Soil Resources and Land Use Courses

View the Soil Resources and Land Use competency profile here

PLEASE NOTE: The below curriculum is provided for reference only, pending final approval from the relevant study board at each university. Updated March 2021.

The specialisation in Soil Resources and Land Use is offered by all four partner universities: UCPH, UHOH, SLU and BOKU. If you choose to specialise in Soil Resources and Land Use there are twelve possible ways to combine the Basic Semester Package (BSP) and the Advanced Semester Packages (ASPs) in your Master Programme.

You just have to take the BSP and the ASP-1 at one of the universities (the Home university), and the ASP-2 at another of the universities (the Host university). The Masters thesis must be conducted at your Host university.

ASP-1 at UCPH: Soils as part of ecosystems (Soil resources and land use)

Course descriptions available in the course database (www.kurser.ku.dk) at University of Copenhagen

Block 3 (15 ECTS) Block 4 (15 ECTS)

Semester 2

(spring)
  • Land Use and Environmental Modelling (7.5 ECTS) A
  • Pesticide Use, Mode of Action and Ecotoxicology (7.5 ECTS) A
  • Geographical Information Systems (GIS) (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Advanced Chemometrics and Machine Learning (7.5 ECTS) C

  • One free elective course (7.5 ECTS) in Block 3 OR 4
  • Terrestrial Ecosystem Processes and Global Change (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Advanced Soil Science and Isotope Geochemistry (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Entrepreneurship and Innovation (7.5 ECTS) C

A,B,C: week structure at UCPH

NOTE: No courses this semester are compulsory study activities, meaning all are elective study activities

NOTE: 22,5ECTS are to be covered from above restricted elective courses. Besides this, 7,5 ECTS are to be covered as free elective courses. All subject elements at MSc level may be included as elective subject elements.

ASP-1 at UHOH: European and Worldwide Views (Soil resources and land use)

30 ECTS

Semester 2

(summer)
  • Spatial Data Analysis with GIS (7.5 ECTS, Block 1)
  • Fertilisation and Soil Fertility Management in the Tropics and Subtropics (7.5 ECTS - e-Learning) not in a block but by arrangement
  • Environmental Pollution and Soil Organisms (7.5 ECTS, Block 2)
  • Field Course Soils and Vegetation (7.5 ECTS, Block 3)
  • Irrigation and drainage technology (7.5 ECTS, Block 4)
  • Project in Soil Science (7.5 ECTS, no fixed date, but by arrangement)
  • Vegetation and Soils of Central Europe (7.5 ECTS, Block 2)


ASP 1 at UHOH consist of blocked modules (i.e. these run for four weeks in either of the block periods 1, 2, 3 or 4.  No two blocked modules can be taken during the same block period.

NOTE: Highlighted courses are compulsory study activities, in addition students have to select two of the semi-elective modules plus one elective module. The elective module may be freely chosen from the module catalogue of all master courses of the Faculty of Agricultural Science and the Faculty of Natural Science.

Module descriptions can be found in the module catalogue at UHOH

ASP-1 at SLU: Soil resources and land use 1

Block 3 (15 ECTS) Block 4 (15 ECTS)

Semester 2

(spring)

  • Soil biology and biogeochemical cycles (15 ECTS)

  • Environmental assessment (15 ECTS)

NOTE: No courses this semester are compulsory study activities, meaning all are elective study activities 

ASP-1 at BOKU: Soil resources and land use 1

You will find the BOKU courses (LV) in our teaching information system BOKUonline: https://online.boku.ac.at

Further information on how to look for courses at BOKU in general: http://www.boku.ac.at/int-in-boku-howtolookforcourses-en.html

30 ECTS

Semester 2

(summer)
  • Biogeochemistry of soils VU (3 ECTS) 
  • Soil protection VO (3 ECTS)
  • Soil fertility and soil ecology in organic agriculture VU (3 ECTS)
  • Soil and water bioengineering - principle and applications VS (3 ECTS)
  • In-situ treatment of polluted soils and sediments: phytoremediation, in-situ fixation and attenuation techniques UE (3 ECTS)
  • Mountain risk engineering VX (6 ECTS)
  • Global waste management II VO (3 ECTS)
  • Selected methods of soil analysis PR (4 ECTS)
  • Soil pollution and remediation VU (3 ECTS)
  • Soil management in tropical and subtropical developing regions VO (3 ECTS)
  • Valuation methods for natural resources VO (3 ECTS)
  • Soil properties and processes for ecological engineering VU (3 ECTS)
  • Environmental chemistry³ SE (4.5 ECTS)
  • Description, functions of soil structure and its changes in agricultural landuse VX (3 ECTS)
  • Environmental risk analysis and management VO (3 ECTS)
  • Soil microbiology course UE (4 ECTS)
  • Molecular microbial ecology of soils VU (3 ECTS)
  • Biology, chemistry and microbiology for civil engineering VU (3 ECTS)
  • Project management VU (3 ECTS)
  • Free elective course(s) (6 ECTS)


* Only offered only every second year

NOTE: Highlighted courses are compulsory study activities while the rest are elective study activities

ASP-2 at UCPH: Soil contamination and ecotoxicology (Soil resources and land use)

Course descriptions available in the course database (www.kurser.ku.dk) at University of Copenhagen

Block 1 (15 ECTS) Block 2 (15 ECTS)

Semester 3

(autumn)
  • Soil and Water Pollution - Concepts and Theory (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Plants in Populations and Communities (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Plant nutrition and Soil Fertility (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Remote Sensing of the Bio-geosphere (7.5 ECTS) B
  • Environmental Soil Science (7.5 ECTS) A
  • Soil and Water Pollution - Experimental Assessment (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Applied Statistics (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Applied Agrohydrology (7.5 ECTS) B
  • One free elective course (7.5 ECTS) in Block 1 OR 2

A,B,C: week structure at UCPH   

NOTE: No courses this semester are compulsory study activities, meaning all are elective study activities

NOTE: 22,5ECTS are to be covered from above restricted elective courses. Besides this, 7,5 ECTS are to be covered as free elective courses. All subject elements at MSc level may be included as elective subject elements.

ASP-2 at UHOH: Soils (Soil resources and land use)

30 ECTS

Semester 3

(winter)
  • Fertilisation and Soil Fertility Management in the Tropics and Subtropics (7.5 ECTS, e-learning)
  • Project in Soil Sciences (7.5 ECTS)
  • Environmental Modelling (6 ECTS)
  • Soil Fertility and Fertilisation in Organic Farming (6 ECTS)
  • Environmental Microbiology (6 ECTS)
  • Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation (15 ECTS, e-learning)
  • Plant and Crop Modeling (6 ECTS)


ASP 2 at UHOH consists of unblocked modules (i.e. these run throughout the entire lecture period).

NOTE: Courses listed above are semi-elective. Students have to select four of the semi-elective modules plus one elective module. The elective module may be freely chosen from the module catalogue of all master courses of the Faculty of Agricultural Science and the Faculty of Natural Science.

Module descriptions can be found in the module catalogue at UHOH

ASP-2 at SLU: Soil resources and land use 2

Block 1 (15 ECTS) Block 2 (15 ECTS)

Semester 2

(fall)

  • Soil water processes in agroecosystems, (15 ECTS)

  • Soils of the world and sustainable water and soil management, (15 ECTS)

  • Research internship, (15 ECTS)

  • Environmental geochemistry, (15 ECTS)

  • Safe Nutrient Recycling, (15 ECTS)

  • Land use and watershed management to reduce eutrophication, (7.5 ECTS) 2a

  • Geographic information systems for environmental and natural science studies, (7.5 ECTS) 2b

  • Agricultural cropping systems (7.5 ECTS) 2b
  • Sustainable technologies for environmental and natural science studies (7.5 ECTS) 2b


NOTE: No courses this semester are compulsory study activities, meaning all are elective study activities

ASP-2 at BOKU: Soil resources and land use 2

You will find the BOKU courses (LV) in our teaching information system BOKUonline: https://online.boku.ac.at

Further information on how to look for courses at BOKU in general: http://www.boku.ac.at/int-in-boku-howtolookforcourses-en.html

30 ECTS

Semester 2

(winter)
  • Soil physics and chemistry VO (3 ECTS)
  • Soils and Global Change SE (4 ECTS)
  • Master's Thesis Seminar SE (2 ECTS)**
  • Soil Erosion Models and their Application VU (4.5 ECTS)
  • Development and application of water erosion models VO (2 ECTS)
  • Using water erosion models UE (3 ECTS)
  • Soil indicators VO (3 ECTS)
  • Role of soils in nature conservation and wildlife management VU (1.5 ECTS)
  • Soil – plant science workshop: From the hypothesis to publication I SE (3 ECTS) 
  • Soil conservation and soil protection VU (3 ECTS)
  • Soil water management VO (3 ECTS)
  • Simulation in vadose zone environment VU (3 ECTS)
  • Ecology and management of the rhizosphere in ecological engineering UE (3 ECTS)
  • Mountain forest climatology and headwater hydrology VU (4.5 ECTS)
  • Integrated flood risk management VO (3 ECTS)
  • Chemistry of soil water VU (2 ECTS)
  • Protection of natural resources by organic farming VS (3 ECTS)
  • Rhizosphere processes and application to agriculture and soil protection VO (3 ECTS)
  • Specific methods in soil analysis (lecture) VO (1 ECTS)
  • Specific methods in soil analysis (practical) UE (1 ECTS)
  • Soils and food security VU (2 ECTS)
  • Field course soil ecology UE (3 ECTS)
  • Interdisciplinary project work: soil sciences (in Eng.) PJ (6 ECTS)
  • Risk management and vulnerability assessment VS (3 ECTS)
  • Dynamics of geophysical flows VS (3 ECTS)
  • Decision support systems SE (3 ECTS)
  • Free elective course(s) (6 ECTS)


** Associated with the Master's Thesis in the 4th semester -- compulsory 

NOTE: Highlighted courses are compulsory study activities while the rest are elective study activities