I need help, big time! What Master's programme should I choose? IMBRsea or Wageningen aquaculture?

[CrustaceanQueen]

Dear all, (sorry for the long message, but seriously - I am STRESSING BIG TIME!)

 

I need your guys help and expertise. As we all have been in these situations before, and I am yet again in it again. 

I got a slight luxury problem, I got accepted to two master's I have applied to. One it the IMBRsea program, which is a mobility program, which used to be part of the ERAMUS+ programmes. It is really cool, I have been placed in Italy, Algarve and Italy again for the three semesters. I will be studying fisheries and marine habitat restauration and conservation (which are my main interests).

However, I also got accepted to the Masters Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. It is a really great masters, really well known around the world, it's got the name. Unfortunately, it is really aquaculture focused, but with the specialization of marine governance I could make it more my own. Especially with the internship and thesis topic, you can really focus on where you want to work in after you've completed the masters. 

I've got two great options, but I do not know which one to choose. The IMBRsea programme, is great, might be of less quality, however, I am not sure about that. But it is a mobility programme, which shows that people who have followed the program are able to adapt and work in different circumstances in no problem. On the other hand, I got an Aquaculture masters in Wageningen, the name of the university might result in a faster acceptance of a potential job after graduation. Two options, one programme (IMBRsea) you will get a broader education on different varying (chosen) topics over the course of 1,5 years. And the other (Wageningen) is a well structed applied masters where you will study in depth one year, do an internship for a semester and write your thesis.

I just need your guys opinion and wise words. What are your experiences in the two programmes, or other mobility Masters programs? What is your advice to me on how to make a decision, cause I have got a week to decide as I will have to make my first enrolment payment for the IMBRsea programme.

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by CrustaceanQueen

[dippedincoffee]

Are any of these funded? In my opinion it is not worth doing an advanced degree without getting funded, especially in science.

[CrustaceanQueen]

@dippedincoffee for the imbrsea I got a partial scholarship, which makes it just as expensive as the Dutch education (€2100 p/y). For that I can get money from the government, which I'm really lucky that we have a system like that. 

On the other side, many European countries have lower to no study fees, so it's just how you look at it. 

[Narwhallaby]

Hey!
I'm currently close to finishing a related bachelor's degree at Wageningen University and I can't recommend the place enough. It's been an inspiring academic environment to me and a great place to live. It's definitely one of the best universities for conservation, (marine) ecology, environmental sciences and fisheries, in Europe and worldwide. I'm considering similar MSc. degrees myself so I'll share what I think Sorry for the length...

I don't think the program MSc. Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management is mostly focused on aquaculture but it definitely is on the applied side of things (as is the whole university). It sounds to me like a good fit if you want to focus on fisheries and marine habitat restauration and conservation, although you might want to look at the marine resources and ecology track as an option instead of marine governance if you want to go in that direction.
There is a lot of freedom within all MSc. programs at Wageningen University, especially in the second year when you do your internship and thesis, both of which you could use to focus on your interest areas. You should know that, although the support system is fine, Wageningen University does give its students a lot independence and responsibility to keep up and go after opportunies, which has to suit you. I was an MSc. intro mentor last year and noticed the pace can feel quite high for incoming master's students. If you ask me, the 6 month internship is a big advantage of this degree compared to the shorter IMBRSea one. I know plenty master's students from Wageningen University who used the professional experience of their internship to land their first job.
If you're interested in going international, Wageningen has many (usually 1 semester to 1 year) exchange agreements with high quality universities all over the world, but it will usually cost you extra time to go abroad during your master's degree because it is not part of the standard program, so keep that in mind.

I'm less familiar with theIMBRSea degree but it looks very well-designed. An advantage of the IMBRSea program is probably its EU support, which could be an advantage if you know you're interested in an EU focused career. It might also be the best option if you're interested in working in Italy/Portugal(/Spain). It looks like you can keep your coursework a bit broader, which could suit you more or not.
You're right about the advantages of Wageningen University's quality and reputation though, which are mostly important if you know you want to continue in academia, and probably if you want to work in Western/Central Europe after your MSc. I'm not sure how well-known either is outside of Europe. If a career academia is your goal, it is usually also possible to write two theses instead of doing an internship in Wageningen, which can be great when you know you want to apply for a PhD position. PhD positions in the Netherlands are generally paid employee positions (which is great ofc.).

Getting uni funding for an MSc. degree is very uncommon in the Netherlands btw, because fees are not very high, almost all academic BSc. students progress to an MSc. and there is government funding for students from low-income families. If you are from a developing country or have refugee status I believe there are some options you could look into though.

Edited May 9, 2020 by Narwhallaby

[CrustaceanQueen]

@Narwhallaby thank you so much for you advice. I was talking about duo, Dutch loan system, but it's a good system (could be better though). 

I still haven't decided, but in leaning more towards the imbrsea program. Especially because I got a scholarship. But at the same time stil super conflicted. I know that Wageningen is a great university, I also looked at nature and forest conservation master's degree. But if there would have been a mix between the two masters it would have been perfect. 

I really like to work is Asia in the end, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, mainly in sustainability, education, maybe doing research (but don't think I'll continue my work in science). My strengths have always been speaking (sounds weird, but I love educating) and organising, if it's combined with research I'll love to do so but it's not my goal. I have an applied bsc in coastal zone and marine management. 

Tbh, I really don't know why I waiver so much still. Both programs are good, I can't make a bad decision (I think), however, it does feel like I could make a huge mistake by choosing the one over the other.

 

[Narwhallaby]

No problem! Good luck with your decision!

[CrustaceanQueen]

@Narwhallaby hey hey, just giving an update. I've decided to choose for the imbrsea program. Just made my first painful payment. But I'm excited for what's going to come.

[Gervaise-Barre]

Hello I am in the same situation too , I have been accepted to the IMBRSea program so I would like to know do you regret choosing IMBRSea ? Is the teaching program a little lighter than an usual university because it is an Erasmus program or is it as much educative ? I am hesitating with the master of sea sciences at Sorbonne University too and I would like to choose the best of both masters.