Master's Degree Programme in Aquatic Sciences
Jyväskylän yliopisto, Finland
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
22 Jan 2027*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* applications open from January 8th to January 22nd
Fast-track counseling
By contacting the school, you'll get access to free priority counselling for any study and application questions.
The application period for JYU's bachelor's and master's degree programmes is open 7-21 January 2026. Find your programme, check the admission criteria and apply!
Why this programme?
The master's degree programme in aquatic sciences provides a wide range of knowledge and skills about freshwaters, the organisms that live in them, how the environment and humans affect them, and the services that aquatic ecosystems provide to society. As our university is surrounded by lakes and other freshwaters in the diverse landscape, you are in an ideal position to combine field work in natural environments with laboratory and theoretical approaches during your studies.
The aquatic science major focuses on environmental and biological processes that determine the characteristics and ecosystem services of inland waters as well as ecologically, economically and socially sustainable use of natural resources. You are encouraged to supplement your degree with studies in fields such as statistics, chemistry, physics or social and economic sciences.
Get to know the Faculty of Mathematics and Science
Since 1965, we have been looking for answers and striving to improve our understanding of the Universe and the World around us. Our faculty aims to provide solutions for climate change, fight the decline in biodiversity, develop new technological innovations, and build more sustainable living habits. In collaboration with the international scientific community, we search for the answers to the biggest questions in science, especially in evolution, sustainable use of natural resources, mathematical analysis, multidisciplinary nanoscience, resource wisdom, and subatomic physics.
As a student, you will be part of our scientific community and have the opportunity to work on state-of-the-art research equipment alongside teachers and experienced scientists. In addition to lectures and online teaching, your studies will involve working with a variety of methods, both in the laboratory and in the field.
Student profile
Aquatic science focuses on environmental and biological processes that determine the characteristics and ecosystem services of inland waters and the ecologically, economically and socially sustainable use of natural resources.
Graduates will be able to:
- know the key concepts and theories of aquatic sciences,
- know the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems and the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems and their exploitable resources,
- to conduct scientific research in a working group and evaluate research data
- design and conduct field and laboratory experiments, and analyse large data sets
There is a need for people with extensive training in aquatic science, ranging from species identification and monitoring to restoration, management and modelling. Research is carried out in this field both in universities and research institutes. Increasingly, graduates are also working in companies or as entrepreneurs. Some graduates go on to study for a doctorate degree. The field also offers good prospects for an international career.
In Finland, established collaborations exist with relevant national state institutes, such as SYKE (Finnish Environment Institute) and LUKE (Natural Resources Institute Finland). Collaboration is mainly in the form of teacher exchange, shared supervision of Master’s theses and internship positions. JYU's research groups have both national and international collaborations with other universities and research institutes.