Objectives
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES. The Master's Degree course aims to provide advanced training in the theories, problems and applications of modern ecology with an emphasis on biological-functional-evolutionary aspects relating to: (1) the functioning of terrestrial, marine and inland water ecosystems, (2) food webs and populations, (3) biological invasions and the introduction of new types of organisms, including genetically modified (GMO) ones, (4) the study and management of the genetic variability of animal and plant populations, (5) the management and conservation of biodiversity and fishery resources for the choice of sustainable development measures. Graduates in EcoBiology will be prepared for scientific, technological and professional research oriented towards understanding biologically based ecological phenomena and the production of new methodologies for the estimation of "sustainable human development from nature" in relation to the construction of new infrastructures. Particular attention will be paid to the scientific method, experimental approaches, and data acquisition and analysis techniques and methods for studying the role of disturbance and its mitigation in the persistence of ecological systems.
COURSE OF EDUCATION. The program includes essential courses that cover the major aspects of Ecobiology, including quantitative ecology, conservation biology, marine ecology, genetic variability, and statistics applied to environmental data. In addition to these courses, which are essential for a broad-based education, other courses and a mandatory internship will complete the student's education, culminating in an experimental thesis. Significant space in the classroom teaching is dedicated to discussions of specific scientific contributions from the international literature and to practical activities (exercises), which are essential and preparatory for the thesis. The program's academic regulations will define, within regulatory limits, the percentage of the overall time commitment available to students for personal study and other educational activities.