Master in Scienze Integrative Vegetali

The extent of the Master’s Programme in Integrative Plant Sciences is 120 credits (ECTS), to be completed in two years of full-time studies. The degree consists of:

• 80 credits of advanced studies (in integrative plant sciences), including joint courses (20 credits), alternative study modules (30 credits) and the Master's thesis (30 credits)
• 40 credits of other studies from this programme or other programmes

The curriculum contains a personal study plan and it can contain career planning, transferable skill studies, exchange studies at another university, or an internship or apprenticeship period.

You study the diversity of wild and cultivated plants from the Arctic to the Tropics, as well as plant functions from the molecular level, such as ontogeny and regulation of growth and differentiation, to the ecosystem level. The topics include:

• Plant biotechnology and breeding
• Molecular biology and genetics
• Regulation of growth, reproduction and differentiation of tissues
• Biological basis of crop yield and wood formation
• Plant ecology and evolutionary biology
• Diversity and systematics of plants and fungi
• Species identification

Un tutor personale ti aiuterà a personalizzare un piano di studi individuale in base alle tue aspirazioni ed esigenze.

Courses and teach­ing

The teaching is diverse, consisting of lectures, modern laboratory and computer courses, field courses, seminars and excursions. The curriculum is closely intertwined with research. You will be introduced to the research groups from the beginning of your studies, so you will swiftly become familiar with research methods as your studies progress. Much of the study material is in various digital learning platforms (such as Moodle), which allow distance learning.

Your advanced studies include joint courses and alternative study modules. With the choice of courses, you can deepen your expertise in particular areas of integrative plant sciences and tailor your degree towards your aspirations. A personal tutor will help you to tailor an individual study plan according to your interests and requirements.

English is the main teaching language. Because the programme is multilingual, you can take your examinations, write your thesis and fulfil other programme requirements in English, Finnish or Swedish.

Mas­ter's thesis

By completing your Master’s thesis (30 credits), you will show that you are:

• capable of scientific thinking
• able to design and carry out experiments under supervision
• profoundly familiar with the topic of your thesis
• capable of effective written scientific communication

A Master’s thesis project usually consists of four distinct phases:

• Design and planning of the study
• Gathering the data (fieldwork and/or laboratory work and/or mathematical modelling)
• Analysing the data (validation/quality control, statistical analysis, plotting)
• Interpreting and discussing the results in the light of existing literature on the topic

Typically, the work is carried out in a research project in which you have a clearly defined and independent role. You must write the thesis yourself. Your work will be supervised by a person, such as a professor or a lecturer, who has a PhD in the same field of research and who knows the topic and the relevant courses well. Upon completing your Master’s project, you will understand how a research project proceeds, from planning the work to carrying it out and reporting the results.

Cooperation with other parties

Un programma articolato è possibile solo attraverso gli sforzi congiunti di diverse parti. Pertanto l'attività didattica e di ricerca viene svolta in collaborazione con:

• Institute of Biotechnology (HiLIFE unit)
• Botany Unit of the Finnish Museum of Natural History
• Natural Resources Institute in Finland
• Plant Biotechnology Unit of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
• Finnish Food Authority
• Finnish Environment Institute SYKE
• Boreal Plant Breeding Ltd. company

This ensures that you will have good prospects for jobs or apprenticeships.

Le serre sperimentali e i campi all'aperto del campus di Viikki vengono utilizzati anche per scopi didattici. Le cinque stazioni sul campo in Finlandia di proprietà dell'Università University of Helsinki sono una risorsa preziosa e una sede per vari corsi sul campo. Tra le stazioni, la stazione zoologica di Tvärminne si trova sulla costa meridionale, la stazione biologica di Lammi e la stazione di campo forestale di Hyytiälä nel sud della Finlandia, e la stazione di ricerca subartica di Värriö e la stazione biologica di Kilpisjärvi in Lapponia, nel nord della Finlandia. Alla Taita Hills Research Station in Kenya, Africa orientale, puoi vivere un'esperienza di apprendimento completamente diversa e irripetibile.

Sarete in grado di:

• Comprendere come la ricerca nel campo delle scienze vegetali e delle biotecnologie possa contribuire alla selezione e alla produzione di piante.
• Pianificare, coordinare ed eseguire una ricerca scientifica di base e applicata di alta qualità.
• Avere una buona padronanza del metodo scientifico e valutare criticamente la ricerca nelle varie discipline scientifiche.
• Padroneggiare le tecniche di laboratorio più avanzate nelle scienze vegetali molecolari e fisiologiche
• Utilizzare le competenze di base necessarie per ampliare le proprie conoscenze in altri campi correlati e comunicare in modo professionale con gli esperti di tali campi.
• Agire nella vita lavorativa come esperto e innovatore nel proprio campo, con il supporto di competenze linguistiche, comunicative, di laboratorio e di altre abilità trasferibili.
• Essere idonei per studi scientifici post-laurea (dottorato)

Con un Master in Scienze vegetali integrative , hai molte potenziali opportunità di carriera. Puoi passare direttamente alla vita lavorativa come esperto e innovatore nel tuo campo, supportato dalle tue competenze linguistiche, comunicative, di laboratorio e da altre competenze trasferibili, oppure continuare con gli studi post-laurea (dottorato).