PlantHealth provides the competencies necessary to work in sustainable plant health management:
- A sound theoretical background,
- The ability to apply their knowledge,
- The skills to act at international level,
- The cultural awareness required in a globalised world.
Successful graduates will be able to apply to high-level PhD programmes or pursue a career in the practical plant health sector.
The first year (60 ECTS)
The aim of the first year is to provide basic knowledge on crop protection, farming systems and agronomy, ecology, population genetics and dynamics, statistics and experimental design and molecular biology.
You can spend the first year in either UPV or UGOE. All these courses are taught in English:
M1 First semester
- Sustainable farming systems (4.5 ECTS)
- Agricultural Botany (4.5 ECTS)
- Data acquisition, analyses, and scientific methods in life sciences (6 ECTS)
- Biodiversity conservation (4.5 ECTS)
- Adaptation to climate change in agroecosystems (4.5 ECTS)
- Population genetics (3 ECTS)
- Languages (3 ECTS)
M1 Second Semester
- Weed Biology (4.5 ECTS)
- Applied Entomology (6 ECTS)
- Plant Pathology (6 ECTS)
- Physiological responses of plants to pathogens and pests (4.5 ECTS)
- Molecular techniques in Plant Protection (3 ECTS)
- Internship (6 ECTS)
M1 First semester
- Scientific working methods I. Basic laboratory techniques (3 ECTS/C)
- Weed biology and weed management (6 ECTS/S)
- Pesticide application in Plant Health management (6 ECTS/S)
- Plant Nutrition and Plant Health (3 ECTS/S)
- Introduction to IPM (6 ECTS/C)
- Plant-herbivore interactions (6 ECTS/S)
- Language course (3 ECTS/C)
M1 Second Semester
- Scientific working methods:
- Scientific writing and presentation (3 ECTS/C)
- Journal Club (3 ECTS/C)
- Pests and Diseases in Temperate Crops (6 ECTS/C)
- Applied weed science (6 ECTS/S)
- Practical Statistics and Experimental Design in Agriculture (6 ECTS/C)
- Basics of Molecular Biology in Crop Protection (6 ECTS/S)
- Internship (6 ECTS/S)
- Language course (3 ECTS/C)
Detail of the courses: C = compulsory; S = selective/optional
The second year (60 ECTS)
In the second year, students must select one of the four specialization itineraries in Germany, Spain, Italy or France.
A distinctive feature of the second-year course is the close cooperation with industry and interacting within active learning environments.
All the M2 courses are taught in English EXCEPT the ones offered by the French universities of the Consortium.
Specialization: Temperate crops, arable crops and crops for energy
M2 YEAR
- Toxicology, Ecotoxicology Environmental Metabolism, Regulation registration of pesticides (6 ECTS/C)
- Interactions between plants and pathogens (6 ECTS/S)
- Mycology (6 ECTS/S)
- Molecular Techniques in Phytopathology (6 ECTS/S)
- Mycotoxins and fungal virulence factors (6 ECTS/S)
- Plant Virology (6 ECTS/S)
Detail of the courses: C = compulsory; S = selective/optional
Specialization: Mediterranean crops: vegetable crops in greenhouses, citrus and fruit crops
M2 YEAR
- Identification and monitoring of pests and beneficials (3 ECTS)
- Disease epidemiology (3 ECTS)
- Biological control of pests, pathogens and weeds (3 ECTS)
- Pesticides and other pest control measures (3 ECTS)
- IPM in Mediterranean vegetables and ornamentals (6ECTS)
- IPM in Mediterranean fruit crops (6ECTS)
- IPM in practice: implementation, assessment and evaluation (3ECTS)
- Languages (3 ECTS)
Specialization: Temperate fruit crops, ornamental woody plants in a landscape perspective
M2 YEAR
- Biotechnology for plant protection (6 ECTS)
- Sustainable use of pesticides (6 ECTS)
- IPM of pathogens of fruit crops in temperate climate (5 ECTS)
- IPM of pests of fruit crops in temperate climate (6 ECTS)
- Management of native and non-native pests in the landscape (6 ECTS)
- Language course (1 ECTS)
Institut Agro and AgroParisTech
Specialization: tropical crops, horticultural and vegetable crops in the open field, annual field crops, and Mediterranean vineyards
This course is taught in French. Students will have access to a Summer Module (July-August) that includes an intensive French language course and plant health workshops.
M2 YEAR
- Tool modules (Statistics and French language for foreigners) (4ECTS)
- Biodiversity and interactions, especially in tropical crops (5ECTS)
- IPM in temperate horticultural productions (5ECTS)
- Agro-Ecology in plant protection (5ECTS)
- Integrated crop protection strategies (5ECTS)
- Personal work (Study cases on IPM) (6 ECTS)
Master thesis (30 ECTS)
The students dedicate the 4th semester to their MSc Thesis.
During the master thesis period, PlantHealth students have the chance to apply their scientific basis in life sciences and the skills and methodology learnt during the master to do research or implement sustainable plant health strategies in an applied approach.
The Master thesis can be carried out anywhere in the world and are supervised by the M2 university.
A list of Master thesis completed is available here