Ecology and Environmental Conservation

The institution defines the learning objectives of the study programme such as student's abilities at the time of completion of the programme and the main learning outcomes.

The graduate profile reflects a set of attributes that we consider to be attainable by graduates of a research-led comprehensive university. It is determined by high interdisciplinarity in ecological and environmenal disciplines connecting and integrating partial environmental components towards system-theory-based holism. This is an essential point of view underlying a wide spectre of abiotic and biotic units and their mutual functional sustainability. Graduates demonstrate broad conceptual understanding in the field of ecology and environmental conservation, effectively communicates, develop an original and independent contribution towards their field of study, promote technological transfer towards society through the research generated in the academy, industrial and innovation sector, discuss and defend current research with critical and analytical thinking, demonstrate leadership skills and intellectual maturity as well as apply practical knowledge across a wide range of environmental disciplines. Biocentric context (the only one among all environmental PhD. programs at Comenius University) hints at living components (organisms, including humans) and their intensive interactions with habitats. A special emphasis refers to biodiversity conservation (conservation biology, renaturation, revitalisation and rehabilitation including their in situ and ex situ mechanisms), monitoring ecological and environmental change (including ecotoxicological and bioindication topics), environmental risk and impact assessment as well as sustainability in environmental management and development. Graduates obtain an ability to perceive indication potential of species, their populations and communities in monitoring ecological change, energy flow, ecological stability (resistance and resilience), dynamics (homeorhesis and succession), interactions, vitality and sustainability with a special emphasis on Anthropocene (dating from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, anthropogenic climate change). The profile comes from theoretical background towards applied outputs in environmental legislation, policy, decision making and project proposals.

The institution indicates the professions for which the graduate is prepared at the time of completion and the potential of the study programme from the point of view of graduate's employability.

Graduates of the program can work mainly in the positions of "Ecologist-Specialist" or "Environmentalist-Specialist" mainly in waste management, biodiversity protection or environmental management. At the same time, they can hold the positions of “Independent Environmental Officer”, “Environmental Coordinator”, “Senior Consultant for Environment and Environmental Projects” in scientific institutions, state administration, self-government and very often in the private sector (in national and multinational companies such as "Head of Department  Environment or Nature Protection")

With no doubt the vision for a graduate is research-based and mission-aligned, expressed as domains of learning or competencies that are transferable, transdisciplinary, and relevant to the field of ecological and environmental careers. Students who has completed a PhD. degree in ecology and environmental conservation will have acquired an education at an advanced level, including both specialist knowledge and general intellectual skills that predominantly equip them for higher academic career. However, the graduates will obtain valuable leading skills for a wide spectre of careers dealing with applied nature conservation (from genetic and population aspects to whole ecological systems, conservation biology, renaturation, revitalisation and rehabilitation including their in situ and ex situ mechanisms), environmental monitoring (environmental risks, stress, disturbance and human impact in ecological systems, detectors, exploiters, sentinels, bioaccumulators and testing organisms) environmental administration (environmental management and planning, including legislation and decision making processes), consultancy, propagation and education with a special emphasis on sustainability and conservation.

For individual study plans, the institution states the requirements for completing the individual parts of the study programme and the student's progress within the study programme in the given structure:
- Number of credits for compulsory courses:  85
- Number of credits for compulsory optional courses: 10
- Number of credits for optional courses: 145
- Number of credits for the dissertation exam and Number of credits for the dissertation defence: 15+30