Wageningen University

Unique study opportunities

• Work as a consultant with a local organization as part of your coursework and gain practical experience in your field of study.
• Design a new food product and production process.
• Conduct lab experiments on microorganisms that contaminate food.
• Explore new irrigation technologies and their environmental impact.

Language

Language Study: None

Courses and credit

Requirements While Abroad

To successfully complete this program:

• Take a full-time course of study: 20 quarter/13.3 semester UC units; four courses per semester. Typical course enrollment is two courses per period and most courses are 5 quarter/3.3 semester UC units.
• You may take one course per semester for pass/no pass credit.

Current Program Courses

Take advantage of course options in the following fields of study:

• Agricultural science and management
• Biotechnology
• Plant biology
• Earth, atmosphere, and water processes
• Economics of agriculture
• Environmental planning, management, and sustainability
• Forest and nature conservation
• Food technology, safety, and quality management

At Wageningen, an academic year is divided into six periods. Fall students will be attending classes in Period 1 (September to October) and Period 2 (October to December) only.  Spring students will be attending classes Period 3 (January to February), Period 4 (February to March), and Period 5 (March to May). 

If you have the appropriate background and meet the prerequisites, you may be able to enroll in master-level coursework. This coursework is challenging. UCEAP recommends a limit of one master-level course per semester.

Research, independent study, and internships are typically not available on this program.

Catalogs and resources

• Wageningen Course Catalog: Use the left-hand menu to select the academic year, term (periods 1 & 2 for Fall; periods 3, 4, & 5 for Spring), timeslot, chair group (i.e. field of study), language of instruction, and location of instruction (Wageningen).
• Course articulation for UC Davis Food Science majors: UC Davis students can fulfill major requirements by taking these pre-approved courses.
• Wageningen University: Compare WUR with other Dutch universities available through UCEAP.
• UCEAP Course Catalog: See a list of courses students have taken on this program. This is not a current representation of course offerings on this program. Reference the above links to review recent course offerings. 
• Campus Credit Abroad: Learn the types of credit (major, minor, general education, elective) students from your campus received at this location.

Academic culture

You will take courses taught in English alongside local and international students. While the professor will conduct the course in English, some of your classmates may ask questions in Dutch. If you do not understand something, it is okay to politely ask your classmates to repeat the question in English.

Courses at Wageningen are quite rigorous because of the compact timeline. You will often find that your entire morning or afternoon is blocked off for lecture, lab, and study time for just a single course. You’ll need to dedicate a significant amount of time to your studies. Courses frequently include a mixture of instruction styles with lectures and practicals. Most courses require individual and group assignments both inside and outside of the classroom. Keep track of assignment deadlines as professors may not remind you once they have handed out the course materials.

The Dutch value punctuality. Classes start on time and students are usually in class and ready to begin by the designated start time. There tend to be fewer students per class than in an average UC classroom. This allows plenty of opportunities to interact with professors. Alumni report that professors are approachable and ready to assist with questions both during class and office hours.

Grades

You will earn direct UC credit and grades for all coursework.  Fall grades are usually available in March, Spring grades in September.