Programme structure and mobility
IMSOGLO is a 2 year Master of Science programme containing 120 ECTS credits and leading to the joint diploma of International Master in Science in Soils and Global Change. IMSOGLO is organized by 4 European universities and involves mobility between these partner universities.
The language of instruction is English.
IMSOGLO students jointly follow the 1st semester at Ghent University to obtain and supplement their fundamental soil science knowledge. The 1st semester is kicked off by the 1-week joint Primer Event during which students are introduced to the programme, and get to know each other and staff members of all 4 partner universities. The remaining semesters are spent either at Ghent University (Belgium) and Aarhus University (Denmark) for the specialization Physical Land Resources and Global Change, or at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) (Austria) and the University of Göttingen (Germany) for the specialization Soil Biogeochemistry and Global Change.
The 2nd and 3rd semester consist of mandatory and elective courses, deepening the students’ knowledge and skills in the chosen specialization, and broadening the students’ knowledge and skills. Additionally, students from both specializations will meet again during the Summer School between the 1st and 2nd year. The 4th semester will be devoted to the master thesis. All IMSOGLO theses are supervised by supervisors of at least 2 partner universities.
Specializations
IMSOGLO contains two Specializations, to be chosen at application stage.
The Specialization Soil biogeochemistry and global change is organized by Ghent University (Belgium), the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (Austria) and the University of Göttingen (Germany) and leads to a joint master diploma issued by these three universities.
Keywords:
microbiology; agroforestry; agro-ecology; lab experimentation.
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The Specialization Physical land resources and global change is organized by Ghent University (Belgium) and Aarhus University (Denmark), and leads to a joint master diploma issued by these two universities.
Keywords:
Prevention and remediation of soil degradation in an agricultural context; Land evaluation for ecosystem functioning; Soil water & C-cycles in an agricultural context; Modelling soil water and element fluxes and soil development for various vegetations.
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Programme Learning Outcomes
In a few words: IMSOGLO graduates have the knowledge and skills to characterize soils and understand soil evolution in an ecosystem context under global change because they understand the underlying processes and interactions.
In detail: IMSOGLO graduates will…
- possess a broad knowledge at an advanced level in basic disciplines (soil physics, soil biogeochemistry, land information systems, meteorology and climatology);
- understand the evolution of soil (agro-/forest/natural) ecosystems under natural conditions and human-impact, as well as its relation to global change;
- have the ability to characterise soil physically, biologically and chemically, using advanced techniques to understand soil processes, to translate this to soil quality and to assess the influences by and on natural and anthropogenic factors;
- possess the basic methods to conduct field work (soil survey, soil profile description, soil sampling), interpret analytical data, classify the soil, and manage and interpret existing geospatial (soil) data;
- have the ability to plan and execute target orientated experiments or simulations independently and critically evaluate the collected data;
- 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;
- have the ability to act from a researchers’ perspective: creativity, accuracy, critical reflection, curiosity, justification of choices based on scientific criteria;
- have the ability for independent integration and extension of acquired knowledge to update concepts and innovate implementation possibilities, knowing the limits of own competences;
- have the ability to participate in and lead interdisciplinary groups that contribute the development of sustainable environmental solutions at local, regional and global scale;
- possess qualifications for employment in private and public-sector companies and organisations where high level expertise in soil management is required;
- have the ability to communicate, orally and written, in words and in graphs, on the own discipline to experts and the general public.
IMSOGLO graduates who followed the specialization Biogeochemistry will additionally be able to …
- sample, measure and describe basic concepts of biogeochemistry, in particular element cycles and fluxes in (agro-) ecosystems;
- recognise the impact of soil properties and processes on plant nutrition and health;
- evaluate the role of trees in land use systems, with particular emphasis on agroforestry;
- develop appropriate field designs and experimental procedures to address testable hypotheses;
- design, apply and evaluate experiments using both stable and radioactive isotopes;
- understand the role of soil microorganisms for soil properties and plant nutrition in relation to their activities in the environment.
IMSOGLO graduates who followed the specialization Physical Land Resources will additionally be able to…
- describe and model the soil water cycle and its relation to soil degradation and soil management;
- design soil water management strategies under a changing climate;
- recognise soil threats and to identify promising ecosystem services for a field situation;
- measure and model erosion risk, soil compaction and the other soil threats identified by the EU;
- characterise the relation between the C-cycle and the climate at different scales;
- apply land evaluation techniques to identify and choose between promising land management alternatives in a regional context.
Detailed programme overview
2022 -2023
Master year 1
| SEMESTER 1 | Soil Fundameltals | Ghent University | 30 ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Course | Lecturer | Credits (ECTS) |
| Mandatory | Pedology | Peter Finke | 5 |
| Mandatory | Soil Chemistry | Filip Tack | 5 |
| Mandatory | Soil Physics | Wim Cornelis | 5 |
| Mandatory | Land Information Systems | Frieke Vancoillie | 5 |
| Mandatory | Soil Genesis | Peter Finke | 5 |
| Mandatory | Applied Statistics | Aisling Daly | 5 |
Depending on the chosen specialization:
Specialization 1
Soil Biogeochemistry and Global Change
Specialization 2
Physical land resources and Global Change
| SEMESTER 2 | Ghent University | 30 ECTS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Course | Lecturer | Credits (ECTS) |
| Mandatory | Climate Change | Dirk Verschuren | 4 |
| Mandatory | Soil Water Management | Wim Cornelis | 5 |
| Mandatory | Soil Degradation | Ann Verdoodt | 5 |
| Mandatory | Land Evaluation | Ann Verdoodt | 5 |
| Mandatory | Summer School or Field work | Peter Finke | 3 |
| Elective courses (pick two for 8 ECTS) | |||
| Elective | Economics and Management of Natural Resources | Stijn Speelman | 4 |
| Elective | Soil Prospection | Stefaan Dondeyne | 4 |
| Elective | Dare to Venture | Johan Verrue | 4 |
| Elective | Scientific Communication | Geert Jacobs | 5 |
| Elective | Internship | Steven Sleutel | 5 |
Master year 2
Specialization 1: Soil Biogeochemistry and Global Change
| SEMESTER 3 | University of Göttingen | 30 ECTS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Course | Lecturer | Credits (ECTS) |
| Mandatory | Landscape Ecology | Daniela Sauer | 6 |
| Mandatory | Management of Tropical Plant Production Systems | Reimund Rötter | 6 |
| Mandatory | Mineral Nutrition of Crops under Different Climate and Environmental Conditions | Klaus Dittert | 6 |
| Elective courses (pick two for 12 ECTS) | |||
| Elective | Pesticides II | Andreas von Tiedemann | 6 |
| Elective | Soil Biogeochemistry of Agroecosystems | Martin Maier | 6 |
| Elective | Biochemical Processes in the Rhizosphere | Evgenia Blagodatskaya | 3 |
| Elective | Crop Modelling for Risk Management | Reimund Rötter | 6 |
| Elective | Isotopes in Ecosystem Sciences (e-learning) | Michaela Anna Dippold | 6 |
| Elective | Ecosystem - Atmosphere Processes | Alexander Knohl | 6 |
| Elective | Plant Nutrition and Plant Health | Klaus Dittert | 3 |
| Elective | Field Course on Man-Environment Interactions | Daniela Sauer | 6 |
Specialization 2: Physical land resources and Global Change
| SEMESTER 3 | Aarhus University | 30 ECTS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Course | Lecturer | Credits (ECTS) |
| Mandatory | Assessing Soil Erosion Risk | Goswin Heckrath | 5 |
| Mandatory | Global soil threats and ecosystem services | Bo V. Iversen | 10 |
| Mandatory | Carbon Cycling and Climate Change | Mathias N. Andersen | 10 |
| Elective courses (pick one for 5 ECTS) | |||
| Elective | Climate Through Earth's History | Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz | 5 |
| Elective | Open Project Work in Soil Physics | / | 5 |
| Elective | Bioactive Molecules in Agroecology | Inge S. Fomsgaard | 5 |
| Elective | Soil-classification | Mogens Humlekrog Greve | 5 |
| Elective | Arctic soils (Field trip Greenland) | Lis W. de Jonge | 5 |
Specialization 1: Soil Biogeochemistry and Global Change
| SEMESTER 4 | 30 ECTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Course | Institution | Credits (ECTS) |
| Mandatory | Master thesis | BOKU | 30 |
| or | |||
| Mandatory | Master thesis | University of Göttingen | 30 |
Specialization 2: Physical land resources and Global Change
| SEMESTER 4 | 30 ECTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Course | Institution | Credits (ECTS) |
| Mandatory | Master thesis | Ghent University | 30 |
| or | |||
| Mandatory | Master thesis | Aarhus University | 30 |
