MA/MS in Sustainable Management of Aquatic Ecosystems

This two-year programme in coastal-zone ecology covers the structure and function of marine and coastal ecosystems, combining classical and modern research methods with the socio-economic and legal aspects of exploiting marine and coastal environments across subjects such as coastal ecology, hydroecosystems and pollution prevention, marine and coastal zone management, and the EU's legal framework for environmental protection. Students choose a specialisation in either the management of aquatic ecosystems and living resources or the ecology of marine habitats and landscapes, with further elective tracks in environmental management, covering environmental biotechnology, ecodesign and life-cycle assessment, or marine ecology, covering estuarine ecology, aquatic invasion ecology and biological oceanography. Teaching mixes lectures, guest lectures, field trips, case analysis, group and individual projects and seminars, building skills in multivariate environmental data analysis, environmental risk and impact assessment, and balancing costs, quality and environmental effects in decision-making, with graduates moving into environmental consultancy, public and private environmental roles, health and fisheries laboratories, higher education, or doctoral study.