Organisation, Programme, Mobility

The EMAE study programme runs for 2 years and includes 20 months of study. Each year, a group of 20-24 students is selected including half non-European students and half European students.

First year: In September (period P0), students are welcomed in Poitiers for their integration (see below). Basic knowledge and skills are acquired in both Poitiers (P1: from September to December) and Norwich (P2: from January to March) in the main fields of Ecology, from a functional approach of ecosystems to the ecological consequences of global change. An elective field training completes the programme either in Coimbra or Kiel (respectively periods P3a and P3b: from April to July).

Second year: The second year corresponds to the elective specialization hosted by one of the EMAE institutions. This 2nd year includes a part of teaching (P4) and the project of Master's Thesis (P5). The Master's project is co-supervised and a part can be carried out in overseas partner institution using worldwide collaborative network in South and North America, Asia, Australia or in Europe. The number of students accepted for each specialization will be 6-8. During application, the student has to rank the alternatives by order of preference:

Environmental quality & Ecotoxicology, Coimbra (Portugal) (P4a & P5a)
Applied and Theoretical approaches in animal ecology and population biology, Poitiers (France) (P4b & P5b)
Environmental sciences & Conservation, Norwich (United Kingdom) (P4c & P5c)
Advanced studies on dynamics and function of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, Kiel (Germany) (P4d & P5d)

Degree: The programme ends by the defense of the Master's Thesis in the hosting institution. Students are "awarded" in Poitiers in September during a farewell congress during which they present their project to fellows and new incoming EMAE students (P6). The completion of the cursus is rewarded by M.Sc. multiple degree (2 or 3) detailing individual curriculum in a Diploma Supplement. The nature of the degrees awarded depends on the elective periods followed in the 1st year and in the 2nd year (specialization).

Language: The teaching language is English, excepted for one sub-specialization in France during the 2nd year where it will be mostly in French. During P0 an intensive language training in French is provided for all the students according their initial profiviency. During P1, a language course is offered in French, Portuguese and German according the institution chosen for the 2nd year and student's profile. During the next periods, language courses are also available in each visited institution.

Integration: The students are welcomed in Poitiers and EMAE local staff help them in all the administrative tasks (i.e. accomodation, French resident permit claiming, banking, academic admission, ...). A complete guideline will be available for selected students (have a look on the last Handbook concerning Poitiers).

For further details, see the programme table (or PDF), the catalogue of units (or PDF) and the examples of mobility, or download the latest presentation of EMMC-EMAE programme in Adobe PDf format.