Studies

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The CHYN offers a master's degree program in hydrogeology and geothermal energy that is unique in Europe. The aim of the program is to train specialists who are able to meet the major challenges in the exploration and exploitation of groundwater and geothermal resources. The subjects of hydrogeology and geothermal energy are an ideal combination, since water is usually the main carrier of heat transport in the subsurface. The program reflects the multidisciplinary nature of hydrogeology and geothermal projects, which often require integration of knowledge from different fields such as geology, hydrodynamics, hydrochemistry, and microbiology.

In addition to instructors providing a solid theoretical foundation, the program makes extensive use of practical exercises, both in field camps and in the master's thesis, which employs laboratory, field, and computational methods. The program not only teaches the scientific fundamentals of the disciplines, but also shows how the acquired knowledge can be used to solve pressing issues in the field of hydrogeology and geothermal energy. Thanks to the broad range of topics, students benefit from a varied curriculum enriched by numerous case studies from ongoing research projects and can choose from a variety of topics for master's theses. The field investigations chosen by students for their master's theses are also diverse and international in scope.

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Link to the Master's program

The Bachelor's program in Geosciences at the University of Basel imparts essential content and knowledge in geoscientific subjects. The aim of the three-year Bachelor's program is to impart sound basic knowledge and current working techniques in the geosciences. Prerequisite for the study is the general university entrance qualification (Matura/Abitur). A scientific interest, especially in geoscientific issues, is the basis for a successful study.

The Bachelor's degree is followed by a Master's degree, which lasts three semesters and is completed with a Master of Science (M.Sc.). After completion of the Master's degree, a doctorate is possible, which takes about three years and is completed with a PhD.

Occupational fields:
Students of environmental geosciences have a wide range of career opportunities. By choosing a major and taking minors, students can influence their future career direction.

Environmental geoscientists today work in urban, regional, and environmental planning. They are specialists in data analysis, assessments of climate change processes such as carbon cycling, soil organic matter, Earth surface cover change, and others.

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Three focus areas are addressed at the Institute of Environmental Engineering:

  • Providing a sustainable supply of water, food and energy.
  • Reducing pollution with visions of "zero emissions" and "zero waste."
  • Designing resilient and climate-adapted cities.

The Master Curriculum provides future experts with knowledge and skills to work on these (and other) challenges. Scientific and engineering principles and methods to develop new pollution treatment technologies, detection and monitoring methods, are applied. Furthermore, the development and application of numerical models, making predictions, analyzing scenarios, and finding the "best" solutions to environmental problems for society are taught.

Building on the basic knowledge from the bachelor's program, students deepen their subject-specific knowledge in one of five disciplines from the fields of urban water management, environmental technologies, resource management, water management, river engineering and hydraulic engineering.

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You will specialize in one of the following topics:

  • Agroecology and food systems
  • Biodiversity and ecosystems
  • Ecotechnologies and renewable energies

And thanks to a wide range of modules and diverse collaborations, you will set your own personal study focus. Through integration into a research group, you will be personally accompanied and supported along the way.

In addition, the double degree program enables you to obtain a university degree and opens doors to doctoral studies. Double degrees with the following programs are offered:

  • Master's degree in Water Science and Environmental Engineering from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
  • Master's degree in Applied Ecology from Inland Norway University, Norway
  • Master's degree in Ecological Agriculture and Food Systems from the University for Sustainable Development Eberswalde, Germany

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The Master's program in Earth Sciences offers a multidisciplinary approach: fieldwork, analytical methods, laboratory experiments, numerical simulation, e-learning, case study analysis, and teamwork.

By choosing one of the offered majors, students determine the focus of their educational path:

  • Major in Geology
  • Major in Engineering Geology
  • Specialization in Mineralogy and Geochemistry
  • Major in Geophysics

Students receive personalized advising to plan their studies according to their interests and career goals.

Link to the study program Bachelor

Link to the study program Master

The Department of Geography offers a Bachelor's program in Geography and in Earth System Sciences. After the first two years of study, first specializations within the subject areas are possible.

The bachelor's programs at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MNF) are divided into major and minor. In the major Geography, a combination with a minor is possible from the second year of study.

The Department of Geography also offers the following master's degree programs in geography.

  • General Geography
  • Specialization in Physical Geography
  • Specialization in Human Geography
  • Specialization Remote Sensing
  • Advanced Geographic Information Science and Systems

Also, MNF's Department of Geography and Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Sciences offers a master's degree program in Earth Systems Science.


All degree programs are credit-based.

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This program at EPFL prepares students for the multidisciplinary problems of environmental engineering and trains future engineers to manage the complexity and uncertainty of natural and engineered systems. This master's program focuses on environmental engineering in natural systems where solutions must be developed under conditions of incomplete information, spatial heterogeneity, and uncertainty. Contemporary issues related to complex interactions in the built and urban environment are also emphasized.

The Master's Degree in Environmental Science and Engineering offers a wide range of courses grouped into three specializations:

  • Chemical and environmental bioprocesses
  • Environmental monitoring and modeling
  • Water, soil and ecosystem engineering


It is also possible to pursue a minor in one of the many areas in which environmental science plays a role, such as urban planning and land use or energy.

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The Master of Science in Environmental Geosciences provides not only an appropriate scientific foundation, but also an understanding of the fundamental relationships between observing, modeling, and monitoring environmental phenomena.

The curriculum focuses on areas of study affected by both physical and chemical processes (e.g., water tables, landslides, landfills, diffuse or point source pollution), as well as the interactions between environmental disturbance factors and living organisms. This interdisciplinary approach will enable future professionals to manage the increasingly complex interactions between the critical zone, ecosystems, and human activities.

Three specializations are offered:

  • Hydrology
  • Natural hazards and risk
  • Earth surface processes in mountain environments

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In the Master of Science in Geography, students can choose between three specializations:

  • Geomorphology and management of mountain regions
  • Development and environment
  • Spatial analysis and complex systems

The Master of Science in Geology allows, depending on the orientation chosen, to benefit from advanced courses in different specialties of geology, namely:

  • Sedimentary geology, environmental geology, geology of deposits
  • Geochemistry, alpine tectonics, ore deposits
  • Geological risks

Regardless of the orientation chosen, students receive in-depth training in fieldwork and numerous analytical techniques, as well as in the processing of quantitative data and modeling.

Link to the study program Bachelor

Link to the Master's program

The Bachelor's program provides you with a basic scientific education and emphasizes a broad training in physical geography, human geography and geographies of sustainability. In addition, critical reflection on the prerequisites, consequences and limits of scientific thinking as well as interdisciplinary work will be encouraged.

The master's program builds on the bachelor's degree and pursues a subject-specific and at the same time interdisciplinary specialization with various professional goals.

You will get an overview of the different subfields of geography

  • Physical geography
  • Human geography
  • Geographies of sustainability

The subject's numerous connections to other disciplines and the knowledge and skills acquired therein are in demand in many professions today.

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The program "Bern-Fribourg Master in Earth Sciences" is a joint offer of the Institute of Geology of the University of Bern and the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Fribourg. The two universities are only a 22-minute train ride apart. Students thus benefit from the extended range of courses and research projects as well as from the special geological expertise and the extensive technical equipment at both institutes.

Five specialisations can be chosen in the master's degree:

  • Geology (GEOL)
  • Applied and General Quaternary Geology (PAQS)
  • Evolution of Earth and Life (ELE)
  • Geomaterials (EM)
  • Environmental and Resource Geochemistry (ERG)

 

 

Letzte Änderung: 20.01.2022