International Master of Science in Soils and Global Change (IMSOGLO) - Erasmus+ Programme

Increased population pressure, industrialisation and intensive land use are causing depletion of natural resources and are limiting the performance of land with respect to its functions such as biomass production, carbon sequestration, water purification, etcetera. The additive effects of climate change and the above-mentioned aspects of global change influence the capacity of soils to regenerate and may even cause soil degradation.

The future capacity of soils to support (human) life is at stake. Programmes have been developed to protect the environment and to increase ecosystem resilience. Numerous directives on soil response to external pressures have been developed and implemented. A wealth of scientific knowledge is available but dispersed due to the specialisation of research groups, which makes it difficult for students to follow a focused curriculum on soils and global change at any individual university.

The International Master of Science in Soils and Global Change (IMSOGLO) programme aims at teaching the knowledge, tools, technologies and applications in the context of soils and global change by bringing together the expertise of research groups at 4 renown EU universities:

1. Ghent University;
2. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Vienna);
3. University of Göttingen;
4. Aarhus University.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates will be able to:

1. perform at an advanced level in soil physics, soil biogeochemistry, land information systems, meteorology and climatology;
2. understand the evolution of soil (agro-/forest/natural) ecosystems under natural conditions and human-impact, in relation to global change;
3. characterise soil, and can translate this to soil quality and assess the relations to natural and anthropogenic factors;
4. conduct field work (soil survey, soil profile description, soil sampling), interpret analytical data, classify the soil, and manage and interpret existing geospatial (soil) data;
5. plan and execute target orientated experiments or simulations independently and critically evaluate the collected data;
6. possess a holistic understanding of interactions and processes in the agro-ecosystem and natural ecosystems, using statistical tools and advanced (geospatial) information- and modelling techniques;
7. act from a researchers' perspective: creativity, accuracy, critical reflection, curiosity, justification of choices based on scientific criteria;
8. integrate and extend acquired knowledge towards innovative solutions, knowing the limits of own competences;
9. participate in and lead interdisciplinary groups for development of sustainable environmental solutions at local, regional and global scale;
10. possess qualifications for employment in private and public-sector companies and organisations where high level expertise in soil management is required;
11. communicate, orally and written, in words and in graphs, on the own discipline to experts and the general public.

Structure

This 2-year programme contains 120 ECTS credit units and has two specialization options of 90 ECTS:

• Specialization "Soil biogeochemistry and global change" is organized by Ghent University, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna and the University of Göttingen and leads to a joint MSc-diploma issued by these 3 universities.
• Specialization "Physical land resources and global change" is organized by Ghent University and Aarhus University, and leads to a joint MSc-diploma issued by these 2 universities.

Both specializations share the introductory module of Soil Fundamentals at Ghent University (first semester, 30 ECTS, which includes a joint primer event) and a joint summer activity at the end of the second semester.

The courses and locations during the second and third semester depend on the chosen specialization. Students follow mandatory courses and choose a number of eligible courses up to a total of 30 ECTS per semester.

The MSc-thesis is done at one of the universities organizing the specialization, with co-supervision from the other university. It is also possible to do the thesis in conjunction with one of the associated partners: Joint Research Centre of the European Community, or Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing).