MSc in Biology, Animal Ecology

Programme overview

On the Master’s programme in Animal Ecology, you will learn how to analyse and understand evolutionary processes at the level of genes, individuals and populations. You will achieve skills in analysing and understanding how evolutionary and ecological processes form appearance, physiology and behaviour in animals. You will also learn how to analyse costs and benefits of different traits and how these are optimised to form reproductive and survival strategies. We offer an excellent research environment, particularly in topics such as animal migration, molecular ecology, life history trade-offs, evolutionary biology, disease resistance in natural populations and host-parasite interactions. You will use the modern field and laboratory methods in studies of ecological and evolutionary issues applied to animals in basic research, as well as applied conservation-related research. Special emphasis is on birds as model systems.

Special features of the programme:

• Evolutionary theory applied to ecological problems.
• Close connections to research in an international environment.
• Integration of theoretical analyses with strong training of laboratory skills and experience in fieldwork.
• Testing of evolutionary hypotheses.

Programme structure

Compulsory courses:

• Population and Community Ecology
• Evolutionary Animal Ecology
• Molecular Ecology and Evolution or Conservation Biology
• Master’s degree project in Animal Ecology

Electives:

• Ornithology
• Sensory Biology
• Modelling Biological Systems
• Processing and Analysis of Biological Data
• Bioinformatics
• Sequence Analysis

Most courses are full-time studies, and you usually take only one course at a time. The courses are typically teaching-intensive, with lectures, seminars, excursions as well as theoretical and practical exercises. You are expected to spend about 40 hours per week on studies, self-studies included. Normally, you take two courses of 15 credits per semester, i.e. a total of 60 credits per year.

Career prospects

The knowledge and skills you will gain on this programme will open doors to employment within many sectors in academia and the public sector. The programme provides you with a solid grounding for PhD studies. Employment can be found within agencies concerned with environmental protection, education and within academia through research funding.