Study programme

The first semester of the Master of Science in Behaviour, Evolution and Conservation is composed of compulsory courses aiming to complete the methodological skills acquired throughout the Bachelor studies, in particular scientific writing, as well as to reinforce knowledge in the fields of molecular genetics, phylogeny, evolution, and population biology. Students have the opportunity to become familiar with research by doing an introductory research project (First step).

Over the course of the second, third and fourth semester, students must acquire 40 ECTS by following specialised courses. The course offering is enhanced by various collaborations, either with the Master of Science in Molecular Life Sciences of the School of Biology, or with external institutions (for example: with the Vaud Centre for Wildlife Preservation or the Haute Ecole Spécialisée in Environment of Lullier). Some courses are given in the form of field training courses as a way of discovering the fauna and flora of various environments (e.g., marine, alpine, Mediterranean). Concurrently, students integrate into one of the research groups associated with the Master and start their personal Master research project.

Warning

The pandemic has shown us that circumstances beyond our control may require us to make adjustments/adaptations to schedules. Therefore, the various schedules of the School of Biology courses may be subject to change. They are regularly updated. The date of the last version of the schedule is indicated in the name of the document.

Warning

The pandemic has shown us that circumstances beyond our control may require us to make the following adjustments /adaptations to study plans during the semester:

• possibility to switch from one mode of teaching to another (face-to-face <-> distance, synchronous <-> asynchronous, switch to co-modal teaching where it was not initially planned).
• change / modification of evaluation modalities, without inducing derogations from the Study Regulations (oral <-> written, exam <-> validation, individual work <-> group work, practical work <-> theoretical work, face-to-face evaluation <-> online evaluation, etc.)
• alternative or time-shifted modalities for teachings, internships, practical work, fieldworks and camps that could not take place or teachings that could no longer take place in the form initially planned.  

Students are invited to consult this document regularly (Study Plan & Evaluation Procedure).

Course descriptions

The course descriptions are available on the internet of the University of Lausanne at the page: Programmes offered at the UNIL under the heading Structure of the Stage .

Archives

For the study plans of previous academic years, please visit our Archives page.

Registration for courses and exams

For students following a Master's curriculum at the School of Biology, the registration for courses is mandatory and can be done via the Internet from the link below, within the periods set by the School of Biology at the beginning of semester. Outside of these periods, registration is not possible.

Make sure that you have activated your UNIL computer access
 

Registration tutorial for BEC Master courses

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Deadlines

Autumn semester:

• September 19 to October 15, 2023 Registration for courses and exams of the autumn semester

• October 16 to 29, 2023: Withdrawal for exams of optional courses of the winter session

Spring semester:

• February 19 to March 17, 2024: Registration for courses and exams of the spring semester

• March 18 to March 31, 2024: Withdrawal for exams of optional courses of the summer session

The School of Biology does not accept any registration, amendment or withdrawal outside of the registration periods.

Registration and Examination Sessions Calendar  (223 Ko)

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Requests for special arrangements for study and examinations

Requests for special arrangements for students with disabilities are governed by the Directive of the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Biology and Medicine “Mesures de soutien et aménagements pour les étudiants en situation de handicap").The Directive is the only authoritative document on the conditions, deadlines, procedures, etc. for requests for special arrangements with disabilities.

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Application deadlines

Requests for special arrangements for the exams should be sent to biologie-etudiants@unil.ch within the first 6 weeks of the semester:

• October 30 for the winter session
• March 31 for the summer and fall sessions

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Form and content of applications

All requests must be made by the student in writing and must be accompanied by an expert opinion from a specialized service or doctor. Learning disabilities (dys* problems) can be certified by a logopedist.

The official document (in the original version!) certifying the disability must contain the following elements:

• the medical diagnosis in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental and Psychiatric Disorders (DSM-V), information on the degree of severity of the disability and the trend of evolution
   
• detailed and legitimate proposals for the requested special arrangements
   
• the duration of the requested accomodations in accordance with the expected development

The medical expertise must have been carried out within a recent period of time, less than 12 months, or be confirmed by the attending physician within the same period of time, in order to attest to its validity for the period concerned, i.e., the date of commencement of studies and of the examination session for which the request for accommodation is made.

If the student has benefited from support and special measures during a previous training, they should, if possible, also submit the document mentioning the measures obtained.

The documents must be written in French, English, German or Italian.

Any incomplete application (or one written in a language other than those specified above) will be refused and must be completed in accordance with the above-mentioned elements within the specified deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to ask their doctor to establish a medical certificate in accordance with the above-mentioned indications.

NB: For dyslexics and dysorthographics, a report from a logopedist may be accepted in lieu of the medical certificate.
 

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Application decision

The School of Biology makes a decision, specifying the special arrangements accepted and the duration for which they are granted. It reserves the right not to grant all or part of the requested arrangements depending on the available resources (human, infrastructure, etc.) or if the request is disproportionate.

Warning

The pandemic has shown us that circumstances beyond our control may require us to change / modify the evaluation modalities, without inducing derogations from the Study Regulations (oral <-> written, exam <-> validation, individual work <-> group work, practical work <-> theoretical work, face-to-face evaluation <-> online evaluation, etc.)

Students are invited to consult this document regularly (Study Plan & Evaluation Procedure).

Dates of exam sessions and session schedules

The dates of the exam sessions are in the file: 

 Exam schedule 2023-2024 (in french only)

Students must be available throughout the entire period of each session. The examination schedules are listed below before each session. Students are notified of the publication of the exam schedules by email.

WARNING : The schedules published on the website are subject to change and no appeal based on the published schedules can be made.

Examination program

At the end of each exam period, an electronic record is prepared for each student, indicating if the student has passed or failed the corresponding step in the Bachelor or Master curriculum.
The requirements for passing these steps are given just below.

Marked copies consultation

On request students have access to marked copies of their examinations after each examination session. The student has to ask the teacher within 7 days following the exam publication.

Consulting an examination copy could serve to understand the note obtained or to set of arguments for building a case for appeal.

• To consult an examination (in French only) : Directive interne pour la consultation des examens

 

Appeals

An appeal can only be lodged within the 33 calendar days following the electronic notification of the exam results (initial date = email announcing the publication of the results on MyUNIL, sent by the secretariat of the School of Biology).

To be accepted, an appeal must:

• Cite precise and admissible motives, such as non-compliance with the regulations, improper procedure, grievance over arbitrariness.

• Be written by the student or be accompanied by a proxy of the student if it is lodged by a third person.

Address the appeal to:

Direction de l’Ecole de biologie
Quartier UNIL-Sorge
Bâtiment Amphipôle
CH-1015 Lausanne

Service juridique provides you with an internet page dedicated to Appeals (only in French) : www.unil.ch/service-juridique/home/menuinst/recours-etudiants.html

• General Study Rules for the Bachelor and Master in Biology (in French only)

• Study regulations for the Master of Science in Behaviour, Evolution and Conservation (in French only)