Exchange Master's Dissertation

Klik hier voor de Nederlandse versie.

This website is meant for students who are currently enrolled in an English Master's programme at the faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University. If you are studying at another university and are interested to come to our faculty for an exchange programme, click here.

Timeline

A short roadmap is displayed in the figure. Underneath you can find more detailed information on every step. Download the timeline.

1. Information session & Conditions

Information session

• Find the slides and recording of the information session on this site.

Conditions

• You may only include your master's dissertation in your curriculum in the academic year in which you can graduate.
• At the time of your departure, you must have passed your full bachelor's programme.

2. Destinations

• Search for a master thesis topic under 'Subjects abroad' via the master thesis application.
  
  • 'List GUGC topics': topics offered by UGent at the Ghent University Global Campus (GUGC) for which there is already an FBE promotor.
    • For choosing a topic: contact the promotors
  • 'List VLIR-UOS topics': topics offered by UGent in a VLIR country for which there is already an FBE promotor.
    • For choosing a topic: contact the promotors
  • 'List bilateral topics': topics offered by UGent in a (non-VLIR) partner for which there is already an FBE promotor.
    • For choosing a topic: contact the promotors
  • 'Proposals from abroad': topics offered by a partner institution for which you still need to find an FBE promotor.
    • For choosing a topic:
      
      1. Send your desired topic to masterdissertation.fbw@ugent.be for approval from your programme
      2. When approved: programme helps you look for a promotor
• You can also submit a proposal yourself. In this case, you need to find a supervisor yourself.

Look at the topics

IMPORTANT: When you have chosen a master's thesis subject and have received approval to carry it out from both your FBE supervisor and a supervisor connected to the host institution in question, you should have this officially registered with the Faculty Student Administration (FSA). You do this by sending an e-mail to masterdissertation.fbw@ugent.be (with out.fbw@ugent.be and both promotors in CC) stating all the details concerning your master's thesis research (title, off-list or not, promoters, destination). Once you receive an official approval from the FSA (master dissertation FBE) by e-mail, you can proceed.

3. Mobility Grants

Depending on your situation, there are different possibilities for mobility grants.

• Erasmus+ studies (inside Europe, only possible if the faculty has an agreement with the guest institution, min. duration 3 months)
• Bilateral agreements outside of Europe (outside Europe, only possible if the faculty has an agreement with the guest institution, min. duration 1 month)
• Commission Scientific Research (CWO) (min. duration 3 weeks)
• Inside the European Union, the Erasmus+ programme foresees an extra 50 euros and up to 4 days of additional individual support for your sustainable journey.

  Find out more information in the Erasmus Study Roadmap (search for Green travel).

Combination of scholarships and mobility grants

Ghent University Global Campus (Incheon, Korea)

• If you're going to Ghent University Global Campus (GUGC), you can apply for a grant through bilateral agreements (see above).
• You also get free housing during your stay in Incheon.

4. Exchange Application

Application

• Go to https://oasis.ugent.be
• In the menu on the left, go to the academic year of your exchange:
  
  • Curriculum
  • Exchange
  • New application

Some important guidelines for your application:

• Mobility type: select 'Research'
• Funding: select the applicable funding for your mobility
  • "Erasmus+ studies"
  • "Grant for outside Erasmuszone" for scholarship Ghent University bilateral agreement (this includes VLIR-UOS!)
  • "Scientific Research Committee" (=CWO)
  • "Other resources" (e.g. research project)
  • "Own resources"

Deadline

• On this webpage you can find the bilateral agreements of our faculty.
• The deadlines for the Commission Scientific Research (CWO) can be found here (look for 'Dissertation travel expenses').

Confirmation

After your registration in Oasis, send an e-mail to out.fbw@ugent.be to get approval.

5. Exchange Curriculum

Fill in a new exchange course 'Research in the framework of the Master's Dissertation'. Some important guidelines:

• Number of ECTS credits of the exchange course:
  • If you only conduct a part of the practical work of your master's dissertation abroad and another part of the practical work in Ghent: 10 ECTS
    
  • If you conduct all of your practical work of your master's dissertation abroad: 20 ECTS
    
  • If you only go abroad for a very short period (eg. 1 week): count more or less 25-30 hours of work for 1 ECTS credit.
• Indicate that the course 'Master's dissertation' from your master programme in Ghent is realised partly abroad.

6. Master Dissertation Contract

If you collaborate with third parties (companies, non-profit organizations, institutions with which the faculty has no agreement) for your master's thesis, a Master dissertation contract must be concluded.

1. Download the document from the website of TechTransfer.
2. Fill in all the requested fields, or let the right person fill them in.
3. Sign the document.
4. Mail the signed document to masterdissertation.fbw@ugent.be to receive a signature from the Director of Education.
5. Send a scanned version of the document to the receiving institution to get their signature.
6. Upload the signed document in your exchange application in Oasis, as 'Contract'.

Start this procedure in time, to make sure that the document is completely signed before your departure!

7. Application mobility grant (destinations outside Europe, including VLIR-UOS)

Students who go on an exchange within Europe and receive funding through Erasmus+ or SEMP do not need to submit a separate application to receive a grant. 

For students going on exchange outside Europe: follow the guidelines listed on the webpage of the internationalisation department. More about UGent scholarships for outside the Erasmus+ zone can be found here.

You apply for a scholarship for outside the Erasmus zone as soon as you submit an exchange application on Oasis with 'scholarship for outside the Erasmus zone' as funding channel. For the selection, we first look at the academic motivation you should have written in Oasis with your exchange application. So this is not a motivation for your scholarship, but rather why that destination is of academic value to you. In addition, some plus and minus points are also taken into account in the selection of scholarships, what these plus and minus points are can be read in the document 'Guidelines for students for scholarships outside the Erasmus area'.

Deadline for exchange application in Oasis (with academic motivation) = 31 January 2025

Deadline for secondary issues related to scholarship selection = See document 'Guidelines for students for scholarships outside the Erasmus area'

8. Learning Agreement

Check on this webpage whether our faculty has an agreement with the guest university within Europe. If your destination is mentioned on this list, a learning agreement must be signed.

If your curriculum in exchange is positively approved, you can download your learning agreement in Oasis with an automic stamp and signature from Ghent University.

1. Download the learning agreement in Oasis and sign.
2. Send a scanned version of the document to the receiving institution to get their signature.
3. Upload the document in Oasis when it is signed by all 3 parties involved (student, Ghent University, guest university), as 'Learning agreement'.

• If possible, upload before 1 July

Start this procedure in time, to make sure that the document is completely signed before your departure!

9. Confirmation of Stay

 Download this document in Oasis.

1. Let the part arrival sign as soon as possible after your arrival.
2. Let the part departure sign at the end of your stay.
3. Upload in Oasis in your exchange application, as type 'Confirmation of Stay'.

FAQ's

Am I insured during my stay abroad?

• For your health insurance, you should contact your own health insurance fund.
• Through your enrolment as a student at Ghent University, you are insured as regards your physical accidents during university activities.
• Through your enrolment as a student at Ghent University, you are insured as regards your civil liability during university activities (does not include journey to and from university activities)

Questions?

Feel free to contact us via out.fbw@ugent.be.