Ecological and Agroecological Systems
Within the specialisation Ecological and Agroecological Systems you can choose among several courses.
More about the specialisation
Climate change can have severe impacts on agricultural production and associated food security, but also on natural ecosystems. Global warming and the increased variability in rainfall may also have a negative effect on crop production, water security and ecosystem functioning. However, ecosystems can also be part of the solution by reducing these negative effects of climatic changes.
In this specialisation Ecological and Agro-ecological Systems students analyse plant-soil-water interactions in ecological and agro-ecological systems. This is needed to develop effective strategies for safeguarding basic ecosystem services, sustainable crop production and biodiversity. An important tool to integrate this knowledge on plant-vegetation, soil and water dynamics is modelling. It also makes it possible to assess the measures of adaptation and mitigation.
With this knowledge, students try to find answers for questions like:
- How do ecological and agro-ecological systems contribute to climate change through the emissions of the greenhouse gases CO2, N2O and CH4?
- Which mitigation measures can be used to reduce these greenhouse gas emissions?
- How does climate change affect future water availability and food production?
- How to design adaptation strategies for natural ecosystems?
Students can learn more about the education and research related to this specialisation by visiting the website of the Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, the Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, the Soil Biology Group, the Soil Chemistry group, and the Water Systems and Global Change Group.
Courses
The following subjects are part of the MSc programme Climate Studies when selecting the specialisation Ecological and Agroecological Systems. Next to these thesis specific, you will follow courses from the common part and electives as summarised in the programme outline. For more information visit the study handbook or contact the study adviser.
Specialisation-related subjects
Compulsory
| Subject | Code |
|---|---|
| One e-learning is compulsory in order to work safely at Wageningen University (0 ECTS): | |
| Laboratory safety | ZSS06100 |
| Biogeochemical Cycles and Climate Change Mitigation | SOC36306 |
Restricted Optional: select (at least) two*
| Subject | Code |
|---|---|
| Ecological Modelling and Data Analysis | CSA34306 |
| Biological Interactions in Soils | SBL32806 |
| Models for Ecological Systems | FEM31806 |
| Climate Smart Agriculture | WSG35806 |
| Soil Quality | SBL21806 |
| The Carbon Dilemma | SBL35306 |
| Plant, Vegetation and Systems Ecology | PEN30306 |
Restricted Optional: Select one
| Subject | Code |
|---|---|
| MSc Thesis Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation | PEN80436 |
| MSc Thesis Plant Production Systems | PPS80436 |
| MSc Thesis Soil Biology | SBL81836 |
| MSc Thesis Soil Chemistry | SOC81336 |
| MSc Thesis Water Systems and Global Change | WSG80436 |
*To be selected in consultation with your study adviser and in preparation for your thesis subject.
In order to prepare well for your thesis track, you can additionally choose supporting courses. These courses focus, for example on quantitative and data sciences. You can find the exact list in the study handbook at the section "Restricted Optionals (2) in Common part".
This course overview is based on the Wageningen University study handbook, where you can find a more detailed course and programme description. The study handbook is guiding in case of any discrepancy.
Below you can see an example how your schedule can look like when following this specialisation:
