Univerza na Primorskem Fakulteta za matematiko, naravoslovje in informacijske tehnologije
Presentation of the study
The doctoral study programme Conservation Biology is conducted in Slovenian and English language.
The programme is aimed at training researchers for independent scientific work in the field of species conservation and their natural environment. It is based on a multidisciplinary approach to the conservation and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystem services, integrating knowledge from ecology, genetics, population management, and related fields. The study is carried out in close collaboration with a supervisor, enabling doctoral candidates to conduct in-depth research and gradually integrate into the Slovenian and international scientific community.
The programme focuses on understanding the impacts of human activities in the Anthropocene on populations, species, communities, and ecosystems, as well as on developing effective solutions to halt biodiversity loss. Doctoral candidates gain advanced knowledge of modern research approaches, critical evaluation of scientific evidence, quantitative and conceptual modelling, and responsible decision-making in real-world contexts. Particular emphasis is also placed on scientific communication and collaboration with stakeholders and policymakers, thereby contributing to the development of conservation biology as a scientific discipline and to the formation of sustainable environmental policies at both national and international levels.
Programme information
Programme name: Conservation Biology
Type of programme: doctoral study programme, 3rd cycle
Degree awarded: “doktor znanosti / doktorica znanosti”
Duration: 4 years (8 semesters)
ECTS-credits: 240
Mode of study: part-time
Language of instruction: Slovene, English
Place of study: Izola
Accreditation: the programme is accredited in accordance with the Higher Education Act and is officialy recognised.
Admission to the 1st year shall be granted to applicants having:
a) a Master’s degree (second cycle); or
b) a degree from an undergraduate university study programme (study programmes adopted before 11 June 2004); or
c) a degree from a fast-track master’s programme with 300 ECTS credits and the duration of 5 years; or
d) a degree from a Master’s study programme (study programmes adopted before 11 June 2004). This candidate will be recognized study obligations in the amount of at least 60 ECTS credits.
e) a diploma from a comparable study programme completed abroad, where the candidate has, in accordance with the law, been granted the right to continue their studies in the study programme.
The Faculty highly recommends prior education in the areas of biology, natural sciences, environmental sciences, biochemistry.
In case of enrolment restrictions in the 1st year, candidates will be chosen on the basis of:
- average grade of exams in previous study cycle – 60 %,
- grade of the final work at the previous cycle of study – 20 %,
- number of points collected on the entrance exam – 20 %.
In the entrance exam the candidate’s presentation of the previous research work, their previous achievements in the scientific and professional field (published scientific and professional articles, awards, prizes and other) and motivation letter will be evaluated. The scoring method is defined by the UP FAMNIT commission.
“Transfer between study programmes” refers to a situation in which a student enrolled in a particular study programme does not complete it (i.e. discontinues education in the enrolled programme) and directly enrols into a higher year of a new study programme, whereby both the previous and the new programme must belong to the same Bologna cycle (level). When considering the possibility of transferring to a new study programme, the comparability of the programmes and the student’s completed study requirements in the previous programme are taken into account.
Admission to year 2 or year 3 of the doctoral study programme Conservation Biology on the basis of the Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes is open to candidates of other third-cycle doctoral degree programme, provided that the following conditions have been met:
- the candidate fulfils the requirements for admission to the study programme of Suicidology and Conservation Biology;
- completion of the first study programme which the candidate is transferring from ensures the acquisition of comparable competencies as those envisaged by the study programme of Suicidology and Conservation Biology; and
- other conditions in accordance with the Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes have also been met (a comparable course structure, course requirements completed).
Individual applications for transfer shall be considered by the Committee for Study and Student Affairs of UP FAMNIT. Apart from comparability between both fields of study, the committee shall also consider the comparability between the study programmes, in accordance with the Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes. The Committee may also assign bridging exams to the candidate.
A candidate transferring from a related study programme abroad may also be admitted under the transfer criteria, provided that, in accordance with the law, they have been granted the right to continue their studies in the doctoral study programme Conservation Biology through the recognition procedure of foreign education.
In the case of limited enrolment, candidates are selected based on the average grade of all completed study requirements in the study programme from which the candidate is transferring.
A student can advance to the 2nd year if he/she collects 60 ECTS of the 1st year. A student can advance to the 3rd year if he/she collects 60 ECTS of the 2nd year, 60 ECTS of the 1st year and and his / her topic of the doctoral dissertation has been confirmed. A student can advance in the 4th year if he/she collects 60 ECTS of the 3rd year, 60 ECTS of the 2nd year and 60 ECTS of the 1st year.
In exceptional cases involving individual circumstances of the student (illness or extraordinary circumstances), progression to the next year may be allowed with a lower number of ECTS credits, but not less than 30 ECTS. In such cases, the decision on enrolment is made by the Committee for Study and Student Affairs of UP FAMNIT.
A student who has not completed all obligations required for progression to the next year may, during the course of studies, repeat a year once. If a student repeats a year, they are not entitled to the “graduate status period” (absolvent status), and their student status expires at the end of the 4th year.
By advancing and repeating, the student retains the status of a student and thus the rights and benefits provided by law. In accordance with the law, a student can apply for an extension of student status, but for a maximum of one year.
Elective courses are divided into two groups: content-based and methodological courses.
Content-based courses provide in-depth knowledge of a specific topic and enable students to develop a comprehensive understanding of the subject areas they will explore in their independent research work and in the preparation of their doctoral dissertation. Methodological courses, on the other hand, provide knowledge and contribute to the acquisition of skills that students need to design and carry out research.
More information on elective courses is available in the document “Curriculum” (see above).
General competencies
- Ability to independently search for information and acquire biological expertise and to integrate it into a multidisciplinary system with other sciences important for understanding the interaction between humans, nature and society.
- Identification of relevant biological problems related to biodiversity loss and loss of ecosystem functions and services and acquisition of advanced basic knowledge using appropriate and modern techniques and methods.
- Critical assessment of developments and dynamics of changes in the field of nature protection and understanding of the importance of sustainable management and use of renewable natural resources.
- Ability to analyse, synthesise and predict solutions and the consequences of factors with anthropocentric influence on living nature.
- Understanding of conservation biology as an interdisciplinary science that requires a holistic approach to solving nature conservation problems, taking into account all aspects of life.
- Ability to independently plan and conduct scientific research and the ability to work in a working group (teamwork).
- With the help of the acquired competences for the transfer of knowledge to the public and stakeholders working in the field of nature conservation and environmental protection, they will be able to act in the wider social community.
Subject-specific competencies
The ability to understand complex principles of conservation biology and their relevance to the protection of biodiversity, protected areas and species, including:
- complex patterns and processes that shape biodiversity in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems at the genetic and species levels and make important contributions to ecosystem functions;
- the concept of structural and functional connectivity (demographic and evolutionary interdependence) between populations and communities;
- the importance of sustainable population management;
- the importance of microbial ecology for ecosystem functioning;
- the importance of parasitism as one of the main causes of evolutionary change in the living world, and the impact of globalisation on the spread of disease and its threat to public health and local biodiversity;
- natural and anthropogenic factors threatening biodiversity at local and global scales;
- concepts of metapopulations, opportunistic species and metacommunities;
- principles of species behaviour in a changing environment from an evolutionary perspective;
- mechanisms of adaptation of wild organisms to changes in the environment according to their genetic variability and epigenomic records;
- the importance of maintaining a balance between the protection of ecosystems and the use of ecosystem services;
- social components and systems important for the conservation and populations management.
The ability to apply appropriate scientific methods to understand environmental factors and basic approaches for the conservation of endangered species and their habitats and to solve or mitigate general environmental problems, through:
- planning methods for the management of populations of threatened species in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems;
- carrying out laboratory analyses using classical techniques and modern genetic and genomic techniques;
- the use of bioinformatics tools in comparative genomics, metagenomics, transcriptomics and proteomics;
- the application of the most appropriate modern methods of multivariate statistics and the processing and interpretation of the results.
The doctoral study programme Conservation Biology trains experts who are able to conduct research in national and international settings and provide guidelines for nature protection in a critical time of biodiversity crisis, contributing directly to solving the most important challenges of our time. At the local and national levels, the need for well-trained personnel in the field of conservation biology is most evident in the scientific research institutions (universities, public and private research institutions) and some non-governmental organizations working in the field of conservation. Experts in the field of conservation biology are also employed by companies that have recognized the importance of protecting species and ecosystems.