Why study Blue Resources?

Businesses operating within the Blue Economy/industry are always looking for highly educated technical profiles. Not only is the worldwide ‘ocean economy’ valued at around US$ 1.5 trillion per year, the marine and maritime sectors are also rapidly evolving. In response, the University of Ghent and the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology have joined forces and developed one of the few programmes specifically aimed at the Blue Economy. It provides hands-on learning opportunities for (working) students to prepare for the rapidly evolving demands within the sector. Its approach is unique in that it combines online/distant learning with an on-site starting and closing event, providing you with the necessary flexibility for your personal schedule. You will have the opportunity to come into contact with relevant stakeholders within the industry whilst following workplace-based training. The combination of practical skills and an academic background, will offer you all the necessary tools needed to fully prepare for the rapidly evolving demands of the blue economy sector.

Which competences will you obtain?

The Blue Resource programme is an 8-month journey in which you will obtain 8 key competences that are highly useful within the Blue Economy sector:

  1. Practical experience and soft skills important for a career in the blue economy;
  2. Insights into business development and the commercial realities faced by the industry;
  3. Key employability skills acquired during a workplace-based internship;
  4. Application of appropriate scientific theoretical and practical concepts in a professional context;
  5. Ability to easily integrate within, or even lead, multidisciplinary teams;
  6. Strong communication skills with peers, various stakeholders in the blue economy field, and the general public, concerning scientific concepts and research;
  7. Acquisition of advanced scientific problem-solving capacity and the ability to formulate and test hypotheses, design multidisciplinary approaches and collect, analyze and interpret data; and
  8. Development of a network in an international and multidisciplinary context and, in turn, using it in an integrated problem-solving nature.

For whom?

Interested in a career in the Blue Economy or already active in the marine or maritime sector? You already obtained a Master’s degree but are looking to advance your skills? You can express yourselves in English; verbally and in writing? If your answer is three times yes, then this is the programme for you! As we offer a multidisciplinary program and a skill-gap analysis, people with different backgrounds are able to follow this course; varying from sciences, economics, law, and many more. Not sure if you’re eligible or need more info on the prerequisites? Click on this link.

Course modules

Module I: PREPARE

We're kicking off the Blue Resource programme with an introductory course which will give a broad overview and some preliminary insights into the different sectors of the Blue Economy in an international context. This course will be organized in a blended manner, consisting of an on-site opening event in Ostend, Belgium from the 10th until the 14th of January (2022), combined with the digital preparation of a group project. This opening event will consist of lectures and workshops which will cover the basic concepts in Blue Economy, as well as an introduction to the traditional and newly emerging marine and maritime sectors. Some themes that will be covered in this event: fisheries, aquaculture, coastal tourism, deep sea mining, advanced technologies,.. During this on-site event, you will not only get the opportunity to learn about the sector first-hand, but you will also get the chance to interact with lecturers, being experts from the industry and academia. This course will give you a solid basis for your further trajectory in this programme and throughout your professional career in Blue Economics. Follow this link for more information.
Aspiring a career in Blue Economics? Let's get you the relevant knowledge and skill set to obtain the right blue entrepreneurial mindset. This online course will give you the basics on accounting, marketing, operation management, and the different processes that need to be undertaken to draft your own potential business plan. After this course, you will have obtained the necessary toolbox to develop your very own business plan/startup, taking into account potential risks and ethical considerations. Follow this link for more information. 

Module II: ENGAGE

Get familiar with the roles and professions within the Blue Economy during a 10-week research or business internship. Get into contact with and perform your internship in a relevant company or institution active in the Blue Economy sector in Belgium, Ireland, or any other country. Already holding a position in a relevant company? Undertake you internship at you current employer - in agreement with your supervisor and mentor - and engage in an interesting research question/project. During your 10-week internship you will receive on-the-job training to improve your professional competence, under the guidance of a mentor in business and an academic supervisor from the university, and will be evaluated through a close monitoring system. Follow this link for more information. 
Complete your programme with an on-site closing event in Galway from the 5th until the 8th of September (2022). This course succeeds the internship and will focus on (1) exchanging experiences with peers, (2) identifying challenges and weaknesses in the internship setting, and (3) developing ideas for future developments, collaborations and improvements. Time to put all your obtained from previous course - as well as your internship - into practice! Via interactive workshops and discussion groups, you will learn how to put personal experiences in a broader context and how tot develop out-of-the-box solutions for shared challenges. Follow this link for more information.

Module III: BROADEN

The broaden module in this programme enables you to choose one of more additional courses from a shared list available from UGent and GMIT. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the program and the diverse backgrounds of all the students, you may have different training needs compared with your colleague students. Via an individual and in-depth skills-gap analysis, we propose certain courses aimed at further expansion of your Blue Economy competences. Follow this link for more information. 

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FAQ

We focus on a combination of online learning and blended working forms. Most courses are available in an online format. There are only 2 on-site activities where your physical attendance is required: (1) 5 days at Ostend, Belgium (10-14 January 2022) within the framework of the course ‘Emerging Issues in the Blue Economy’, and (2) 4 days at Galway, Ireland (5-8 September 2022) within the framework of the course ‘The Blue Economy in Practice’. You are also required to do a 10-week internship within the framework of the course ‘Research or Business Internship in the Blue Economy’. This internship can be completed in Belgium, Ireland or another country upon your preference.

This postgraduate program is a combination of online learning with blended working forms, which makes it possible to combine this course with a professional career. Your physical attendance is only required during our opening event at Ostend, Belgium (10-14 January 2022) and during our closing event at Galway, Ireland (5-8 September 2022). In addition you can complete your 10-week internship with your current employer, provided that the company is active within one of the marine sectors. Agreement of your supervisor and mentor is required.

You are eligible to apply for this postgraduate if you have a sufficient proficiency level of English and have already obtained a Master’s degree. Applications close at the 31st of October. Within 7 days after application, you will receive an email stating whether you are eligible or not for this program. In addition, the Educational Committee will evaluate each individual application based on scientific competences and skills during the first two weeks of November. Official approval by the Committee will be communicated at the latest on the 16th of November. Please be sure to include the legal copies of your diplomas, your curriculum vitae and motivational letter during the enrollment process so that the Educational Committee has the necessary information on your background and current competences related to this program. When you receive a positive recommendation of the Educational Committee, you will officially be enrolled in the Blue Resource program.

You can apply via following link. Please make sure to include following documents in your application; (1) Legal copies of your Bachelor and Master diplomas with diploma supplements stating courses followed and scores obtained per course (translated in English if documents are not in English) (2) Curriculum Vitae, (3) Motivational letter, and (4) Certificate of your English-language proficiency. Following certificates and corresponding scores are eligible:

  • a recent TOEFL Certificate: minimum score: 87 points (internet based)
  • a recent IELTS Certificate: minimum score: 6.5
  • a recent Certificate of a University Language Centre testifying that the student masters the necessary knowledge of English to function academically (specify CEF-level / minimum CEF-level B2)
  • a recent Cambridge English certificate: Cambridge English First (FCE) - grade A or B
  • a certificate proving that the student has followed at least 1 year of higher education in English

We offer a flexible trajectory which should enable you to complete this postgraduate program in the given time span. If you e.g. fail a course, you will be allowed one resit per academic year. However, if your current position does not allow you to combine your current activities with this postgraduate in one year, you can always contact us via info@blue-resource.eu to discuss different possibilities.

Complementary information can be found on the website of the University of Ghent via this link. Or contact us via info@blue-resource.eu!

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