Ecological Engineering

Conflicting objectives and competition in the use of land and resources are increasing globally, e.g., with regard to agriculture and nature conservation. Students of the Master’s degree program in Ecological Engineering (M.Sc.) learn to counter these conflicts with the help of ecosystem management tools and to develop and implement concepts for ecologically and socially sustainable land use.

The degree program is highly interdisciplinary and combines aspects of biology, ecology, ecosystem sciences, physical geography, and land use sciences as well as environmental planning, environmental management, and environmental engineering. Students learn to design systems according to the ecosystem approach in such a way that the conservation of biological diversity, its sustainable use, and the fair compensation of the benefits from its use are on an equal footing. They deal with questions of ecology, biodiversity, climate change, geo-information systems, land management, modeling, and experimental design. They develop the necessary expertise to support administrative and political decisions with practical models based on a sound understanding of the interactions between ecological and socio-economic systems.

Graduates of the degree program are experts in investigating and controlling human influence on the structure and functioning of ecosystems. They are able to solve specific environmental problems and integrate technical solutions into the development of needs-based options for action based on an ecological understanding of the human-environment system. They are thus excellently qualified for further scientific work as well as for leading positions in environmental authorities, companies, or expert offices.