Wageningen University & Research (also known as Wageningen UR; abbreviation: WUR) is a public university in Wageningen, Netherlands, specializing in technical and engineering subjects and an important center for life sciences and agricultural research. It is located in a region of the Netherlands known as the Food Valley.
WUR consists of Wageningen University and the former agricultural research institute of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture. Wageningen University trains specialists (BSc, MSc and PhD) in life and social sciences and focuses its research on scientific, social and commercial problems in the field of life sciences and natural resources. It is widely known for its agriculture, forestry, and environmental studies programs. The university has about 12,000 students from over 100 countries. It is also a member of the Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS) university network.
WUR has been placed among the top 150 universities in the world by four major ranking tables. Wageningen has been voted the number one university in the Netherlands for fifteen consecutive years. The university is listed number 59 in the world by the Times Higher Education Ranking and the world’s best in agriculture and forestry by the QS World University Rankings 2016–2020. Wageningen University is ranked number one in the fields of plant/animal science, environment/ecology, and agricultural sciences by U.S. News & World Report. The university is widely regarded as the world’s top agricultural research institution.
Academic profile
Wageningen University was the first Dutch university or school that was allowed to use the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) label. This label is awarded by the European Commission and guarantees the quality of the study programme. The university consequently applies this system, thus promoteing the mobility of students within Europe and preventing study delay.
BSc programmes
The University offers 19 BSc programmes (2018-2019). For some BSc programmes, the language of instruction is English. Other programmes teach in both Dutch and English. The programmes start each year in September, last three years, and consist of 180 ECTS credits. The programmes are in the field of economy and society, health, life sciences and technology, nature and environment, animals and plants.
MSc programmes
Wageningen University offers a 36 different MSc programmes (2017-2018) and two online masters programs. The language of instruction for all Master’s programmes is English. The programmes start each year in September, they last two years, and consist of 120 ECTS credits. Most programmes offer various specializations and possibilities for majors.
PhD programme
The PhD programme is a four-year programme which consists of a research component (conducting research under supervision and writing a thesis) and a smaller education component (up to 15 percent of the total PhD time). To apply for a PhD position, the applicant must contact one of the six Graduate Schools of Wageningen University. In order to guarantee adequate supervision, the research subject must fit in the research programme of a Graduate School.
Research Institutes
The following research institutes are part of Wageningen Research:
- Wageningen Environmental Research, formerly Alterra
- Wageningen Economic Research, formerly LEI Wageningen UR
- Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, formerly Central Veterinary Institute
- Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation, formerly Centre for Development Innovation
- Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, formerly Food & Biobased Research
- Wageningen Livestock Research
- Wageningen Marine Research, formerly IMARES
- Wageningen Plant Research
- Dairy Campus
- Wageningen Food Safety Research, formerly RIKILT