New masters open for applications
The course, which has just taken on its first cohort of students, has been co-funded by the EU’s Erasmus Plus programme, which awarded SAMS and its partners just over €2 million to provide 41 fully funded scholarships.
The deadline for applicants seeking an Erasmus Plus scholarship for next year's course is February 19, while the deadline for self-funded candidates is June 5, 2016. A spokesman for SAMS revelealed to Fish Farming Expert they they've had 127 enquiries so far.
The two-year course aims to attract talented international students with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent), as well as mature students with relevant experience, in one of the fields of environmental or social sciences and will be run in partnership with ACES involves partners across the globe, including the universities of Nantes and Crete, United Nations University Institute of Water, Environment and Health (UNU INWEH) and the Huinay Research Station in Chile.
Italian student Francesco Boatta (pictured holding ulva seaweed)is part of the first ACES cohort, and has just started his studies at the Dunstaffnage-based institute. He said: “My application to the ACES Joint Master Degree was motivated by the perfect match I found between the programme and the interests arisen during my academic career. I saw it also as a great opportunity to develop my professional skills, to achieve an applied knowledge of aquaculture industry and its relation with society and to broaden my expertise in different fields across Europe.
“I firmly believe that this Masters Degree will provide me the opportunity to establish an international professional network, the privilege to learn directly from several academic and private sector experts and the tools to reach a highly-specialised professional competence, permitting me to be an active part in sustainable aquaculture development.”
Successful applicants spend semester one at SAMS, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), before going on to study finfish aquaculture in Greece and shellfish aquaculture in France. The students will then complete research projects at one of the three centres in semester four, before returning to Oban for the final student conference.
Dr Lois Calder, SAMS UHI’s head of education, said: “We are delighted to be co-ordinating this exciting programme and welcoming the first ACES students. The ACES Masters Degree is a fantastic opportunity for any student wishing to flourish in the aquaculture industry and we look forward to receiving applications now for the course beginning in August 2016.
“We have strong relationships with the aquaculture industry, which will help to build student networks and support personal and professional development of the very particular skill set they will need for the future.”
David Jarrad, Director of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain, said: “As a trade association, representing large and small aquaculture businesses UK-wide, we are often asked for sources of practical training and I believe this Joint Masters Programme will provide the opportunity to learn a broad range of skills relevant to the industry. The ACES programme will also address a pressing need in the European aquaculture sector for a mix of expert practical skill with high level scientific knowledge.”
