Corso di Laurea Magistrale Biologia Marina
Coorte 2024/2025
Presidente Prof. Emanuela Fanelli- tel. 071 2204335 - email: e.fanelli@univpm.it
Responsabile Qualità Prof. Giorgia Gioacchini- tel. 071 2204693 - email: giorgia.gioacchini@univpm.it
Second Level degree in Marine Biology and Ecology A.Y. 2021/2022
This course has a duration of two years.
A three year Degree, or an equivalent academic qualification from a foreign university is required for enrolment on the Second Level degree in Marine Biology and Ecology.
Presentation
Since its foundation, the Faculty of Science of the, Università Politecnica delle Marche has been, first in Italy, characterized as a center of scientific and didactic training on the marine environment issues examined in all its components. In 2000-2001, after the activation of the new structure of the Italian University studies that provides degrees of two levels, the University Politecnica delle Marche activated one first level degree in Biological Sciences including the teaching of Marine Biology, and three second level degree including the Marine Biology one. The attractiveness of the course is in the growing awareness that the rapid deterioration of the environment is due to a short-sighted attitude of man towards nature. This trend is likely to become of no return if we do not urgently obtain the required knowledge to implement a sustainable environmental development. Thankfully, the new generations increasingly feel this strong sense of responsibility so the Marine Biology course of the Università Politecnica delle Marche is structured to provide the necessary skills to achieve this goal. The teaching staff is involved in numerous national and international projects, in temperate, tropical and polar environments ensuring updated and innovative methodological approaches. In this context, students from all over Italy and from abroad, have the opportunity to immediately find a very stimulating learning environment, not only theoretical but also of practical application, making the course a true international laboratory. From the educational point of view, the courses provides many field and laboratory activities, such as practical activities for all the teachings, a period of training at public institutions or companies and a thesis of at least one year in order to achieve the degree. The availability of a research boat equipped for the main types of oceanographic sampling, underwater activities planned during the course of study and two tropical laboratories (Maldives and Indonesia), where the dissertation can be prepared or a period of internship can be carried out. All this represents a concrete response to the need to acquire the main practical skills typically requested by the research world and the labor market.
Objectives
Graduates in Marine Biology are biologists who are experts in the study of the marine environment with particular reference to: biodiversity, interaction between living organisms and the environment, evaluation, management and increase of biological resources, methodologies for environmental impact assessment consequent to different human activities, recovery systems for degraded marine environments, protection of biodiversity, conservation of marine ecosystems.
To acquire these skills, this course not only extends the basic knowledge of biology and its applications (with particular regard to ecological and marine applications) but also teaches useful techniques for the study and understanding of marine ecosystems and sampling techniques in order to gain expertise in the field of marine biology. Aspects of research, health monitoring and environmental quality of marine ecosystems, as well as those related to the conservation and management of marine resources are also taken into account. The training activities involve biological and ecological methodologies, the assessment of marine resources, the human impact on the marine environment and the processing of ecological and environmental data. At least 30 credits (240 hours) are set aside for laboratory activities including activities on boats or research vessels, underwater activities for scientific sampling (diving certification will be issued by the University to students who attend the training course). Field trips to different marine protected areas in Italy and abroad are part of the activities.
Many practical and research laboratory activities will be carried out within the "core facility" of our “Marine Research Laboratory”.
Career Opportunities
The course in Marine Biology and Ecology provides graduates with professional skills for activities at executive-level, typical of technical professions concerning the health and life sciences and specialists in research and training, as defined by the ISTAT classification. The professional openings expected for graduates include research at universities and public institutions that deal with environmental issues (OGS, CNR, Ispra, ENEA-National Agency for Alternative Energy, Environment Departments, Regional Agencies for Environmental Protection, Marine Protected Areas), science teachers, activities in private firms and companies that deal with the environment, with particular reference to the sea, public and private aquariums.
Skills associated with the function:
Research at universities and public institutions: setting of experimental designs, use of laboratory analytical techniques, data analysis, sampling procedures.
Environmental manager at institutional agencies: national and international standards for the territory protection.
Aquarist at public or private facilities: knowledge of the species of aquariological interest.
Nature guide: knowledge of key habitats and species protected by national and international standards.
Manager of marine protected areas: knowledge of the management major issues in related legislation.
Environmental consultant: characterization and environmental impact assessments.
Aquaculturist: knowledge of the main aquaculture techniques applied to the species of interest.
This course prepares our graduates for the following professions:
Researcher at public or private institutions Environmental manager at institutional agencies Aquarium experts in public or private facilities
Nature guide
Managers of marine protected areas
Environmental consultants
Fish farmers
Istat professions:
Biologists and similar professions
Botanists
Zoologists
Ecologist
Function in a work context:
Preservation and management of living marine resources
Environmental impact assessment
Marine parks and reserves
Universities
Research institutes
Course in diving techniques
The profession of marine biologist offers a wide range of job opportunities in the international context. Scientific diving operations are undoubtedly some of the most important skills that a marine biologist can acquire.
Students enrolled on the Second Level degree course in Marine Biology and Ecology can attend a free diving course for beginners (optional on request). In this way, students with a diving license will be able to fully exploit the opportunities offered by our training programs and take part in practical activities which apply some of the main methods of underwater sampling. It will be possible to do scuba diving to acquire expertise in various techniques, such as the observation of the morphological profiles of the seabed, sampling photography and the use of specific surveying and/or sampling tools in order to carry out investigations of various plant and animal organisms, recognition of species and visual biodiversity surveys.
Mobile Laboratory boat Actea
“Actea" is a boat equipped to carry out studies and research in the coastal marine environment. It provides scientific support for scuba diving and is fitted with a winch to lower into the sea scientific instrumentation such as sensors for the measurement of the main environmental parameters, samplers for marine sediments, a grab bucket, box corer, multi corer, hydrological bottles to collect water samples at depth. It hosts up to six people and is used on various courses of study for practical training. Students also have the opportunity to be involved (for example during internships or thesis preparation) in specific activities that include scientific expeditions at sea with other research vessels.