
b) Animal and Human experimentation is a course that you can participate in throughout the year. Most of the contents should be done at your own time, via Nestor. So you can combine this course with a fulltime course.
Can I follow a course unit at the same time as the research project?
Always consult with your supervisors well in advance before planning a course unit! They have to approve your plans. In practice it is usually possible to interrupt a research project to follow a course unit, but if you can avoid doing this then you should. If it is unavoidable, only interrupt your research project once for a course unit, otherwise you will make things very complicated for yourself. If you really want to follow a particular course unit this will usually be possible in consultation. If this concerns a single block course unit (full-time, usually 5 ECTS or 3 weeks), this will usually mean that your research will more or less come to a halt during that period. Make sure you do not schedule any experiments in that period, but limit your research work to some cell maintenance, freezing cultured cells, etc. If it concerns a course unit that spans two blocks (often taking up only a few mornings or afternoons per week), then you can usually continue your research at the same time (as long as the course unit is taught in Groningen, of course), albeit less intensively. The time that you cannot spend on your research (usually 3 weeks per 5 ECTS course unit) is added on to the end of your research project to ensure you earn the required number of ECTS for the project.
8
I plan to start my programme on 1 September. How should I plan my programme?
Many BMS and MPS students start their programmes in September or November with one or a series of course units and then follow these with a research project of 40 ECTS. We recommend aiming for a minimum of 60 ECTS in the first year. However, BIO/EE/MB/MBB Master's students can start their research projects in September (or any other month), because the course units for these programmes are more spread out over the year. The curriculum of the Master's degree programme in Marine Biology changes as of September 2015: if you start in the Marine Biology programme, and don’t have much marine biology knowledge from you previous education, then you should start in September/October with three compulsory marine biology course units.
I plan to follow the SBP profile. How should I plan my programme?
If you start your Master's degree programme in September or October, the most logical course of action is to follow the SBP component of the programme (course units and the SBP internship with a total of 60 ECTS) in the second year (September up to the summer break). You can follow all the other components in the first year: research project (40 ECTS), courses (5 ECTS) and electives (10 ECTS), which you can supplement with extra research or course units. You can also plan your colloquium (5 ECTS) at the end of the first year. Some students decide to do their colloquium after their second-year internship instead. This will require you to work through into the holidays if you want to graduate without a delay (see also below).
How long does a research project take?
A full working week for a research project is 40 hours long. One ECTS credit point is equivalent to 28 hours. A research project of 30 ECTS is equivalent to 30 x 28 = 840 hours, or 21 weeks (5 months) of full-time work. This amounts to about one complete semester, including holidays. A research project of 40 ECTS is equivalent to 28 weeks, or 6.5 months of full-time work. You can calculate the duration of research projects with other ECTS values in a similar fashion.
Does my first research project have to have a workload of 40 ECTS?
The first research project may also have a different workload, such as 30 ECTS, or even more than 40 ECTS (if you want to spend some of your elective ECTS on extra research). Please note that if you are following the SBP profile, the first project must have a student workload of at least 40 ECTS. This means that if you choose a first project of less than 40 ECTS, you are more or less committing yourself to the research profile. N.B. the last opportunity to change the student workload of your research project is during the midterm evaluation (halfway through your research project).
How far do I need to plan ahead?
You do not have to draw up a detailed study plan for your entire Master's degree programme straightaway. In fact this is not possible, because time table schedules may change per year and you will very likely not yet know the subject of your second research project, thesis and colloquium. Make sure that at the start of the programme you have a rough idea in your head of which study components you might want to follow during the coming two years. Hand in the first yellow form as soon as you have the details of the first study components (usually including your first research project).
Can I work on study elements during the summer break?
This is not prohibited, but your supervisors will tell you whether this is practically feasible or not. Many research groups will have a few staff continuing to work through the holidays, so there will often be someone present to provide supervision. But consult with your supervisors first on whether this is both possible and feasible in your case. Obviously, if you will be working on your thesis or colloquium then you will need supervision, which will not be possible if your supervisor is on holiday. Moreover, there are colloquium requirements with regard to the minimum number of scientific staff who must be present (see the study guide for more information), which can be difficult to arrange in the holidays.
9
Can I enroll for course units in Progress and follow course units without prior approval via the yellow form?
Enrolment for course units is completely independent of the approval of the Board of Examiners via the yellow form. However, do try to hand in the yellow form before you start the course unit. In case you are not in Groningen yet, don’t enroll for courses yourself, but send your course preferences by email. You will be instructed after arriving in Groningen, about enrolling for courses yourself.
I am not very good at academic writing. What can I do about this?
You will be required to write lengthy reports and theses during your Master's degree programme. Many students have trouble finding the discipline to write or achieving the right level of academic quality in their writing. The Student Service Centre (www.rug.nl/ssc) offers various writing courses and also has a thesis support group for students who are having difficulty writing their thesis. The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences also has similar thesis support groups, which have the added advantage of a focus on science, instead of the broader focus you will find in the support groups for the students of other faculties. Ask your academic advisor for more information if you are interested. Make sure you hold your supervisor to their responsibility to provide good supervision: for example, you could agree to have a short meeting once a week to discuss your progress or to submit draft sections of your thesis for the supervisor to assess. You could also ask for a workplace in the department where you could work on fixed days. It can also be stimulating to work together with your fellow students on your theses if you cannot find the discipline to spend whole days at your computer. Contact a study advisor as soon as possible if you get stuck and cannot find a way out.
What should I do if exceptional circumstances arise, such as illness, psychological problems, disability, family circumstances, pregnancy, etc.
Contact your academic advisor1) as soon as possible to report the circumstances. If your studies are delayed due to these
circumstances, there may be financial compensation available via the University's Graduation Fund. It is important that you report the circumstances to an academic advisor as soon as possible in order to be eligible for this fund. If you fail to report or report too late then you will not be compensated. Your personal circumstances will always be treated confidentially; the academic advisor will never discuss your situation with others (lecturers, parents, etc.) without your express permission. In some cases the academic advisor may be able to help you and otherwise they will refer you to another service if you so wish.
I still have questions after reading all information documents. What should I do?
Please ask your questions to the academic advisor1), he is happy to help you out with your issues. Please take into consideration
that many incoming students find it quite hard to understand all the information before arriving in Groningen. The programme and environment is usually much different from what you are used to in your home country, so it hardly possible to understand everything immediately. Please don’t worry: after arrival in Groningen, we will help you out as much as possible, so you will soon understand the most important aspects of the programme, and you will settle well in our faculty.
