How to apply

The programme starts on 15 September. Please follow this timeline to plan smooth application, registration and arrival. Before applying, read carefully the Admission procedure

The programme is open to the holders of a first cycle higher education degree (Bachelor degree, or equivalent) in Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics (ISCED 05), Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction (ISCED 07), Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Veterinary (ISCED 08) and other similar fields of study as JMPMB from all countries.

The minimum eligibility requirements to study joint Master programme in Marine Biotechnology are:

• University Bachelor’s degree (min 180 ECTS) or equivalent providing the access to Master cycle,
• English language proficiency: at least CEFR B2, IELTS 6.5 (at least 6 in any skill overall speaking, writing, listening and reading) or equivalent), if English is not a native language or language of previous Bachelor or Master studies,
• Motivation.

The relevance of the Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) of the applicant in respect to the access to the second cycle studies and the JMPMB programme will be assessed:

• The degree issuing higher education institution must be an accredited institution in the country where the studies are conducted/registration of HEI and to have a right to issue the degree which is submitted.
• The programme must be accredited for the period when the applicant has studied there.
• The qualification must provide the access to Master’s studies.
• The qualification must be recognised by the NARICs (National Academic Recognition Information Centres) of the Partners.
• The qualification (or together with additional formal and non-formal qualifications) shall meet specific requirements to study JMPMB.

In case of doubt regarding the quality of the issuing institution, external advisors will be consulted, in order to establish the status and quality of the institution concerned.

The recognition of the learning outcomes gained through non-formal and informal learning may be used for (1) admission purposes (under the responsibility of the Selection Committee), (2) recognition and transfer of (part of) credits in the JMPMB (under the responsibility of the course coordinating Partner in collaboration with the Programme Committee).

The applications are submitted online. Review what documents you need to attach in pdf– if some of them are not ready yet, you can save the application and fill in later. Note that if you are still studying your Bachelor, you still can apply and be invited to study (see Conditional offer below). The application deadline is 31 May.

Note, there are no application fees.

Application documents:

• Diploma of Bachelor degree, or equivalent.
  • If the diploma is not received yet, the applicant shall indicate when it is expected to be received or provide the confirmation from university about the completion of Bachelor studies*.
• Diploma Supplement or Transcript of records, showing full details of courses studied and grades/marks obtained:
  • If at the moment of application, the Bachelor studies (or equivalent) are not completed yet, the Transcript of records with the courses and grades to date is accepted*.
• Certificate to proof of English language proficiency (see requirements), if English is not a native language.
  • If at the moment of application, it is not possible to provide proof of language qualification, applications will still be accepted but any offer of a place on the programme or of a scholarship will be conditional until the test result is received & verified by Selection Committee.
• Statement of purpose completed with comments/justification about the preference for the track (specialisation) in JMPMB.
• CV with the emphasis on professional/research experience in the related subject and extracurricular activities (Europass CV format is highly recommended).
• 2 academic recommendation letters (the letters must be signed, they must contain a date and they must be on letter headed paper, and include the referees signature or official stamp).
• Copy of the photo page of passport or ID (for the EU citizens only).

At the moment of application, the applicant is requested to select the track and preferred university,-ies for the 3^rd semester of JMPMB.

All documents, if not in English or bilingual, when English is one of the languages, shall be duly translated and notary verified.

Applications shall be submitted until the end of Call for applications. If any of the required documents are missing, the application will not be considered.

* Conditional offers.

An applicant who is completing the final year of his/her first degree or who has yet to provide the required evidence of proficiency in English will be considered for entry to the JMPMB but will not receive an unconditional offer of a place on the programme until it is received his/her final degree and/or English language test results. In such cases the applicant may be offered a conditional admission on finishing Bachelor’s degree at the required grade and/or obtaining the required English language test results. This documentation must be submitted to the EU-CONEXUS Master Officer.

EU-CONEXUS Minor Officer is responsible to communicate and consult potential applicants and assist them in the application procedure.

After the applications are submitted, the EMO prepares the applicants lists and their documentation to the Selection Committee.

The selection process, performed by the EU-CONEXUS JMPMB Selection Committee, consists of three steps.

The selection is based on criteria guaranteeing a fair evaluation of the applications and does not give priority to any applicant depending on his/her nationality, race, religion or gende

All submitted applications will be thoroughly reviewed:

• first we will check if you submitted all required documents,
• and then the Selection Committee will review if your Bachelor’s qualification meets the requirements of the programme (i.e. if you have sufficient prior knowledge to study the MPMB).

If applications are found to be incomplete and/or non-eligible, you will be informed about this by email.

2. Assessment and ranking

Eligible applications are then evaluated and ranked by the Selection Committee according to the following selection criteria and point system:

You will be notified about your ranking points.

3. Interview

Applicants with at least 60 points will be interviewed to evaluate the motivation and personal skills by the Selection Committee.

Admission offer

The final ranking will consist of the total points collected from the selection criteria evaluation (60 to 100) and interview evaluation (5-25). In case of high competition, the priority will be given to the applicants based on their indicated priorities for the track and university in the 3^rd semester to ensure the homogenous distribution of students among the tracks and universities.

The list of nominated and pending students will be published on this website and you will be informed by the email.

If you are still due to present your final documents, the conditional offer is issued until the pending documents are received.

If a nominated student withdraws his/her application or refuses the offer to study JMPMB, the next person from the pending students list moves up to take the study place.

Appeals

The Selection Committee and Programme Board guarantee an absence of any conflict of interest as well as transparency and equal treatment for all applicants.

In case of any objection in any stage of the application, selection and admission process, you may file the appeal to the Academic Coordinator at the Programme Coordinator University at MBacademic.coordinator@eu-conexus.eu.

The appeal shall be dealt by the Programme Committee within 5 working days, or if the complaint requires more time to verify the facts and/or documents, to notify the person about possible time to answer.

Congratulations!

You have been accepted and invited to study joint Master programme in Marine Biotechnology at EU-CONEXUS.

The EU-CONEXUS Master Officer (EMO) is in charge of further communication with you and will send you the following documents:

• (Conditional) acceptance letter, where the start of studies, duration, chosen track and university for the 3^rd semester, language of studies, tuition fees will be notified.
• Individualised explanatory letter, where you will be informed about the next steps to take, what documents to present, how to obtain a health insurance, and, how and where to apply for visa, if needed.
• Student agreement.

Read the Student agreement carefully and, if you accept our offer, send it back to the EU-CONEXUS Master Officer admission.MB@eu-conexus.eu.When you return the signed Student agreement, it is considered the student accepted the invitation to study.

As a next step, EMO will send you out

• Tuition fees invoice;
• Student toolkit (with travelling, migration procedures, accommodation, health insurance, academic regulation information, etc.) and contacts;
• Connection to social media networks;
• Information about the webinar ‘Before arrival’ and Welcome Week.

Any other documents, requested by you for any personal reasons (for scholarship, bank loan, visa application, military service, etc.) shall be provided by EMO.

The student who signed the Student agreement and paid the tuition fees (or the latter were paid by third parties) is registered as a full-time student of the joint Master programme in Marine Biotechnology at all six universities of the Consortium for the whole period of the studies.

When you arrive to the first university (UCV) of the JMPMB, you shall present original Bachelor (or equivalent) diploma, diploma supplement or transcript of records and notary verified copies. These documents are stored at the Programme Coordinator University.