MSc in Geoenvironmental Resources and Risks
Camerino, Italy
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
EUR 556 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for international students
Key Summary
Geosciences rule our life on the Planet! The UN Agenda 2030 demonstrates how geologists are the professionals who can most contribute to support and educate society to understand the Earth as a complex but fragile system and are involved in attaining the Agenda goals. There is a growing need for geologists all over the world who can face, using modern, quantitative, and interdisciplinary technologies, the critical challenges of the Earth's future, such as:
- Ensure water quality and quantity
- Identify and recover energy and mineral resources
- Minimize the impact of natural hazards to help ensure safer, more resilient communities
- Provide underground knowledge to build stable infrastructures
- Monitor soil quality for a healthy environment and sustainable agriculture
- Evaluate and mitigate the effects of climate change
- Support a sustainable use of land and resources
- Understand the dynamics and evolution of the Earth and other planets
- Analyze and help preserve our cultural and environmental heritage.
This Master of Science (MSc) course provides knowledge at an advanced level and practical expertise in fields of Earth Sciences related to natural resources and environmental hazards, aiming to prepare a geologist able to operate with managerial competencies in:
- The study, exploration, exploitation, and sustainable use of resources (water, energy, and geomaterials)
- The analysis of geological hazards and risks (monitoring, evaluation, mitigation management, prevention).
The combination of theory, practice, fieldwork, and laboratory activities, as well as the acquisition of competencies in experimental/analytical methods and data processing and modeling, will contribute to the cultural growth of the students. To specialize in the area of interest, up to 28 credits can be chosen to build up a personalized study plan, together with the thesis (30 credits) which requires a semester of independent experimental (field/lab) and theoretical work. The students will have therefore 58 credits (2 semesters) to choose from activities for specialization in the area of interest thanks to the possibility of personalized study plans.
Time is also dedicated to the acquisition of interdisciplinary knowledge, especially important in addressing environmental issues (like groundwater pollution, disaster management, sustainable use of resources, effects of climate change) and transversal competencies and skills (use of GIS at an advanced level, specific software). Practical workshops carried out by geologists specialized in various fields will help introduce the students to the professional world.
Internships in private companies, territorial agencies, national and international research institutions, and universities, as well as study periods abroad within the Erasmus+ framework in EU or extra-EU countries (for exams and/or thesis), are particularly encouraged and supported by university grants. Grants for excellent and/or low-income students are available, as well as part-time jobs and grants for international students from selected countries.
The structure of the course is organized to be highly flexible to take into consideration the different expectations of the students (Italian and international). The standard study plan covers the major topics of application of the geologist in the job market. The proposed specialization areas correspond to research projects active in UNICAM, which allow the inclusion of the student in the activities of well-established research groups. Specialization is achieved by choosing among the elective courses and proposing an individual study plan.
Year 1
- Groundwater resources and hydrological hazard
- Environmental chemistry
- Geomaterials
- Petroleum geology
- Geostatistics
- Advanced field geology
- Elective courses and activities
Year 2
- Seismic hazard
- Volcanic hazard
- Geophysical prospecting
- Elective courses and activities
- Thesis
Specialization areas:
- Water and energy resources
- Geological hazards
- Environmental sustainability, energy transition, and decarbonization
- Geodynamics and Earth processes
- Experiments and models on Earth and planetary materials
- Geosciences for the Cultural Heritage
Elective courses and activities are provided to meet students’ interests for a specialization path, choosing from the following, non-exhaustive list:
Tectonics and global geology, Renewable energy, Disaster management, Geotechnics, Geoengineering, GIS, Advanced GIS, Geothermics, Environmental sustainability, Structural geology, Metamorphic geology, Marine geology, Geofluids reservoirs, Plate tectonics, Regional geology, Remote sensing, Project management, Archaeological geophysics, Cultural heritage materials, Polluted sites remediation, Waste management, Applied petrography, Trace elements and isotope geochemistry, Experimental petrology, Cultural heritage materials, Geochemistry and petrology, Crystallography, Planetary materials, Geology laboratory, Sedimentology and stratigraphy, Field geology, Geomaterials laboratory, C programming, Fortran programming, Laboratory of professional practice, Field activities.
The course is organized into 4 semesters, where the first three are devoted to courses and other activities, and the last is dedicated to the thesis. The lesson calendar is: the first semester is from the beginning of October to the end of January, and the second semester is from the beginning of March to the middle of June. The lesson timetable will be available on the university website in September and sent to the students’ mailing list. February and June-September are reserved for exams. Field activities are carried out during the semesters, on Fridays. Field and laboratory activities are obligatory. Lessons are also available through the UNICAM virtual classrooms. The official language is English. The course attracts students from many countries interested in studying in an international environment.
All the activities are carried out in the Geology building, where students find classrooms, didactic/technical and scientific labs, study areas, and professors’ offices. The Geology building hosts the UNICAM unit of INGV-Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (the National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology) and a UNICAM Spinoff (Geomore). The Geology team at UNICAM is also launching a new hub of integrated geoscience disciplines focused on energy transition and decarbonized geology (Earth, climate & Energy Center, ECE&C) in cooperation with RE&E (Rethinking Energy & Environment) which will provide a view from inside the energy world. The Centre is an innovative and unique initiative where Academic excellence is blended with business and industry experiences, with good opportunities for students.
Some Work Possibilities for Geologists
Geologists can find employment in many fields, as independent geologists, or as employees in:
- Environmental or engineering consulting companies
- Construction companies for civil/public building works
- Agencies and institutions dealing with geological hazards and risks, environment and land/coastal monitoring/protection (in Italy, e.g. Civil Protection, Geological Services, ARPA, Basin Technical Services, Mountain Communities, national and local bodies)
- Water and energy exploration and management companies (in Italy, e.g. ENI, ENEL, ACEA ...)
- Infrastructures and transportation sector (in Italy e.g. ANAS, ITALFER ...)
- Mineral industry (exploitation or certification of materials, management, and recycling of industrial waste, sustainability, innovation, circular economy)
- Scientific dissemination (Natural Sciences Museums, Geosites, and Parks for tourism, magazines, media)
- As experts in cartography, GIS, and remote sensing (land planning, monitoring and protection, resources, climate change, agriculture, archaeology, and cultural heritage ...)
- As geoscientists in research institutions, labs, and universities
- As science teachers in Middle and High Italian schools