Run for over 10 years now, the Erasmus Mundus programme supports gap-filling international master’s programmes. Hungarian higher education institutions, too, have significant achievements in this excellence programme run by the EU. The Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences and Environmental Management at the University of Debrecen has been involved in a joint programme, even internationally recognised as innovative, since 2011. We asked Prof. Dr. László Babinszky, coordinator of the European Master in Sustainable Animal Nutrition and Feeding – Erasmus Mundus (EM-SANF) programme, about his experiences and the results of the partnership.
Run for over 10 years now, the Erasmus Mundus programme supports gap-filling international master’s programmes. Hungarian higher education institutions, too, have significant achievements in this excellence programme run by the EU. The Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences and Environmental Management at the University of Debrecen has been involved in a joint programme, even internationally recognised as innovative, since 2011. We asked Prof. Dr. László Babinszky, coordinator of the European Master in Sustainable Animal Nutrition and Feeding – Erasmus Mundus (EM-SANF) programme, about his experiences and the results of the partnership.
According to the course description, the EM-SANF seeks to alleviate the serious shortage of professionals in the field of feeding livestock, in Europe as well as outside the continent. To what extent can we regard it a 'gap-filling’ programme, and what innovative tools do you use to meet the goals set?
One of the most crucial global questions of sustainable agriculture is how we can feed the ever-growing population of Earth with sufficient amount of proper quality and safe food from plant and animal sources in a way that food production exerts the least possible impact on our environment. To answer this question, however, the so-called classic knowledge of animal feeding is not enough any longer. Today, we are living the revolution of animal feed science. To put it very simply, it means that besides classic animal feed knowledge, we also need to apply the latest achievements of certain areas of natural sciences (e.g. digestive physiology, immunology, molecular biology, molecular genetics, microbiology, etc.), as well as medicine and technical sciences (e.g. IT). This requires a brand new approach and a paradigm shift among the players of animal feed science.
All this knowledge should be transferred to the younger generations as soon as possible, so that they can use it in their day-to-day work as freshly graduated professionals.
In the field of animal feed, no Erasmus Mundus programme based on this philosophy had been launched in the EU, and ours is still the only such programme. The four-semester MSc programme has also introduced a number of new practices in the field of transferring knowledge, that is, educational methodology. Our programme is thesis-oriented, which means that students have an entire semester (the fourth) to participate in a research programme of a recognised European institution (university, research institute) and, as a result, to write a thesis of high standards. The student can specify the scope (not the specific topic) of the thesis already at the beginning of the programme and choose his or her study route accordingly. Lectures and practical classes are held in the first two semesters, the third semester is for internship, whereas in the fourth semester students must write their theses (participate in a research programme and write a thesis) and defend their theses at the final exam.
The consortium implementing the programme won funding through the EU's Erasmus Mundus programme in 2011. What is the composition of the partnership, and why did you choose these partners to cooperate with? What are the benefits of participating in the Erasmus Mundus programme?
In the educational programme, we work together with the most prestigious partners in agricultural research, who see the present and the future of animal and animal feed science similarly to us. Thus, the consortium consists of the Dutch Wageningen University, heading the consortium, Aarhus University, Denmark, Purpan University, France, member of the University of Toulouse, and the University of Debrecen. I brought up the opportunity and need of a joint program at a meeting with colleagues from Wagening in 2009. When the proposal was accepted, we looked for potential partners, developed an educational programme, then prepared and submitted our proposal in Brussels. After accreditation by MAB (Hungarian Accreditation Committee), the first students were admitted in 2011 in Debrecen. Being part of the Erasmus Mundus programme is very beneficial from a number of aspects – we can be the members of a real ‘élite club’. It means serious professional recognition to the University of Debrecen and my colleagues who are working on the implementation. The message of this programme to the world is that the quality of education provided at the University of Debrecen in the field of animal feed is very high, even according to international standards. At the end of the programme, our students receive a double degree from the two universities where they completed the first and second semester, and which are also responsible for their third and fourth semesters.
Where do your students come from and what career can they expect after graduation?
Students come almost from all around the world – the programme is very popular. We have applicants from New Zealand, Great Britain, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Romania, Brazil, Uruguay, China, Pakistan, Russia, Nepal, Kenya, India and I could go on listing the countries. Every year, we select the 20 students who can begin their studies and whose education and scholarship will be funded by the EU from among 350-400 applicants. Perhaps it’s too early to prepare a serious statistical assessment, but we can already see that about one third of our graduates continue their studies within the PhD programmes of various prestigious universities, whereas two thirds find employment with companies and various organisations. So far, none have reported not being able to find proper work or employment within their own profession.
In the third semester of the programme, the students receive practical training. How popular is this opportunity? What are your criteria of choosing your partner companies, and generally, what do you think the benefits of a partnership between universities and companies are?
Internship is a unique part of our programme. Students need to complete one semester at a university or research institute abroad and participate in a research programme there. They can also do internship at an internationally recognised company if conditions for scientific work exist, for example at the R&D department of a company. Two universities out of the four consortium members must also appoint a co-supervisor each. Supervisors are always delegated by the host institution or company. For the internship, a separate contract is concluded with the students, specifying the duration of the internship, the names, employers and positions of the supervisor and the co-supervisor, the students’ research programmes, as well as their duties during the internship. At the end of the semester, students must write a 20-page thesis, to be presented and defended at the end-of-semester exam. The exam is conducted in the form of a video conference. Depending on the subject matter, the place of internship is proposed by the consortium, but the students may also make suggestions. Feedback from the students is very positive, as they can work and gain experience with very prestigious institutions or companies. At the last exam, there was a Spanish student who had worked at a Canadian university, with supervisors delegated by Purpan University and the University of Debrecen. Thus, at the exam, the video conference was conducted between Canada, France and Hungary. This kind of partnership is also useful for the consortium, because it strengthens the relations between universities and companies, thus enhancing innovation, as well. Also, companies have an opportunity to meet highly qualified young professionals who may later become colleagues.
Besides the classes and internship, what services, entertainment and intercultural opportunities do you offer your students?
The four universities involved in the consortium offer students a lot of such opportunities. The campuses of the University of Debrecen give home to nearly 4,000 foreign students. These students regularly organise social events to present their own particular cultures. Besides, the university also organises lots of events to bring the culture and customs of our home country closer to foreign students. Students also have access to a number of sporting opportunities. We also seek to organise the study trips within the country in a way that they include cultural programmes, too.
What are your plans for the future about the Erasmus Mundus (now called Erasmus +) programme?
We would like to invite more guest lecturers from universities outside the consortium so that we can discuss certain professional issues with the students from various aspects, and the programme allows us to do so. So we plan to invite recognised professors from the USA, Canada and Australia. We are also considering launching a PhD programme as a sequel to the masters programme. It’s going to be another important step to making the university’s agricultural education international.
| For more details about the MSc programme, please visit www.emsanf.eu. |
Last modified: 16-10-2017
