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Fish Genomics Master’s in Europe — €1,400/Month

Fish Genomics Master’s in Europe — €1,400/Month

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What if the fish on tomorrow’s farms were bred the way data scientists breed algorithms — selected gene by gene, for faster growth, stronger disease resistance and less feed? That is exactly what the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master in Animal Biodiversity and Genomics (EMABG) teaches, and its third intake is open now. It is a two-year, English-taught master’s across six European universities, and scholarship holders get their participation costs covered plus €1,400 a month. Applications close on Friday 15 January 2027.

Read this first, because it decides whether this post is for you: EMABG is not a fisheries-only degree. It is a master’s in animal breeding and genomics that covers farm animals, fish and companion animals — and the fish angle is real and explicit: the programme’s own pages say it focuses on developing sustainable breeding programmes for farm animals, fish and companion animals, and that high-throughput genomic markers have revolutionised how livestock and aquaculture species are bred. If you are a fisheries graduate who wants to work on the genetics side of aquaculture — broodstock improvement, genomic selection, conservation of fish genetic resources — this is one of the few fully funded European master’s built for exactly that. If you only want pond management or fish nutrition, look at the aquaculture-only alternatives linked at the end instead.

The scholarship at a glance

Programme Erasmus Mundus Joint Master in Animal Biodiversity and Genomics (EMABG)
Duration 2 years (120 ECTS), full-time, taught in English
Intake 3rd intake — 2027 entry; applications opened Tuesday 15 September 2026
Scholarship deadline Friday 15 January 2027
Self-funded deadlines Non-EU: Monday 15 February 2027 • EU: Thursday 15 April 2027
Scholarship value Participation costs covered + €1,400 per month (limited number, competitive)
Universities 6 — Norway, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, France, Sweden (see below)
Where to apply EMABG application database (linked from emabg.eu)

What the scholarship actually pays

The EMABG FAQ states it plainly: as a scholarship holder, your participation costs are covered and you receive a monthly scholarship of €1,400. Participation costs are mainly the tuition fees at both of your host universities. One application covers both the scholarship and the master’s itself — there is no separate scholarship form, and the deadlines are the same. Two honest limits: the number of scholarships is limited, and admission alone does not guarantee funding, so a strong file matters.

If you apply as a self-funded student, the costs depend on your track and your country group. Students from Programme Countries (the EU member states plus North Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia and Turkey) pay €4,500 per year. Students from Partner Countries — every other country, including India — pay €10,000 per year for the NMBU–BOKU, NMBU–Göttingen and NMBU–AgroParisTech tracks, and €19,000 per year for the NMBU–SLU and NMBU–Wageningen tracks. The difference is mainly the tuition fees of the second-year university. The official costs page also warns that participation costs do not cover travel, living and stay, and that you should budget an average of €1,400 per month over the 24 months for living, accommodation and travel — a useful planning figure even for scholarship holders, since the stipend and the estimated costs are the same number.

Six universities, five specialisations

Every student spends the first year at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in Norway, then moves to a second partner university for the second year, depending on the chosen specialisation. The consortium is BOKU University (Austria, the coordinator), Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands), Georg-August-University Göttingen (Germany), AgroParisTech (France), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU, Sweden) and NMBU (Norway).

Conservation genomics for rare and endangered breeds and species Wageningen (NMBU–WUR track)
Designing and implementing breeding programmes for small populations BOKU, Vienna (NMBU–BOKU track)
Bioinformatics applied to biodiversity and genomics SLU, Sweden (NMBU–SLU track)
One health: health and welfare in humans and animals Göttingen, Germany (NMBU–UGOE track)
Understanding biodiversity: integrative biology AgroParisTech, France (NMBU–APT track)

For Fisheries India readers, the two most relevant tracks are conservation genomics at Wageningen — directly applicable to conserving fish genetic resources and endangered aquatic species — and breeding programmes for small populations at BOKU, the core skill behind any fish broodstock improvement programme. The bioinformatics track at SLU is the data-heavy route: genomic selection and precise phenotypes are where modern aquaculture breeding is heading. Your application must name your three preferred study tracks (for example NMBU–SLU, NMBU–WUR or NMBU–BOKU), so choose before you apply, not after.

Why fish breeders should care

The programme’s own description puts it bluntly: the availability of high-throughput genomic markers and automated phenotypic data has “resulted in dramatic change in the understanding of genetic mechanisms and in the way livestock and aquaculture species are bred.” That is the whole opportunity in one sentence. Indian aquaculture still selects broodstock largely on appearance and pedigree; the industry’s next decade will be won by whoever can read a genome and predict which fish will grow faster, resist disease and convert feed better. EMABG trains exactly that skill set — quantitative, population and molecular genetics applied to breeding — across species, so a graduate can walk into a hatchery, a breeding company or a research institute and run a genomic selection programme rather than just describe one.

The degree also builds in the international network that a breeding career runs on: two universities, two countries, a cohort drawn from around the world, and a thesis under joint supervision. Alumni profiles on the programme site include graduates now working in animal breeding and genetics roles internationally, and one former student’s thesis was on quantitative genetics in fish. The programme’s vision, in its own words, is to produce graduates who can manage breeding programmes in low-income countries, run breeding-value estimations for industry, and respond to climate change through breeding — all of which map directly onto India’s aquaculture needs.

Who can apply: eligibility

Degree Academic Bachelor of Science, minimum 180 ECTS, in Animal Science
Other relevant degrees Graduates of other relevant bachelor’s programmes must show mastery of mathematics/biostatistics/bioinformatics, zoology/anatomy/physiology of farm animals, biodiversity/breeding, and genetics/genomics
Final-year students Non-EU students may apply if they graduate by 15 March; EU students if they graduate by 1 July — with a signed, stamped letter from their university confirming this
Already hold a master’s? Yes, you can still apply — but Göttingen cannot accept students who already hold a master’s in a similar field
English Official test required (see table below) unless exempt

The degree rule is the first filter. A B.F.Sc. or a BSc in Zoology, Biotechnology or Fisheries Science is a relevant degree, but you must be able to show the listed foundations — especially genetics/genomics and biostatistics — in your transcript. A general biology degree with no genetics or breeding papers will struggle. The selection committee decides eligibility from your documents, so upload a complete, clearly translated transcript rather than hoping they will guess.

English language requirements

TOEFL iBT At least 92, with a minimum of 23 in speaking. Paper-based and ITP tests are NOT accepted. The Special Home Edition can be accepted, but you may need another test for your second-year university.
IELTS Academic At least 7.0 overall, with a minimum of 6.5 in speaking. IELTS Online and One Skill Retake are NOT accepted.
Cambridge CAE (C1 Advanced) Score 180–210, Grade C
Cambridge CPE (C2 Proficiency) Score 180–230, Grade C
Validity Certificates must have been taken no longer than two years before the application deadline
Exempt Applicants who completed their bachelor’s or master’s in Australia, Ireland, Canada (except Quebec), New Zealand, the UK or the USA — fully in English, on campus, not part of a double degree

Two warnings from the official pages. First, the English requirements are the official requirements of the partner universities and the programme states it makes no exceptions — your results must meet the overall score and the speaking sub-score. Second, proof that your earlier degree was taught in English is not accepted from any other country — an Indian applicant whose B.F.Sc. was taught in English still needs a test. Book early: a test taken more than two years before 15 January 2027 is stale, and a January test date that reports after the deadline does not help you.

Deadlines — three dates, don’t mix them up

Friday 15 January 2027 EMJM scholarship applications close — this is the deadline that matters for funded study
Monday 15 February 2027 Non-EU self-paying students
Thursday 15 April 2027 EU self-paying students

The official costs page adds a practical note: the consortium asks you to submit your complete application documents at least three weeks before the stated dates. Treat late December as your real deadline, not 15 January — a missing document on the last day means your file is not submitted to the selection committee at all. Only complete applications submitted through the application database are considered.

How to apply — step by step

  1. Pick your three preferred study tracks first. You must list them in your application (for example NMBU–WUR for conservation genomics, NMBU–BOKU for small-population breeding, NMBU–SLU for bioinformatics). This is a letter of preferred tracks, not a motivation letter — describe why you want those tracks.
  2. Check your English test. TOEFL iBT 92 (speaking 23), IELTS Academic 7.0 (speaking 6.5), or Cambridge CAE/CPE at the scores above — taken within the last two years. If yours is stale or below the speaking bar, book a new test now.
  3. Record your 1–2 minute motivation video. This is mandatory: explain on camera why you want to be part of the programme. MP4, maximum 50 MB, and the file title must be only your application number.
  4. Gather the documents, all as PDFs: dated, signed and stamped degree certificate (with English translation if not in English); full transcript of records with grading scale and average grade; passport scan; certificate of current residence issued within 12 months before the deadline; Europass-format CV emphasising employment, training, publications and research projects; a clear photo; your language certificate; your letter of preferred tracks; and two letters of recommendation from different people (professors or employers), each mentioning your name. Applicants from China, Mongolia and Vietnam must also add the APS certificate and send it to emabg@boku.ac.at before the deadline.
  5. Register on the EMABG application database (linked from emabg.eu) and submit everything there. Do not email documents to the consortium and do not apply directly to the partner universities — only applications through the database are accepted, and no hard copies are needed unless the consortium asks for them later.
  6. Submit at least three weeks before 15 January 2027. Only complete applications go to the selection committee; an incomplete file is registered but not forwarded until it is complete, and only applications sent by the deadline are considered.
  7. If you are still in your final year: upload the signed, stamped letter from your university confirming you will graduate by 15 March (non-EU) or 1 July (EU) — without it, your application cannot proceed.

Three things to know before you apply

The scholarship is competitive and limited. €1,400 a month plus covered participation costs is a strong package, but the programme states the number of scholarships is limited. Your video, CV, recommendations and track letter are what separate a funded offer from a self-funded one — treat them as seriously as your test score.

The English bar is high — and non-negotiable. IELTS 7.0 overall with 6.5 in speaking is well above the 6.5 overall many master’s programmes ask for, and the programme makes no exceptions. If your speaking score is the weak point, that is the skill to work on before January.

This is genomics, not general aquaculture. The degree is about breeding programmes, quantitative genetics and bioinformatics. It is the right funded route if your future is fish genetics, broodstock improvement or conservation genomics — and the wrong one if you want farm management or aquaculture production, for which the fully funded alternatives below fit better.

Frequently asked questions

Is the EMABG scholarship fully funded?
Scholarship holders get their participation costs (mainly tuition at both host universities) covered and receive €1,400 per month. The number of scholarships is limited and competitive — applying is also your scholarship application, and admission alone does not guarantee funding.

When is the deadline?
Friday 15 January 2027 for EMJM scholarship applications. Non-EU self-paying students have until Monday 15 February 2027, and EU self-paying students until Thursday 15 April 2027. The consortium advises submitting at least three weeks early.

Do I need a fisheries degree?
You need a BSc of at least 180 ECTS in Animal Science, or another relevant bachelor’s degree showing mastery of maths/biostatistics/bioinformatics, farm-animal zoology/anatomy/physiology, biodiversity/breeding and genetics/genomics. A B.F.Sc. fits well if your transcript shows those foundations.

What English score do I need?
TOEFL iBT 92 (speaking at least 23), IELTS Academic 7.0 (speaking at least 6.5), Cambridge CAE 180–210 Grade C, or CPE 180–230 Grade C. Certificates must be less than two years old at the deadline. Degrees completed in Australia, Ireland, Canada (except Quebec), New Zealand, the UK or the USA are exempt.

Which universities will I study at?
Everyone starts year one at NMBU in Norway. Year two is at one of five partners — Wageningen, BOKU Vienna, SLU Sweden, Göttingen or AgroParisTech — depending on your specialisation.

Can I apply if I am still finishing my bachelor’s?
Yes, if you graduate by 15 March (non-EU) or 1 July (EU) and upload a signed, stamped letter from your university confirming it.

Prefer pure aquaculture? These fully funded master’s are open now

Official links and sources

All dates, deadlines, fees, scholarship terms and eligibility rules above are taken from EMABG’s official programme, application-procedure, admission-requirements, FAQ and costs pages, verified 8 November 2026. EMABG is an animal breeding and genomics master’s covering farm animals, fish and companion animals — not a fisheries-only degree. The number of EMJM scholarships is limited and competitive. No exact 2027 start month is published on the official pages, so none is stated here. No application fee is stated on the official pages. Images in this post are illustrations.

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