Master’s Programme Ecology and Biodiversity
You want to deepen your knowledge from aquatic to terrestrial habitats and learn more about the impacts of biodiversity loss and habitat change as well as human impact on ecosystems?
The students of the Master’s Degree Programme Ecology and Biodiversity learn to act and think scientifically when dealing with interdisciplinary topics and challenges in the fields of ecology, biodiversity and evolution.
Graduates will have acquired theoretical and practical competencies to contribute to creating a society that is sustainable and capable of critical thinking. Students may specialise choosing from a variety of ecological disciplines.
Master of Science
Duration/ECTS-Credits
4 semesters/120 ECTS-Credits
Mode of Study
Full-time
Language
German
Requirements
Relevant bachelor's degree/equivalent
and Language Certificates
Faculty
Faculty of Biology
Level of qualification
Master (Second Cycle)
ISCED-11: Level 7, EQF/NQF: Level 7
ISCED-F
0521 Environmental sciences
Study Code
UC 066 833
FAQ
Graduates possess highly specialized knowledge in the fields of ecosystem and landscape ecology, limnology, and terrestrial animal and molecular ecology. They are able to demonstrate their abilities in fundamental research and applied science at the intersections of organisms, habitats and society through their capacity to formulate and susbtantiate arguments scientifically and to find innovative solutions to problems.
The goal of the Master's Programme Ecology and Biodiversity is the attainment of scientific knowledge and working methods for all ecologically-relevant disciplines and occupations.
The main emphasis is on the acquistion of knowledge in aquatic and terrestrial ecology, from molecular ecology to landscape ecology. The spectrum includes the relationships between organisms, populations, biocenoses and their environment, the structure and function of ecosystems and landscapes, and biodiversity and global change. Students treat research-related and application-oriented issues based on theoretical and experimental laboratory and field approaches. Much of the teaching content is closely linked to the key research areas "ecology of the Alpine region" and "mountain agriculture".
Career opportunities may include:
- careers in research and application-oriented areas, such as activities as an expert or consultant in politics, administration and economics,
- management positions and scientific work in private and public institutions (e.g. ecological risk management, nature and landscape conservation, biomonitoring, agricultural research, molecular ecological laboratories),
- research and teaching positions at universities and other national and international research institutions.
The master's programme also prepares students for doctoral studies.
Graduates tracking: Shows which occupational fields students enter after graduation
Department of Ecology Limnology Landscape Ecology Molecular Ecology Examination Office Information for students with disabilities
Curriculum
From the field
Biodiversity: climate to become main driver
The most comprehensive look to date into the past and future of global biodiversity is provided by a recent study in the journal Science: intensive land use reduced biodiversity by up to around 10 per cent over the course of the 20th century. By 2050, the climate crisis could become the main driver of further biodiversity loss alongside land use. Lauren Talluto from the Department of Ecology at the University of Innsbruck is part of the international team of authors.
The unknown climate factor from the permafrost
Ecologist Christina Biasi is exploring the conditions under which tiny organisms contribute to permafrost soils emitting nitrous oxide. Her research could be essential for the development of future climate scenarios.
High-alpine animal species need more protected areas
Melting glaciers due to global warming caused by the climate crisis have massive consequences for biodiversity in the Alpine region, as an international team of researchers including the Innsbruck ecologist Leopold Füreder has now shown for the first time for a period between 2020 and 2100. According to the study, numerous invertebrate species are threatened with the loss of their habitats. The researchers call for the expansion of protected areas, also in glacier forelands. The study has been published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
The carbon cycle is speeding up
Soil is the largest natural carbon storage in the world. In Northern ecosystems particularly large amounts of carbon are stored, but they are also particularly strongly affected by global warming. A recently published study by an international team led by Michael Bahn of the University of Innsbruck investigated how ongoing warming affects the uptake and release of carbon dioxide in subarctic grassland. The researchers used a geothermally active area in Iceland as a natural „climate chamber”.
Related studies
Atmospheric Sciences (Master)
Students of the Master’s Degree Programme in Atmospheric Sciences study, model and observe the Earth’s atmosphere and its interactions with hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere and human activities.
In courses, labs and field work, students acquire a highly interdisciplinary set of tools and skills from the fields of physics, computer sciences, chemistry, mathematics, statistics and data science and measurement technologies.
Graduates are experts in atmospheric processes taking place over mountainous terrain.
Biomedical Life Sciences (Master)
The Master's programme in Biomedical Life Sciences provides you with an in-depth understanding of cellular and molecular processes in health and disease – from bioinformatics and stem cell biology to immunology.
You will learn cutting-edge techniques such as single-cell analysis, 3D cell cultures, live cell imaging, and computer-based modeling, and apply them in hands-on lab courses in small groups and in individual research projects.
Botany (Master)
In the Master’s Degree Programme in Botany the students gain extensive knowledge about the biology of plants from the molecular to the ecosystem level.
Students may specialise in biochemistry and cell biology, stress physiology and ecophysiology, evolutionary systematics, biodiversity and population biology, palynology and archeobotany, agricultural and forest ecology, climate change and environmental protection.
Chemistry (Master)
Graduates of the Master’s Degree Program in Chemistry qualify for working in managing positions as a chemist in research, technology, industry and relevant fields in public institutions.
This programme is a pre-requisite to enrol in the PhD Programme in Chemistry.
Chemical Engineering (Master)
The Master’s Degree Programme in Chemical Engineering is the basis for working as a chemical engineer in research, industry, technological and environmental positions as well as other related fields in the public sphere. This program is a pre-requisite for enrolment into the PhD Programme in Chemistry or Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Environmental Management of Mountain Areas (EMMA) (Master)
This interdisciplinary and international programme is offered in cooperation with the Faculty of Science and Technology of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. The focus in this programme is to provide subject related topics including Alpine ecology, landscape ecology and planning, agriculture and forestry, wastewater and waste treatment, geoinformatics and environmental and resource management.
Geography: Global Change – Regional Sustainability (Master)
Building on a relevant Bachelor’s degree the students of this Master’s Degree Programme further develop integrated and network thinking skills at the intersections of society and environment.
Students may choose a focus from four main topics: urban and regional development, development studies, natural hazard research and mountain research. Students also learn a variety of methodologies from the fields of social sciences, geoinformatics, remote sensing as well as terrain and laboratory methodologies.