The International Master in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea), is a joint Master programme organized by nine leading European universities in the field of marine sciences; Ghent University (BE), University of Pierre and Marie Curie (FR), University of the Algarve (PT), University of Oviedo (ES), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (IE), University of the Basque Country (ES), Polytechnic University of Marche (IT), University of Bergen (NO) and Université de Bretagne Occidentale (FR), supported by fourteen Marine Research Institutes belonging to the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC). Based on the objectives of the EMBRC consortium, IMBRSea covers a wide, yet consistent, range of subjects related to the sustainable use of marine biological resources. With an emphasis on marine biological and ecological processes, the programme links biology of marine organisms and environmental studies with subjects in marine policy and planning.
IMBRSea will replace the EMBC+ programme from September 2017 onwards. Applications for becoming a student in the programme will be open from December 2016 onwards. IMBRSea is a two year, 120 ECTS study programme that starts with a first semester of courses within the Fundamental Modules in which students gain the core competences required for starting any of the five Specialization Tracks of the programme. This first semester offered by Ghent University, University of the Algarve, University of Oviedo, Université de Bretagne Occidentale and University Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC). During the second and the third semester, the students follow two Thematic Modules, leading to one of the five Specialization Tracks defined according to the EU Horizon2020 Blue Growth innovation challenges: (1) Marine food production, (2) Management of living marine resources, (3) Applied marine ecology and conservation, (4) Marine environment health, and (5) Global ocean change.
IMBRSea offers, beside a wide variety of courses in the Thematic Modules, also a series of jointly developed activities. In the second half of the second semester, students will gain authentic experience during six weeks of Professional Practice offered by potential future employers. During a Joint School students from the same cohort will come together for programme-wide training on multi-disciplinary topics. During the last semester students have the opportunity to develop an individual Thesis research project, tailored to their personal interests. This research project is presented on the IMBRSea Annual Symposium which unites both first and second year students, as well as future employers, and interested stakeholders.
IMBRSea aims to prepare students for the rapidly evolving demands of the blue bio-economy and research on the sustainable use of marine biological resources. The international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral nature of these challenges demands the integrated approach which IMBRSea fully encompasses.
