Master's in Biology and Agricultural Sciences

biotechnology and tropical plant breeding

Objectives

The Biotechnology and Tropical Plant Breeding (BAPT) track provides students with advanced specialization in translational biology (the transfer of knowledge and approaches developed using model species to the breeding of non-model species of agronomic interest) and fosters an understanding of international project management in the context of development aid. The selection of internship topics for the first and second years of the master’s program reinforces this specialization within a privileged context where demand in this field is exceptionally high both in France and internationally (national research institutes: CIRAD, IRD; international: CGIAR; and private companies worldwide). The objective of this combination of courses is to prepare students to undertake a doctoral thesis and become researchers who will be recruited into fundamental or applied research institutions in plant sciences. Alternative career paths exist for students who do not wish to pursue this track (research engineers, science communication, consulting for local governments, associations, non-governmental organizations, etc.). In terms of research, the program targets all research institutions (universities, CNRS, IRD, INRAe, and CIRAD), including applied research initiatives in partnership with companies in the fields of plant breeding, plant biotechnology, or development aid research, as well as international research centers (such as CGIAR centers).

Course Content

The BAPT track is based on core courses shared with the BiPa, IPM, and MEV tracks, designed to provide students with a solid foundation in plant biology in the broadest sense and the tools required for scientific inquiry (statistics, bioinformatics, critical analysis, project management, etc.). This core curriculum includes an internship in both the first and second years of the master’s program, allowing students to contribute to the development of a research project in a laboratory at a public institute or a private company. The topic and location of the internship are tailored to the student’s chosen track.

Through TU —including a dedicated thematic school—and a selection of elective courses offered in the first and second years of the master’s program, the BAPT track focuses on mastering biotechnology tools and gaining practical knowledge of plant breeding, with a particular emphasis on the major food and cash crops of Mediterranean and tropical regions.

A TU M1 TU shared between the BAPT and Ibion-Tec tracks covers engineering approaches aimed at producing plant-derived molecules of interest.

In the M2 program, two TU to the BAPT track allow students to work in small groups on a project centered on a research question aimed at improving a crop’s resilience to environmental changes (water stress, poor soil, etc.). To do this, students must apply their knowledge to analyze plant phenotypes and adaptive strategies, model them, and propose an improvement goal (ideotype). The thematic school “Functional Genomics of Tropical and Mediterranean Plants” aims to illustrate, through case studies, how knowledge gained from model species and the use of genomic data on species that have not yet been extensively studied can be used to design conventional or biotechnological strategies for improving stress resistance in major tropical species. This program, which facilitates exchanges among master’s students, doctoral candidates, and researchers, also highlights the structures and tools for partnerships that enable the development of international and inter-institutional collaborative research focused on development aid. Through the elective options available, students can tailor their education to either delve deeper into plant adaptation to climate change or their resistance to biotic stresses, or explore the human and social dimensions of plant breeding.

Finally, drawing on the Montpellier International Campus—Europe’s leading research hub in plant sciences dedicated to the improvement of Mediterranean and tropical crop species, thanks in particular to the establishment of theIRD (French Institute for Research and Development), and the CIRAD (Center for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development), students will have access to a wide range of internships in France or abroad, giving them the opportunity to gain hands-on experience conducting research on a tropical crop species and/or participating in a field research project in the Global South in partnership with a national or international research institute.

List of Course Units

M1, 1st semester

M1, second semester

Master's 2, first semester

Master's 2, second semester