Master’s Degree in Aquaculture

Presentation

The interuniversity Master’s degree in Aquaculture taught in the University of Vigo (UVIGO), in the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and in the University of A Coruña (UCD) gives the student an advanced, specific and multidisciplinary education oriented to educational, researcher and professional formation in Aquaculture. The students acquire knowledge, abilities and aptitudes which will allow them to design and carry out the research in the area of aquaculture, manage and control continental and marine facilities, evaluate their environmental impact and answer the I+D+i necessities by the implementation of strategies for the future development of industry.

This Official Master’s Degree has been designed to meet professional and research needs in all areas related to Aquaculture. The system used for its design involved more than three years of continuous meetings, during which experts from different areas related to Aquaculture participated, with the direct advice of professionals from the sector.

To ensure its success, the master’s program combined academic, professional, and research approaches. For this reason, not only do the three universities of the Galician University System (SUG) participate, but also all social entities in Galicia involved in any area related to Aquaculture, including training centers (Galician Institute of Training in Aquaculture, IGAFA), research centers (Spanish Institute of Oceanography, IEO; Marine Research Institute, CSIC; Marine Research Center, CIMA), as well as associations and business clusters such as the Galician Aquaculture Cluster and the Organization of Mussel Producers of Galicia (OPMEGA).

Main Objective

This master’s program has been designed to provide students with advanced, specific, and multidisciplinary training aimed at academic, research, and professional development in Aquaculture. It will provide the basic knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to conduct research in the field of aquaculture, design, manage, and control freshwater and marine facilities, assess their environmental impact, and respond to the R&D&I needs of the sector, implementing strategies that allow for the future development of the aquaculture industry.

Moreover, part of the program’s objectives is to respect and uphold the principles outlined in Royal Decree 1393/2007, regarding:

• Fundamental rights and equality between men and women.
• Human rights and the principles of universal accessibility.
• The values inherent to a culture of peace and democratic principles.

In addition, graduates of this program will acquire knowledge of:

• Obj01 – The biology and ecology of aquatic organisms of interest for aquaculture, and how to apply this knowledge to cultivation.
• Obj02 – Advances, methodologies, and tools used for controlling welfare, reproduction, nutrition, metabolism, growth, genetics, and pathology in species of interest for aquaculture.
• Obj03 – The key factors affecting growth, reproduction, and survival of aquatic organisms at each stage of the reproductive cycle, as well as the appropriate water and facility conditions.
• Obj04 – The interaction between aquaculture and the environment, both regarding the environmental impact of aquaculture activities and the effects of the environment on animal welfare.
• Obj05 – Design criteria and the engineering principles necessary to promote and/or manage an aquaculture system in a viable way.
• Obj06 – Technical, management, and market fundamentals required for the proper organisation of an aquaculture enterprise.
• Obj07 – Criteria necessary to achieve a high-quality product through good process management.
• Obj08 – Methodologies and tools required to conduct aquaculture research in public and private centers.
• Obj09 – How to design and develop research projects that generate new knowledge in aquaculture.
• Obj10 – The most relevant legislation in this field.

Competencies

CB – Basic Competences

CB01: Students will be ensured to possess and understand the knowledge that provides them with the capacity for innovation and originality in the development and/or application of ideas, both in professional contexts and in research.
CB02: Students will be ensured to know how to apply the acquired knowledge and their problem-solving capacity in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study.
CB03: Students will be ensured to be able to integrate knowledge and face the complexity of formulating interpretations and judgments based on often incomplete information, including reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to solving specific problems.
CB04: Students will be ensured to know how to communicate their conclusions (and the knowledge and reasoning behind them) to both specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous manner.
CB05: Students will be ensured to possess the learning skills that allow them to continue studying in a largely self-directed or autonomous way.

CG – General Competences

CG01: Acquisition of analytical and forecasting skills regarding the current and future situation of aquaculture.
CG02: Appreciation of the importance of debate and teamwork, interpersonal communication, and responsibility.
CG03: Valuing the importance of multidisciplinary analyses and the interrelation of knowledge for problem-solving and critical point analysis.
CG04: Use appropriate scientific terminology.
CG05: Write and defend professional reports and scientific publications, promoting audiovisual, oral, and written expression.
CG06: Locate and consult necessary information sources and databases; analyze and synthesize documents.
CG07: Contribute to knowledge by proposing and developing research and cultivation projects.
CG08: Enhance the use of foreign languages.
CG09: Apply critical, logical, and creative thinking.
CG10: Ability to work individually on experimental design, demonstrating autonomy in laboratory work.

CE – Specific Competences

CE01: Assimilation of the importance of water quality and its monitoring.
CE02: Knowledge of the biological cycle and physiological and morphological aspects of cultivated animals and algae.
CE03: Develop and master techniques for cultivating fish, mollusks, other invertebrates, algae, and auxiliary cultures.
CE04: Control all physiological, metabolic, immunological, environmental, feeding, and other factors affecting the welfare of cultured species, and implement reproduction, production, maintenance, and pathology processes for key and potential aquaculture species.
CE05: Diagnose, prevent, and control diseases.
CE06: Perform quality control and traceability.
CE07: Acquire knowledge about the technical and design characteristics of cultivation facilities.
CE08: Prevent the potential environmental impact of aquaculture.
CE09: Organize production to ensure its viability.
CE10: Identify relevant research objectives and plan for their achievement.
CE11: Acquire basic and applied knowledge of genetics, genomics, and proteomics as applied to aquaculture.
CE12: Understand techniques used to assess the immune system and methodologies used to determine the effects of diet, stress, immunostimulants, and vaccination on the immune system.
CE13: Identify and apply applicable international, national, and EU legislation in aquaculture.

CT – Transversal Competences

CT01: Ability to manage time and tasks, and work under pressure or in critical situations (flexibility, willingness to change, effort).
CT02: Ability to work autonomously and make decisions.
CT03: Ability to work in teams: cooperation, debate, negotiation.
CT04: Skill in searching, analyzing, and interpreting varied information sources or sources in different languages (primarily English).
CT05: Skill in presenting knowledge and results: oral and written communication; analytical, critical, and synthetic capacity; use of IT resources.
CT06: Creativity, initiative, and entrepreneurial spirit.
CT07: Self-criticism; desire for improvement; interest in quality.
CT08: Commitment to ethics in the profession and society.
CT09: Respect for rules, diversity, multiculturalism, and the environment.

Structure and Distribution of Credits

The programme is structured into three main modules: 

• Mandatory Module: 30 ECTS
  Core foundational subjects that every student must complete.
• Speciality Subjects: 30 ECTS
  These consist of elective or specialised subjects in areas such as aquatic production or biotechnology in aquaculture, depending on the student’s chosen track (e.g., aquatic production or research/biotechnology).
• End‑of‑Master Project Module: 30 ECTS
  A capstone project that may be an enterprise internship or a research‑oriented project depending on the specialisation. 

Summary Table

Courses

• By term
• By year