Designed for students passionate of Biodiversity and Ecosystems, the Coastal and Marine Biology and Ecology (CMBE) Course delivers qualified education on fundamental and applied biological and ecological marine sciences, integrating eScience and more traditional approaches with the aim of understanding of the fundamental ecological mechanisms underlying phenomena occurring at various scales in coastal, transitional, and marine ecosystems. CMBE is a two-year, second level course. It offers two alternative curricula: MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY (MBE) focusing on theoretical and experimental multidisciplinary training in marine biology and marine ecosystem sciences or E-BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SCIENCES (EBES) focusing on the theoretical foundations of biodiversity organization and ecosystem functioning and devoted to the issue of eco-informatics, recognizing the biodiversity-ecosystem nexus as an information enterprise, requiring analytical and synthetic capabilities in the generation of services for solving environmental challenge (climate change, emerging ecosystem threats, biodiversity loss, waning natural resources) and the promotion of sustainability.

Enrolment requires the possession of specific curricular pre-requisites relative to a three-year bachelor (university first-level) degree and the positive evaluation of the personal preparation of the applicant. Candidates must possess the following curricular requisites (in terms of ECTS credit units referred to the groups of sectors listed below): 1) GROUP 1 (General Botany, Systematic Botany, Environmental and Applied Botany, Zoology, Ecology): from 12 to 40 ECTS; 2) GROUP 2 (Comparative Anatomy and Cytology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Microbiology): from 6 to 20 ECTS; 3) GROUP 3 (Probability, Statistics, Mathematics/ Physics, General and inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry): from 12 to 30 ECTS.

The CMBE degree will allow graduates to: - access to postgraduate courses (on competition); - access to Ph.D. courses (on competition); - work in public and private laboratories dealing with environmental issues, holding positions of responsibility as researchers and/or consultants; - practice the profession of environmental-focused biologist - work as members of environmental offices in the Municipalities of coastal towns; - become officers or Staff members of Marine Protected Areas and any other public environmental agency or office; - create/participate start-up and other types of private companies of environmental-related services to the private and public sector related to the marine and maritime domain..

The final examination for the achievement of the LM in Coastal and Marine Biology and Ecology consists of the presentation and discussion in public, in front of an appointed commission, of a written text (thesis). The topic will be agreed upon with a docent of the Course of Coastal and Marine Biology and Ecology and must be the result of original experimental research carried out during the stage time (corresponding to 30 ECTS/CFU for the MBE curriculum or to 40 ECTS/CFU for the EBES curriculum). The thesis work should be carried out under the guidance of a thesis supervisor and can be carried out or in the laboratories of the University of Salento or in public and/or private research institutions, located in Italy or abroad. If the thesis is carried out in external structures (out of the University of Salento) it is necessary to appoint an external rapporteur, as well as the internal one. By the final test, the student must demonstrate the cultural maturity, the ability to personal computing, and the ability to effectively communicate the theme addressed.

Yes

"Di Ateneo" - Single university degree (Final award of the degree issued by the University of Salento)

Université de Lille, France (curriculum MBE); Ionian University, Greece (curriculum EBES)

President of the Course: Professor Stefano Piraino,
email: stefano.piraino@unisalento.it