MSc In Ecology and Sustainable Development

In a world facing complex environmental problems, ecological understanding and a systems perspective are fundamental to finding sustainable solutions. If you are interested in nature and want to address global challenges, this program is the right choice.

By applying ecological theories and quantitative methods, you will learn how to identify crop management strategies for biological control, evaluate the preservation status of nature reserves, and analyze regional ecosystem services and how they interplay with social and economic systems.

Collaborative research

Ecology courses at LiU have a research perspective and are based on cases where you work closely with fellow students, teachers, and researchers in a collaborative atmosphere. As a student, you take part in outstanding research in, for example, conservation ecology and sustainable development. You will sharpen your skills in experimental design, theoretical thinking, modeling, systems analysis, and scientific communication.

Internship and one-year thesis

During a six-week internship and in your one-year thesis project, you will have the opportunity to go deeper into areas of your interest and to establish a professional network for your future working life. Possible thesis subjects include biodiversity, species interaction in food webs, and nutrient cycling.

Syllabus

Purpose

The Master’s program in Ecology and Sustainable Development aims to provide the students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for a professional in the field or for further postgraduate studies. The program meets both national and international needs from universities, industry, and society in general. The education intends to provide in-depth knowledge in ecology and its applications in nature conservation and environmental management.

Students graduating from the Master's program in Ecology and Sustainable Development shall:

• be well prepared for advanced scientific communication with different target groups.
• be able to contribute to the sustainable development of society.
• be well prepared for further postgraduate studies, but also for advanced positions in the national or international labor market.

Aim

Disciplinary knowledge and reasoning

Graduates from the Master's program in Ecology and Sustainable Development demonstrate theoretical knowledge and understanding of ecology, including a broad knowledge of the area and considerable in-depth knowledge in certain parts of the area. The graduates are also acquainted with current research in the field.

The program builds upon a Bachelor's education in Biology, where fundamental knowledge in the area has been acquired. Entry requirements include at least 5 ECTS credits in Ecology.

Graduates from the Master's program in Ecology and Sustainable Development have acquired advanced knowledge in ecological theory and analysis. Also, the graduated student knows how this theory can be applied within e. g. nature conservation, biological pest control, and wetland design for water purification. The program covers current theories in population, society, and systems ecology in a broad sense, but also gives in-depth knowledge in certain areas. A graduate from the Master's programme in Ecology and Sustainable Development has gained:

• knowledge in current issues in the field of environment and natural resource management
• ability to identify how ecological skills can be used to contribute to the development of a sustainable society, including how to prioritize between different areas of development
• awareness of current ecological theories
• ability to plan and implement ecological studies in the field and in the laboratory
• ability to evaluate and interpret data from environmental monitoring software and experiments
• ability to carry out ecological risk assessments
• ability to use mathematical and statistical tools and models for structuring and analyzing complex ecological problems, and familiarity with current software for this purpose.

The Master's programme in Ecology and Sustainable Development is conducted in close collaboration with strong research environments, which gives the students insight into current research and development within the areas of ecological networks and species extinction, the spread of infection, food safety, and recirculation of nutrients in the socioecological context, biodiversity, nature conservation, and landscape ecology. During the Master's thesis work, the student can work for a full year with a research group, a company, or a public authority, getting very well acquainted with research findings within one of the areas. The graduated student is also able to design a scientific study and is skilled in critically reading relevant research literature.

Personal and professional skills and attributes

Students who graduated from the Master's programme in Ecology and Sustainable Development have achieved the individual and professional skills and attitudes required to be able to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and to analyze and evaluate complex issues even with limited information. The graduates can also take responsibility at work or during post-graduate studies concerning work ethics, reliability, and respect for the expertise of other professionals. Students from the program can make relevant judgments regarding scientific, social, and ethical aspects.

Interpersonal skills: Teamwork and communication

Students having graduated from the Master's programme in Ecology and Sustainable Development can collaborate with other people. This requires the ability to actively participate in a project with designated roles, tasks, and responsibilities. The graduates can also initiate, plan, lead and evaluate larger projects. Students who graduated from the programme are skilled in written and oral communication. The students can present information, problems, and solutions in a structured way with relevant techniques, in English or in their native language, to different target groups.

Planning, execution, and presentation of research or development projects with respect to scientific and societal needs and requirements

Students who graduated from the Master's programme in Ecology and Sustainable Development shall have knowledge about the natural scientist and the role of natural science in society. The graduates also understand the social and economic conditions in the field and in the related research area. They can initiate, conduct and present advanced development projects with established methods.

Teaching and working methods

The program comprises four semesters of full-time studies and leads to a Master of Science (120 credits) in Biology. The teaching language is English. The included courses are found in the curriculum. Courses are mainly organized around case studies that are solved individually or in groups. This often involves independent planning of a more or less extensive task that is to be reported orally or in writing. This achievement is supplemented with compulsory laboratory work, seminars, and field studies.

The Master thesis work is mainly performed during the second year and comprises 30, 45, or 60 högskolepoäng (equivalent to ECTS credits). This means that the student may choose a less extensive master thesis and combine this with further course studies in other related areas, or more in-depth courses in the same field.

In the curriculum, it is specified which courses are mandatory (m), elective (e), or voluntary (v). Also, the notation m/e could be found, which means that one of a group of courses should be selected. Courses not included in the curriculum must be approved by the program board after consultation with the study counselor. The courses should be relevant to the program.

Research

Sustainable nutrient and energy management

Natural resources are the building blocks of any ecosystem. Understanding where these resources are, how they flow on our landscapes, and why we see these use patterns are key questions to inform more sustainable management.

Conservation Ecology Group

The management of species-rich grassland and deciduous forests has changed drastically over the last 80 years. Many species have become rare and endangered as the resources and habitat decrease. We study what is needed to preserve diversity.

Ecological networks and community ecology

We use ecological networks and other modeling approaches to address a variety of community ecology questions.

Theoretical Biology

The research in the division of Theoretical Biology is based on mathematical modeling. Using this approach we study the structure and dynamics of different kinds of large-scale biological systems, such as ecological and epidemiological systems.

_Are you curious about what it is like to study at LiU? Join us for a chat about what it is like to live and study on our campuses in Sweden. We offer free webinars and recordings for both prospective and admitted degree students throughout the year. Visit our _ _Meet us online _ _page. _

About Linköping University

Linköping University will never rest on its laurels.

In close collaboration with the business world and society, Linköping University (LiU) conducts world-leading, boundary-crossing research in fields including materials science, IT and hearing. In the same spirit, the university offers many innovative educational programs, many of them with a clear vocational focus, leading to qualification as, for example, doctors, teachers, economists, and engineers.

The university has 32,000 students and 4,000 employees on four campuses. Together we seek answers to the complex questions facing us today. Our students are among the most desirable in the labor market and international rankings consistently place LiU as a leading global university.

LiU achieved university status in 1975 and innovation is our only tradition.

History of Linköping University

In 1975 Sweden’s sixth university was founded in Linköping. Since then Linköping University (LiU) has grown considerably, expanding to Norrköping and Stockholm.

Linköping has been an important center of learning since medieval times when Linköping Cathedral offered a school with extensive international contacts and its own student hall in Paris. In 1627 the Cathedral School became the third upper secondary school in Sweden and in 1843 a college for elementary school teachers began operations. In Norrköping, the Fröbel Institute – Sweden’s first college for training pre-school teachers – was founded in 1902.

From university college to university

What would later become Linköping University began to take shape in the mid-1960s. Higher education in Sweden was expanding and in 1965 the Swedish Parliament decided to establish a branch of Stockholm University, together with a university college of engineering and medicine, in Linköping.

In the autumn of 1967, the branch of Stockholm University moved into premises in central Linköping. There the first students could take courses in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Two years later the units for engineering and medicine got underway.

In 1970 education and research started moving into the recently built Campus Valla, a short distance from the town center. Buildings A and B were the first to be completed. The same year the various parts were merged to form Linköping University College, including faculties of engineering, medicine and arts, and sciences.

The new university college was the first in Sweden to offer study programs in Industrial Engineering and Management and Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering, both starting in 1969. A few years later, in 1975, Linköping University launched Sweden’s first Computer Science and Engineering program.

1975 was also the year when Linköping University College became Linköping University, the sixth university in Sweden. In line with the 1977 reform of the Swedish higher education system, teacher education was also transferred to Linköping University.

Interdisciplinary research and problem-based learning

Linköping University has always worked with innovation in education and research. In 1980 the newly formed Department of Thematic Studies adopted an approach that was new in Sweden. Research was organized in interdisciplinary themes, such as Technology and Social Change or Water and Environmental Studies. Scientists worked across boundaries to solve complex problems. LiU was also first in Sweden to introduce graduate research schools for different themes. The model later spread to other parts of the university and became a national success.

The new Faculty of Health Sciences (Hälsouniversitetet), formed in 1986, combined governmentally and regionally funded education. It introduced a radically changed methodology, being the first in Sweden to use problem-based learning, PBL. Later, LiU became the first university in the world to allow students from different health sciences programs to treat actual patients on a student-managed training ward.

Expansion to Norrköping – and Stockholm

A significant milestone in the history of the University was the opening of Campus Norrköping in 1997. Some programs had previously operated from Norrköping, but the number of students now grew drastically in line with government efforts to expand higher education. Historical factories in the former industrial district were again filled with life, as they were filled with classrooms, laboratories, cafés, a library and of course students.

Linköping University also expanded to Stockholm when the reputable Carl Malmsten School of Furniture sought a collaborative partner from the academic sector. The Malmsten furniture design and handicraft programs became part of LiU in 2000. After almost 60 years at Södermalm in central Stockholm, Malmstens moved to new premises on the island of Lidingö in the autumn of 2009. LiU got its fourth campus.

Buro Millennial / Pexels

LiU in figures

Some important figures for Linköping University.

Education

• 32,000 students (full-time equivalents 17,907)
• 21,400 on Campus Valla
• 5,500 on Campus Norrköping
• 3,900 on University Hospital Campus (US)
• 2,100 distance students and students in other locations, including Campus Lidingö

(Some students take courses on more than one campus.)

• 120 study programs, of which 27 are international programs in English
• 550 single-subject courses
• Exchange agreements with 400 universities in 50 countries
• 2,400 international students
• 2,200 first cycle degrees
• 2,700 second-cycle degrees

Research and scientific training

• 300 professors
• 1,200 PhD students
• 40 licentiate degrees
• 140 doctoral degrees

Staff

• 4,000 employees (full-time equivalents 3,156)