CURRICULUM
Your Learning Journey Across Europe
BIOVERTE is a two-year (120 ECTS) Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s programme that takes students through three distinct European environmental contexts.
The curriculum has been designed as a single integrated learning pathway, combining biodiversity science, ecosystem management, environmental governance, socio-economic analysis, and digital environmental tools.
Each semester builds upon the previous one, allowing students to progressively develop the knowledge and skills needed to tackle biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, restoration challenges, and climate adaptation.
Programme Structure
Year 1
Semester 1
Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania
Foundations of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Science
Students develop a strong scientific foundation in biodiversity, ecology, climate change, environmental policy, and sustainable land-use management.
Key themes
- Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
- Conservation biology
- Climate change and environmental challenges
- Environmental policy and governance
- Ecological assessment methods
- Sustainable resource management
Focus: Understanding how ecosystems function and respond to environmental change.
Semester 2
University of Trieste, Italy
Interdisciplinary Environmental Analysis
Students explore environmental governance, ecosystem valuation, environmental modelling, digital tools, and sustainability transitions.
Key themes
- Environmental economics
- Natural resource management
- GIS and remote sensing
- Environmental statistics
- Environmental modelling
- Sustainability and governance
Focus: Using interdisciplinary approaches and analytical tools to support environmental decision-making.
Summer School
Comparative Ecosystems Field Experience
An intensive international field school brings students and lecturers together to investigate real-world environmental challenges.
Working in diverse ecosystems and protected areas, students apply methods learned during the first year to biodiversity assessment, ecosystem monitoring, restoration planning, and stakeholder engagement.
Activities include
- Ecological surveys
- Environmental monitoring
- Habitat assessment
- Data collection and analysis
- Group projects
- Stakeholder interaction
Focus: Learning through experience in real environmental settings.
Year 2
Semester 3
University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland
Restoration, Resilience and Novel Ecosystems
Students focus on ecosystem restoration, biomonitoring, post-industrial landscapes, and nature-based solutions.
Key themes
- Restoration ecology
- Post-industrial ecosystems
- Biodiversity in transformed landscapes
- Biomonitoring techniques
- Environmental remediation
- Nature-based solutions
Focus: Building resilience and restoring ecosystems under environmental stress.
Semester 4
Master’s Thesis
The final semester is dedicated to an independent research project addressing a contemporary biodiversity, restoration, or environmental-management challenge.
Students work under joint supervision from BIOVERTE partner universities and, where appropriate, external stakeholders.
Thesis topics may include
- Biodiversity conservation
- Ecosystem restoration
- Climate adaptation
- Environmental governance
- Ecological monitoring
- Environmental modelling
- Socio-ecological systems
Focus: Applying scientific knowledge to real-world environmental challenges.
The BIOVERTE Learning Model
Learn Across Ecosystems
A distinctive feature of BIOVERTE is its comparative approach.
Students study environmental challenges across three contrasting European regions:
- Baltic forests, wetlands and freshwater ecosystems
- Mediterranean marine and coastal environments
- Post-industrial and restoration landscapes
This unique combination allows students to understand how biodiversity and resilience challenges differ across Europe.
Learn Through Practice
BIOVERTE combines:
- Fieldwork
- Laboratory training
- Data analysis
- Environmental modelling
- Group projects
- Stakeholder collaboration
- Internships
- Research activities
Throughout the programme, students apply their knowledge to real environmental problems and develop solutions relevant to conservation, restoration, and sustainable management.
Key Competencies
By the end of the programme, graduates will be able to:
- Assess biodiversity and ecosystem condition
- Design ecological restoration strategies
- Apply GIS, remote sensing and environmental modelling tools
- Analyse ecological and socio-economic data
- Evaluate environmental policies and governance frameworks
- Communicate scientific information to diverse audiences
- Work effectively in interdisciplinary and international teams
- Support biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation initiatives
Curriculum at a Glance
Semester 1 | Lithuania
Foundations of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Science
Semester 2 | Italy
Environmental Analysis, Governance and Digital Tools
Summer School
International Field-Based Learning
Semester 3 | Poland
Restoration Ecology and Ecosystem Resilience
Semester 4
Master’s Thesis