Wageningen University
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Wageningen University & Research (also known as Wageningen UR; abbreviation: WUR) is a
public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universit ...
in
Wageningen, Netherlands Wageningen () is a municipality and a historic city in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specialises in life sciences. The municipality had a population of in , of which many ...
, specializing in life sciences with a focus on agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. It is a globally important center for life sciences and agricultural research. It is located in a region of the Netherlands known as the
Food Valley Food Valley is a region in the Netherlands where international food companies, research institutes, and Wageningen University and Research Centre are concentrated. The Food Valley area is the home of a large number of food multinationals and within ...
. WUR consists of Wageningen University and the former agricultural research institutes of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture. Wageningen University, as a research university, grants degrees at the BSc, MSc and PhD level in life and social sciences. It focuses its research on scientific, social and commercial problems in the field of life sciences and natural resources. It is widely known for its agriculture, forestry, and environmental studies programs. The university has about 12,000 students from over 100 countries. It is a member of the
Euroleague for Life Sciences The Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS), established in 2001, is a network of leading universities cooperating in the fields of natural resource management, agricultural and forestry sciences, life sciences, veterinary sciences, food sciences, and ...
(ELLS) university network. WUR has been placed among the top 150 universities in the world by four major ranking tables. Wageningen has been voted the number one university in the Netherlands for seventeen consecutive years. The university is listed number 59 in the world by the Times Higher Education Ranking and the world's best in agriculture and forestry by the QS World University Rankings 2016–2020. Wageningen University is ranked number one in the fields of plant/animal science, environment/ecology, and agricultural sciences by U.S. News & World Report. The university is widely regarded as the world's top agricultural research institution.


History

In 1876 the ''Rijkslandbouwschool'' (National Agricultural College) was established in Wageningen. Due to the development of the training to a higher educational level it changed in 1896 to the ''Hoogere Land- en Boschbouwschool'' (Agricultural and Forestry College) and in 1904 in ''Rijks Hoogere Land-, Tuin- en Boschbouwschool'' (National Agricultural, Horticulture and Forestry College). In 1918 the school became academic by law (Academic Education Act). The name changed to ''Rijks Landbouw Hoogeschool'' (National Agricultural College). The opening date and official start date is 9 March 1918. In 1986 the "hogescholen" (comparable to scientific
institute of technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...
) were renamed to University in a modification of the Academic Education Act. The new name became ''Landbouwuniversiteit Wageningen (LUW)'' (Wageningen Agricultural University (WAU)). The 1986 law changes resulted in the use of the name
hogeschool A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...
in the Dutch system to be used exclusively for universities of applied science. Over the years the research and teaching branched out into life sciences in general, while interest for agriculture as a career opportunity waned. In 1997, when the DLO institutes merged with the university, the new organisation was rebranded as Wageningen UR (Wageningen University and Research Centre); with the university being renamed Wageningen University. Under Dutch laws the university and the institutes had to remain separate legal entities. In 2006, the university of applied sciences
Van Hall Larenstein Van Hall Larenstein, University of Applied Sciences ( nl, Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein), often abbreviated as VHL, is a vocational university in the Netherlands. It has locations in Leeuwarden and Velp (near Arnhem). History Since January 20 ...
became part of Wageningen UR. The idea was to create better collaboration between applied teaching and research at Van Hall and the academic research at Wageningen University. This would also support students to continue with an academic program upon completing their applied degree. However, due to differences in organizational culture and incompatibility of procedures, the collaboration remained problematic. In 2012 it was decided that Van Hall Larenstein would leave Wageningen UR and continue as an independent school once more. In the spring of 2015 the separation was marked by the move of the final Wageningen-based Van Hall Larenstein studies back to Velp. In 2009 it was decided that the university would consistently use the English name in its communication, and that university research could be presented under the name of the university: ''Wageningen University (WU)'' (as an alternative of using the name Wageningen UR). On 6 September 2016 Wageningen University and the research institutes became one joint brand: ''Wageningen University & Research'' (''WUR''). On 9 March 2018 Wageningen University celebrated her 100 years anniversary. During this year there were many events and festivities around the campus and in the city of Wageningen.


Academic profile

Wageningen University was the first Dutch university or school that was allowed to use the
European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard means for comparing academic credits, i.e., the "volume of learning based on the defined learning outcomes and their associated workload" for higher education across the E ...
(ECTS) label. This label is awarded by the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
and guarantees the quality of the study programme. The university consequently applies this system, thus promoteing the mobility of students within Europe and preventing study delay.


BSc programmes

The university offers 19 BSc programmes (2018-2019). For some BSc programmes, the language of instruction is English. Other programmes teach in both Dutch and English. The programmes start each year in September, last three years, and consist of 180 ECTS credits. The programmes are in the field of economy and society, health, life sciences and technology, nature and environment, animals and plants.


MSc programmes

Wageningen University offers 36 different MSc programmes (2017-2018) and two online masters programs. The language of instruction for all Master's programmes is English. The programmes start each year in September, they last two years, and consist of 120 ECTS credits. Most programmes offer various specializations and possibilities for majors.


PhD programme

The PhD programme is a four-year programme which consists of a research component (conducting research under supervision and writing a thesis) and a smaller education component (up to 10 percent of the total PhD time). To apply for a PhD position, the applicant must contact one of the six Graduate Schools of Wageningen University. In order to guarantee adequate supervision, the research subject must fit in the research programme of a Graduate School.


Research institutes

The following research institutes are part of Wageningen Research: *Wageningen Environmental Research, formerly Alterra *Wageningen Economic Research, formerly
LEI Wageningen UR LEI is one of the research institutes of Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR). Within the Netherlands and Belgium, LEI is the leading institute for social-economic research in the fields of agriculture, horticulture and fisheries, the m ...
*Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, formerly Central Veterinary Institute *Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation, formerly Centre for Development Innovation *Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, formerly Food & Biobased Research *Wageningen Livestock Research *Wageningen Marine Research, formerly IMARES *Wageningen Plant Research *
Dairy Campus The Dairy Campus in the Netherlands is a test farm and centre for scientific research and practical training, ''Nieuwe Encyclopedie van Fryslân'', Gorredijk/Leeuwarden (Utgeverij Bornmeer/Tresoar), 2016, , pp. 2173-2174. in the field of dairy fa ...
* Wageningen Food Safety Research, formerly RIKILT


Controversy

Wageningen University and Research has come under fire due to claims of partiality in research. One case regards a research concerning bee
colony collapse disorder Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is an abnormal phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a honey bee colony disappear, leaving behind a queen, plenty of food, and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees. While s ...
. Research conducted by Tjeerd Blacquière on the topic has caused controversy due to funding received for the research from the German pesticide producer
Bayer Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of busi ...
, the world's biggest producer of neonicotinoid insecticides, a suspect factor for the colony collapse disorder. In 2018 the Dutch magazine OneWorld went to court in an attempt to demand access to contracts between WUR and Bayer,
Syngenta Syngenta AG is a provider of agricultural science and technology, in particular seeds and pesticides with its management headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. It is owned by ChemChina, a Chinese state-owned enterprise. Syngenta was founded in 2 ...
and
Monsanto The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed in th ...
, but OneWorld ultimately lost the court case.


Rankings


International rankings

In the field of life sciences, agricultural and environmental science, the university is considered world-class. According to the ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' it is the best university in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and No. 1 worldwide, in agriculture and forestry for 2017 on the
QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...
charts. *In the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Ranking Wageningen University & Research is ranked first in agricultural sciences, plant and animal sciences, and environment/ecology. *In the 2017/2018 National Taiwan Ranking Wageningen University is ranked first in the field of agriculture. *In the 2017/2018 National Taiwan Ranking Wageningen University is ranked first in the field of Environment & Ecology. *In the 2016
Shanghai Ranking The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong University ...
Wageningen University was ranked in the bracket 101-150th best universities in the world overall and 36th best in the life and agriculture sciences. *In the 2017
Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli ...
Wageningen University was ranked 25th overall in the world and 16th in life sciences. *In the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2017 Wageningen University & Research is ranked first in the field of Food Science & Technology. *In the 2016/2017
QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...
, Wageningen University was ranked 119th overall in the world, first in the field of agriculture and forestry, fourth in environmental science, 13th in development studies, and 83rd in life sciences and medicine.


National rankings

*The Dutch '' ranking compares Dutch universities based on reviews by their own students. In 2021 Wageningen University is ranked as the best university in the Netherlands in full-time education for the 17th time in a row. *In 2015 Wageningen University was awarded as the most sustainable Dutch University by , for the third time in a row.


Student activities and associations

* M.S.V. Alchimica is the study association for students Molecular Life Sciences. Since 1970 it has been organising different activities for its members. * CODON is the study Association for all Biotechnology (BBT and MBT), Bioinformatics (MBF) and Biobased Sciences (MBS) students. Established by the first students of Bioprocestechnologie on 16 September 1991. At that time the association carried the name "BiPS" which was later changed to CODON. *Nitocra is the study association for students of International Land and Water management. *Semper Florens is the study association for students of the bachelor Plant Sciences (BPS), the master Plant Sciences (MPS), the master Plant Biotechnology (MPB) and the master Organic Agriculture (MOA). *HeerenXVII is the study association for students of following the bachelor 'Agrotechnologie' or the masters ' Biosystems Engineering'. *''Nicolas Appert'' is the study association of the students for Food Technology including all masters programmes. It is named after the famous professor Nicolas Appert who invented the technique of 'canning'. *''Mercurius'' is the social science association for students at the WUR following either the bachelor 'management and consumer studies', 'economics and governance' or the master 'Management, Economics and Consumer studies'. *''Licere'' is the study association of the students for MTO Tourism, Leisure and Environment masters programme.


Notable alumni and staff

* *
Jan Bieleman Jan Bieleman (Heino, 1949 – 9 June 2021) was a Dutch historian whose specialty was Dutch agriculture from the Middle Ages on. He is best known for his monograph ''Five centuries of farming: A short history of Dutch agriculture 1500-2000'' (20 ...
*
Jan Just Bos Jan Justus "Jan-Just" Bos (28 July 1939 – 24 March 2003) was a Dutch botanist, television presenter, and rower who competed in the 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics. Bos (Dutch for "forest") studied forestry at the Wageningen University. While ...
*
Gerrit Braks Gerardus Johannes Maria "Gerrit" Braks (23 May 1933 – 12 July 2017) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP) and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and agronomist. Braks applied at the Wageningen Agr ...
* *
Jeroen Dijsselbloem Jeroen René Victor Anton Dijsselbloem (; born 29 March 1966) is a Dutch politician and economist serving as Mayor of Eindhoven since 13 September 2022, succeeding John Jorritsma (VVD). A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), he has also been Cha ...
* * Heather M. Ferguson * *
Louise Fresco Louise Ottilie Fresco (born 11 February 1952) is a Dutch scientist and writer known for her work on globally sustainable food production. Career in academia Fresco has been the President of the Wageningen University & Research Executive Board s ...
*
Volkert van der Graaf Volkert van der Graaf (born 9 July 1969) is a Dutch convicted murderer who assassinated politician Pim Fortuyn, the leader of the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) party, on 6 May 2002. Van der Graaf shot Fortuyn outside a radio studio in Hilversum shortly ...
, murderer of Pim Fortuyn * *
Gerrit Hiemstra __NOTOC__ Gerrit Hiemstra (born 19 August 1961) is a Dutch meteorologist and weather presenter. Since 1998 he is one of the weather presenters for the Dutch public news broadcaster NOS Journaal NOS Journaal is the umbrella name for the news br ...
* J. G. ten Houten,
extraordinarius ''Extraordinarius'' is a genus of South American huntsman spiders. It was first described by C. A. Rheims in 2019, and it has only been found in Brazil. Species it contains four species: *'' E. andrematosi'' Rheims, 2019 ( type) – Brazil *'' ...
(Extraordinary Professor) from 1971-'76 * George Tawia Odamtten *
Piet de Jong Petrus Jozef Sietse "Piet" de Jong (; 3 April 1915 – 27 July 2016) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP) now the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and naval officer who served as Prime Minister of the Neth ...
*
Martijn Katan Martijn Bernard Katan (born 1946) is a Dutch nutritionist, an emeritus professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and author of two popular science books on nutrition. Career Katan was born in Arnhem in 1946. He studied chemistry and biochemist ...
*
Ruud Koopmans Ruud Koopmans (born 2 February 1961, in Uithoorn) is a Dutch people, Dutch sociologist and professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin. His research focuses on Human migration, migration, social integration and transnationalization. Biography ...
* *
Joan Leemhuis-Stout Joan Marika Leemhuis-Stout (born 29 June 1946, in Hoogezand) is a Dutch politician and former civil servant. She is a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie). Leemhuis-Stout worked among ot ...
* Gatze Lettinga *
Helga van Leur Helga van Leur (born 8 September 1970) is a Dutch meteorologist. Born in Schoonhoven, she is best known for presenting the weather predictions during the news broadcast at RTL 4. Van Leur studied ''Bodem, Water en Atmosfeer'' (environmental stu ...
* * F. H. van Naerssen * Jan Odink * * *
Ramsewak Shankar Ramsewak Shankar (born 6 November 1937) is a Surinamese politician who was the 4th President of Suriname, serving from 1988 to 1990. His government was overthrown by Dési Bouterse leading a bloodless military coup. Shankar had previously served ...
*
Bernard Slicher van Bath Bernard Hendrik Slicher, since 1933 calling himself Slicher van Bath, was a Dutch social historian, best known internationally for his 1960 work ''The Agrarian History of Western Europe, AD 500–1850'' and regarded as the initiator of quantitati ...
*
Willie Smits Willie Smits (born February 22, 1957, in Weurt, Gelderland, the Netherlands) is a trained forester, a microbiologist, conservationist, animal rights activist, wilderness engineer and social entrepreneur. He has lived in Indonesia since 1985 an ...
*
Marco Fraaije Marco Wilhelmus Fraaije (born 7 December 1968) is a Dutch scientist whose research concerns enzymology of redox enzymes, enzyme discovery & engineering and biocatalysis at the Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB) at t ...
* *, first Dutch woman on Mount Everest *
Jan-Benedict Steenkamp Joannes Evangelista Benedictus Maria "Jan-Benedict" Steenkamp (born June 12, 1959) is a marketing professor and author. He is the Knox Massey Distinguished Professor of Marketing at Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at ...
* * Jan Valckenier Suringar *
Abbie Richards Abbie Richards (born 1996) is a misinformation educator and environmental activist whose conspiracy theory charts went viral on Twitter in 2020 and 2021. Early life and education Richards was born in 1996 and grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. S ...
*
Cees Veerman Cornelis Pieter "Cees" Veerman (born 8 March 1949) is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and economist. Veerman applied at the Rotterdam School of Economics in May 1967 majoring in Economics obtaining a ...
* *
Annemiek van Vleuten Annemiek van Vleuten (born 8 October 1982) is a Dutch professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . Van Vleuten is a two-time winner of both the road race (2019 and 2022) and the time trial (2017 and 2018) at the UCI ...
*
Joris Voorhoeve Joris Jacob Clemens Voorhoeve (born 22 December 1945) is a retired Dutch politician, diplomat of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and political scientist. Voorhoeve studied Political science at the Leiden University obtaining a ...
*
Anne Vondeling Anne Vondeling (2 March 1916 – 22 November 1979) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and agronomist. Vondeling studied Agronomy at the Wageningen Agricultural College obtaining a Master of Science in Engineering degree and wor ...
*
Marijke Vos Maria Bernadina (Marijke) Vos (born 4 May 1957 in Leidschendam) is a Dutch politician. Career Pre-political career Vos's father was a judge in 's-Hertogenbosch. Her grandfather, A.H.J. Engels was member of parliament for the Roman-Catholic ...
*
Willem de Vos (academic) Willem M. de Vos (born 30 October 1954, in Apeldoorn) is a Dutch academic and microbiologist. He studied for his PhD at the University of Groningen. He is notable for winning the Spinozapremie in 2008. De Vos is currently serving as an Academy Prof ...
*
Henk Vredeling Hendrikus "Henk" Vredeling (20 November 1924 – 27 October 2007) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). Decorations References External links ;Official *Ir. H. (Henk) VredelingParlement & Politiek 1924 ...
*
Simon Vroemen Simon Frans Vroemen (born 11 May 1969 in Delft, South Holland) is a Dutch runner, specialising in the steeplechase. Biography Vroemen has a degree in molecular sciences from the Wageningen University. He wrote his dissertation on the stress p ...
*, CEO of
Heineken Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 Febr ...
* * *
Hendrik de Wit Hendrik (Henk) Cornelis Dirk de Wit (24 October 1909 – 16 March 1999) was a Dutch systematic botanist who contributed significantly to the knowledge of the Aroid genera '' Cryptocoryne'' and '' Lagenandra''. He grew up in the Waterland, a ...
* *
Onno van de Stolpe Onno van de Stolpe (born 25 October 1959, Geldrop) is a Dutch businessman and is currently CEO of Galapagos NV, a drug discovery and development company. He will retire in April 2022. Education Van de Stolpe obtained an MSc degree from the Agr ...


See also

* List of agricultural universities *
World Soil Museum The World Soil Museum (WSM) displays physical examples of soil profiles (monoliths) representing major soil types of the world, from the volcanic ash soils from Indonesia to the red, strongly weathered soils from the Amazon region. The museum is ...
*
Open access in the Netherlands Scholarly communication of the Netherlands published in open access form can be found by searching the National Academic Research and Collaborations Information System (NARCIS). The web portal was developed in 2004 by the of the Netherlands Orga ...


References


External links

*
Wageningen University & Research
{{Authority control 1918 establishments in the Netherlands Agricultural universities and colleges in the Netherlands Education in Gelderland Educational institutions established in 1918 Forestry education History of Wageningen Universities in the Netherlands