Ceremony of awarding diplomas to students of joint studies in Soil Science as part of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree program

On September 5, 2025, Ondokuz Mayis University in Samsun (Turkey) held a graduation ceremony for students of the international joint master's degree program, Erasmus Mundus Master Degree in Soil Science (emiSS), for the years 2023-2025.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of partner universities and national coordinators of the Erasmus Mundus program: Prof. Çetin Kurnaz, Vice-Rector of Ondokuz Mayis University, Prof. Muharrem Özcan, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Ondokuz Mayis University, Prof. Coşkun Gülser, project coordinator, Dr. Tomasz Zaleski, Prof. URK, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Economics at our University, Prof. Ivan Manolov, from the Agricultural University in Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Prof. Dr. Tomasz Zaleski, Prof. URK, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Economics at our University, Prof. Ivan Manolov, from the Agricultural University in Plovdiv (Bulgaria), and Prof. Ammar Albalasmeh from Jordan University of Science and Technology, as well as representatives of the teaching staff from partner universities, students, and their families.

This academic year, 22 students from the fourth intake (2023-2025) from 14 countries: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Togo, and Turkey.

During this solemn ceremony, students were awarded master's degrees in soil science from at least two universities where they studied, as well as a certificate confirming their studies under the emiSS program.

Since 2020, a total of 73 students from 27 different countries in Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe have completed this prestigious program. This group included 46 graduates who received their diplomas from the University of Agriculture in Krakow, among them 25 master's students from the Department of Soil Science and Agrophysics. It should be emphasized that a significant number of graduates have been accepted into doctoral programs at renowned universities in Europe and the United States. Graduates of our University are currently preparing their doctoral theses at universities in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Portugal, and the USA. Undoubtedly, this is a huge success for our graduates and a source of pride.

The teaching of emiSS program students involved staff from our University's Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, Faculty of Forestry, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Geodesy, and Foreign Language Studies.

We congratulate all students and wish them success in transferring the knowledge they have acquired to their countries and making a significant contribution to their economic development and  advances in agricultural and natural sciences.

More information on the project website.

 Text: Michał Gąsiorek