ECTS
120 credits
Duration
2 years
Training Structure
College of Sciences
Overview
The Plant Biology for Agro-Environment (BiPa) track offers a multidisciplinary program focused on knowledge derived from major model organisms such as Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as from crop plants that are now emerging as valid models (rice, corn, etc.). Our program covers the full range of plant science topics (plant adaptation to climate change, developmental biology, mineral nutrition, ecophysiology, and plant-microorganism interactions). In addition to traditional approaches to biology, we also emphasize modeling and bioinformatics—disciplines that are now essential for leveraging the massive amounts of data generated on a daily basis.
For more information about this course and its content, visit https://bioagro.edu.umontpellier.fr/biologie-des-plantes/biologie-des-plantes-pour-lagro-environnement/
Objectives
This master’s program is designed to be both broad in scope and of a high academic standard. Our goal is to help you acquire both a broad general knowledge and cutting-edge expertise in the field of plant science. Ultimately, this master’s program will enable you to pursue further training in basic or applied research, or to pursue a career related to the challenges of modern agriculture.
This master's program also focuses on helping you become self-reliant to facilitate your transition into the professional world through dedicated courses (management and project management) and numerous group projects offered in the various courses.
Our goal is to provide you with the best knowledge and opportunities to become the researchers and research engineers of the coming years—individuals who will be able to address the scientific and societal challenges related to the plant kingdom (basic science, biotechnology, climate change, agroecology).
Expertise and Skills
Subject-specific skills:
- Understand the tools of integrative biology: mutagenesis, transgenesis, forward and reverse genetics approaches, and OMICS approaches
- Understanding the Basics of Epigenetics
- Understanding the basics of plant-microorganism interactions
- Acquire a foundation in statistics, bioinformatics, and modeling
- Understand the cellular, molecular, and physiological mechanisms governing how cells function within their environment, the development of the plant, and its adaptation to environmental stresses
Transferable skills:
- Be able to propose disciplinary and multidisciplinary strategies, both independently and as part of a team, to study a complex scientific problem
- Understand, evaluate, and apply a scientific and experimental approach; know how to search for scientific information (databases, scientific publications)
- Ability to synthesize and present scientific results (projects, reports, oral presentations to a panel)
- Developing a career plan, writing a resume and cover letters
- Gain valuable experience in the research sector (public and private).
Organization
Internships, supervised projects
Internship | Required |
|---|---|
Duration of the internship | 4 months (M1) and 6 months (M2) |
Internship Abroad | Possible |
Duration of the internship abroad | the same as the duration in France |
Our faculty has an extensive network that provides opportunities for internships (4 months in the first year of the master’s program and 6 months in the second year) that align with your academic or professional goals, whether locally in Montpellier, elsewhere in France, or abroad. Each internship is evaluated through a written report and an oral presentation before a panel of experts.
It also offers two course units entirely dedicated to project management in the field of science, with the goal of developing the skills needed to organize work on a project, whether conducted individually or as part of a team.
Program
The Plant Biology for Agro-Environment (BiPa) track consists of 4 semesters (120 ECTS) and includes certain course units (UE) shared with the three other plant-related tracks (MEV, BPT, IPM) and others specific to the BiPa track. The list and detailed content of each course unit in the master’s program can be found on the Faculty of Sciences website.
The first semesters of the M1 and M2 programs are devoted to lectures and tutorials for the various course units. The second semesters are primarily dedicated to an internship (in a laboratory or at a company) aligned with the student’s career goals. Study or internship exchanges (ERASMUS), lasting one or two semesters, are greatly facilitated by the extensive network of partnerships between the University of Montpellier and European universities. Note that all the lab sessions for the various course units are grouped together in a dedicated course unit at the very beginning of the second semester of the M1 program.
The BiPa track's training program is available on the following webpage: https://bioagro.edu.umontpellier.fr/master-biologie-agrosciences/biologie-des-plantes/
Select a program
M1 - Plant Biology for the Agro-Environment (BiPa)
Biostatistics with R
5 creditsPlant Cellular and Molecular Biology
3 creditsPlant Development
5 creditsPlant-Microorganism Interactions
5 creditsFundamentals of Ecophysiology
2 creditsPlant Molecular Genetics
5 creditsAdaptation to the Environment and Signage
3 creditsPlant Nutrition
2 credits
Bioinformatics: Data and Databases
2 creditsLiterature Review
2 credits4-month internship
15 creditsExperimental Approaches to Plant Biology
5 creditsProject Management
3 creditsCHOICE 1
3 creditsChoose one of the following two options:
Gene Networks—Modeling
3 creditsBreeding of Tropical and Mediterranean Plants
3 credits
M2 - Plant Biology for the Agro-Environment (BiPa)
Laboratory or Company Internship
28 creditsCritical Analysis of Scientific Information
2 credits
Mineral Nutrition: Plant Adaptation to Abiotic Stressors
3 creditsAnalysis of Differential Gene Expression
3 creditsSignal School, Dyna
3 creditsEpigenetics in Plants
3 creditsModel plants, modeling
3 creditsBigOmics, Comparative Genomics
2 creditsEcophysiology: From Phenotype to Ideotype
2 creditsQuantitative Genetics
3 creditsData Processing
3 creditsBioinformatics: Building Queries
2 creditsProject Management
3 credits
Admission
Admission Requirements
Applications can be submitted through the following platforms:
- French and European students: Follow the “Mon Master” procedure on the website:https://www.monmaster.gouv.fr/
- For the M2 program, students must submit their application through the e-candidat application on the University of Montpellier’s Faculty of Sciences website: https://candidature.umontpellier.fr/candidature/
Applications are reviewed by an academic committee composed of the program’s leading faculty members.
Successful applicants must complete their administrative registration as soon as possible, then proceed with their academic registration, specifying the courses they have selected.
Target Audience
The BiPA Master’s program is open to students who hold a BiPAgro bachelor’s degree from the University of Montpellier or a general bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences or Cellular and Molecular Biology from other universities. Admission to the Master’s program is based on the quality of the application, as evaluated by the faculty, and on our capacity to accommodate students.
Mandatory Prerequisites
Knowledge (bachelor's degree level) of plant physiology, genetics, and molecular and cellular biology.
Recommended Prerequisites
Fundamentals of Plant Developmental Biology.
Introduction to computational thinking and programming (e.g., R, Python, or Unix)
And then
Continuing Education
The theoretical and practical training offered is primarily designed to prepare students for a Ph.D. in basic or applied research. Other possible career paths include working as an engineer in a public or private laboratory or at a startup.
Continuing Your Education Abroad
During the two internships completed as part of the master’s program, students have the opportunity to gain experience abroad. This international experience can serve as an opportunity to join one of the many international Ph.D. programs (e.g., Gregor Mendel Institute (Austria); University of Tübingen (Germany), John Innes Center (United Kingdom)), or to be recruited for a Ph.D. position at the end of their M2 internship in the host laboratory.
Employment Placement
Graduates of our master’s program can pursue careers as associate professors at French, European, or international universities; as researchers at French public research institutions (INRA, CNRS, IRD, CEA, CIRAD) or foreign institutions; or at R&D companies in the field of plant sciences, in France or abroad.