provided by the schools in their capacity as service providers.

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Regulations for the Master of Science HES-SO in Life Sciences

The Rector’s Office of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO)

having regard to the Intercantonal Convention on the HES-SO, of 26 May 2011, having regard to the Regulations relating to first-cycle and second-cycle degrees (Bachelor’s and Master’s) at the HES-SO, of 15 July 2014,

determines:

I. General provisions

Object _{Art. 1 These regulations define the prescriptive provisions relating to the}

Master of Science SO in Life Sciences (hereinafter referred to as HES-SO MLS).

Background to the

degree programme Art. 2

1_{The HES-SO MLS is a University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Master’s}

degree programme with several different majors, which follows on from the UAS Bachelor’s degree programmes in the Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences (C&LS).

2_{Offered in collaboration with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)}

at Wädenswil, part of the Zürcher Fachhochschule (ZFH), the School of Agricultural, Forest and Food sciences (HAFL) at Zollikofen, part of the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) and the School of Life Sciences at Muttenz, part of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), this degree programme is worth a total of 90 ECTS credits, of which 30 ECTS credits (a third of the programme) are for the joint provision and 60 ECTS credits for the specific option offered at each UAS (two-thirds of the programme).

3_{The joint part of the programme is coordinated at national level and the rest of}

the programme is managed by the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of the HES-SO (hereinafter referred to as the Faculty).

4_{The majority of the resources (teaching staff, premises, equipment) are}

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Regulations for the Master of Science HES-SO in Life Sciences Specialised fields

of study and majors

Art. 3 1_{The HES-SO MLS covers the following specialised fields of study:}

a) Industrial Life Sciences;

b) Food, Consumer Health and Oenology;

c) Applied Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences.

2_{The specialised field of study of Industrial Life Sciences comprises the}

following majors:

a) Bioconversions and Bioprocesses; b) Chemical Development and Production.

3_{The specialised field of study of Food, Consumer Health and Oenology}

comprises the following major: Viticulture and Oenology.

4_{The specialised field of study of Applied Environmental and Natural Resource}

Sciences comprises the following major:

Natural Resource Management in Catchments.

5_{The Rector’s Office of the HES-SO decides each year which majors to offer.}

Objective of the

HES-SO MLS Art. 4 The objective of the HES-SO MLS, which follows on from the Bachelor’s _{degrees in the Faculty, is to provide an education in Life Sciences based on}

scientific and methodological foundations, with a practice-related orientation. This degree programme should convey:

a) problem-solving skills and methods which extend beyond those typically associated with the Bachelor’s level;

b) scientific and analytical skills, as well as applied research and development skills which enable students to demonstrate originality in the design, planning and development of industrial products or services;

c) social skills;

d) the managerial skills required for leading a multidisciplinary project team.

Management and

organisation Art. 5

1_{The HES-SO MLS comes under the strategic guidance of the}

Engineering and Architecture Faculty Council in close collaboration with the Head of the degree programme.

2_{The operational management is provided by the Head of the degree}

programme, who reports to the Dean of the Faculty.

3_{The Faculty’s Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences ensures that the}

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II. Admission and registration

Admission to the

HES-SO MLS Art. 6

1_{Candidates should submit requests for admission to the HES-SO MLS}

degree programme to the HES-SO Master unit.

2_{An application portfolio will not be processed without proof of payment of the}

registration fee.

Admissions

committee Art. 7

1_{The admissions committee is the Response Group for Admissions to}

the Faculty (hereinafter referred to as the GRAD).

2_{The GRAD is made up of a minimum of one representative from each school of}

engineering and the Head of the degree programme.

3_{The GRAD advice is given by consensus.}

Ordinary admission _{Art. 8} 1_{Candidates are subject to a procedure of admission by portfolio.} 2_{Candidates must meet the following conditions in order to qualify to submit an}

application portfolio:

a) HES-SO Bachelor’s degree or engineering diploma in Agriculture, Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, Oenology or Life Technologies, directly related to the chosen HES-SO MLS major;

b) HES-SO Bachelor’s degree or diploma in a programme other than a feeder programme;

c) bachelor’s degree or diploma from another UAS;

d) university or Federal Institute of Technology Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent Swiss or foreign qualification.

3_{The number of candidates admitted to the HES-SO MLS may be limited by the}

Governmental Committee.

4_{The programme administrators determine the deadline for registering and}

inform the GRAD, which undertakes the admissions within the specified quota.

5_{The decision on admission is made by the Faculty Council in line with advice}

from the GRAD, which makes its assessment based on the quality of the portfolios submitted, according to its own evaluation criteria. The quality criteria include in particular the nature of the candidates’ academic education, their professional experience and their academic career to date.

6_{For students in the final year of a Bachelor’s degree, admission is not}

confirmed until the Bachelor’s degree has been successfully obtained.

7_{Candidates must provide proof of Level B1 linguistic skills in English, in}

accordance with the Council of Europe reference document for the European Language Portfolio.

Auditors Art. 9 1_{The status of auditors is defined in the Regulations relating to}

first-cycle and second-first-cycle degrees (Bachelor’s and Master’s) at the HES-SO.

2_{The decision on admissions is taken by the Head of the HES-SO MLS degree}

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Regulations for the Master of Science HES-SO in Life Sciences Validation of

credits acquired outside the HES-SO MLS

Art. 10 1_{Requests for validation of credits acquired outside the HES-SO MLS are}

submitted to the GRAD by the Head of the degree programme.

2_{Of the 90 ECTS credits required to obtain the HES-SO MLS, the GRAD may}

accept a maximum of 30 ECTS credits obtained from other programmes/majors or other universities, provided they demonstrate attainment of relevant learning objectives of the chosen major (as described in Article 3) and they correspond to specific modules of the HES-SO MLS. For recognition of these credits the GRAD relies on advice from the Head of the degree programme.

3_{The programme from which these credits are obtained must have been}

followed within the preceding three years.

4_{A diploma gained by way of continuing education at UAS level in life sciences,}

business administration or a closely-related field of study may also be recognised, but only counted up to the equivalent of 15 ECTS credits (entrepreneurial modules).

5_{The Master’s thesis may not form the basis of a request for validation.}

Registration and

fees Art. 11

1_{Once admitted, candidates are registered at the SO by the}

HES-SO Master unit. They must pay the fees and contributions to the study costs due, as specified by the HES-SO.

2_{Registration becomes effective on the first day of the academic year, provided}

the student has paid the study fees, and all the documents connected with the admission have been completed correctly. The student is then entitled to a student card with a validity period of one academic year.

III. Organisation of the degree programme

Duration of studies

and ECTS credits. Art. 12

1_{Each year of full-time study corresponds to 60 ECTS credits.}

2_{In order to obtain the HES-SO MLS, students must acquire a total of 90 ECTS}

credits as specified in the study plan.

3_{For full-time students, the duration of the programme is generally 3 semesters.} 4_{For part-time students, the duration of the programme is generally 5}

semesters. During the last semester, students will usually undertake their Master's thesis on a full-time basis.

5_{The maximum duration of the programme is 6 semesters. Exceeding this}

period will lead to permanent exclusion from the programme.

6_{The maximum number of ECTS credits attempted}1_{may not exceed 135.}

7_{If a student submits a request in writing, and if the reasons are justified and}

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Leave _{Art. 13} 1_{Students who wish for a temporary break in their studies may apply}

to the Head of the degree programme for leave.

2_{Leave of absence may be granted for a period of one semester or one year.} 3_{The grant of leave of absence may be renewed. The total cumulative length of}

a leave period may not exceed two years.

Organisation of

studies Art. 14

1_{The programme is organised in modules. Each module is described in a}

file specifying in particular the skills aimed for, the number of ECTS credits, the number of supervised periods, the forms of teaching and the evaluation methods.

2_{The study plan specifies the number of ECTS credits that should be obtained in}

the various module categories.

3_{The following different modules are distinguished:}

a) general core modules (type A);

b) expanded theoretical core modules (type T); c) specialisation modules (type S);

d) specialisation project and Master's thesis (type X).

4_{The 90 ECTS credits that students must acquire in order to obtain the}

HES-SO MLS diploma are allocated on the basis of 12 ECTS credits for the general core modules, 18 ECTS credits for the expanded theoretical core modules, 20 ECTS credits for the personal specialisation modules and 10 ECTS credits for the specialisation project. The Master's thesis counts for 30 ECTS credits.

5_{For the general and expanded theoretical core modules, a choice is offered}

which exceeds the minimum number of modules students must follow to obtain the degree, with the aim of enabling students to define their own individual programme of study.

Choice of modules _{Art. 15}1_{Students are involved in the choice of the general and expanded}

theoretical core modules.

2_{Each student has the support of an Advisor, who is also the member of}

teaching staff supervising their specialisation and Master’s thesis. For part-time students, the Head of the degree programme takes the role of Advisor during their first year of study.

3_{This programme of study is formalised by a contract covering the full duration}

of the studies. The Advisor verifies the progress of the programme of study at regular, agreed intervals.

Language of

teaching Art. 16

1_{The language of teaching is English.}

2_{If all students agree, modules may be taught in French or German.}

3_{The languages used in the various modules, and for evaluations, are specified}

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Teaching location _{Art. 17}1_{The core modules are taught within a central structure defined by the}

national Master’s coordination body.

2_{The specialisation modules are taught at one of the schools associated with}

the HES-SO MLS.

3_{The Master's thesis is undertaken at the MRU}2_{chosen by agreement between}

the student and their Advisor. With the agreement of both parties, the Master's thesis may also be undertaken in a partner enterprise or a partner university.

IV. Evaluation, graduation, certification, Master’s thesis

General

information Art. 18

1_{Each module is evaluated in accordance with the specifications set out}

in the study plan, and more specifically in the descriptions of the modules.

2_{Examination sessions are organised at the end of each of the modules.}

Registration for a module automatically includes registration for the evaluations of that module.

3_{A remedial (reassessment) session is organised under the same terms and}

conditions for those students who fail, but not definitively, or who have been absent with just cause from the aforementioned evaluations.

4_{The intermediate assessments carry a grade ranging, in fractions of 1/2, from}

1 to 6; the minimum grade required to pass is 4 and the top grade is 6.

5_{A grade of 3.5 implies the need for reassessment. If the reassessment is}

successful, the final grade is assessed at 4.0. If the reassessment is failed, the final grade is equal to 3.0.

6_{Students who fail at the second attempt of a module must abandon it.}

Examination registration, withdrawal, absence and cheating

Art. 19 1_{Registration for a module may not be withdrawn except on the grounds}

of force majeure.

2_{Students who do not attend, in accordance with the stipulations, the}

evaluations of the modules for which they have registered in accordance with the study plan shall be awarded grade 1, unless a case of force majeure, as provided in paragraph 3, is accepted. This is without prejudice to the application of the provisions of Article 22.

3_{Students who rely on a case of force majeure to justify their absence must}

submit a written request, accompanied by the relevant proof, to the Head of the degree programme within three days of commencement of the case of force majeure. The Head of the degree programme will accept or reject the request in writing. If the request is accepted, the results of any assessments already carried out will remain valid.

4_{Any cheating or attempt to cheat will lead to the perpetrator being awarded}

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ECTS credits _{Art. 20 Students who successfully complete a module are awarded the}

corresponding validation in the form of ECTS credits.

Master's thesis _{Art. 21}1_{The Master’s thesis is supervised by the Advisor and leads to the}

writing and defence of a dissertation.

2_{The duration and conditions of the Master’s thesis are fixed in the relevant}

module description.

3_{The Master’s thesis and its defence are evaluated together. The conditions of}

the evaluation are set out in the Master’s thesis directive. The dates are set out in the HES-SO MLS calendar.

4_{Only students who have already acquired all their ECTS credits, apart from}

those in respect of the Master’s thesis, are authorised to defend their Master’s thesis.

Exclusion _{Art. 22}1_{Students will be considered definitively to have failed, and will be}

excluded from the HES-SO MLS degree programme if they:

a) do not obtain the 90 ECTS credits for the programme, as provided in the study plan, within the maximum period described in Article 12, paragraph 5;

b) have failed one of the compulsory modules;

c) have followed more than 135 ECTS credits without completing their programme.

2_{The decision to exclude a student is taken by the Head of the degree}

programme.

Award of the

diploma Art. 23

1_{Students who have obtained the 90 ECTS credits required for the}

SO MLS programme will be awarded the diploma Master of Science HES-SO in Life Sciences, major in [Title of major].

2_{The diploma is signed by the Rector of the HES-SO and by the Dean of the}

Faculty.

V. Disciplinary aspects

Duties and

penalties Art. 24

1_{Students must undertake to respect the rules of the schools in which}

their teaching takes place and to comply with the regulations and procedures that affect them.

2_{In the case of indiscipline, irregular attendance or abuse, students are liable to}

penalties, which may extend to exclusion.

3_{Before a penalty is announced, students have the right to be heard.}

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Regulations for the Master of Science HES-SO in Life Sciences Complaints and

appeals Art. 25 Candidates for HES-SO Master's programmes and students registered _{with the HES-SO (HES-SO Master unit) have access to complaints and appeals}

procedures as set out in the rules relating to the HES-SO Master's complaints and appeals procedure.

Coming into force

and repeal Art. 26

1_{These regulations came into force on 15 September 2014.}

2_{They supersede the directive concerning the Master of Science HES-SO in Life}

Science, of 18 June 2009.