ECOTECHNOLOGIES

The Ecotechnologies study programme is designed to gain expert knowledge in the field of ecotechnologies. The studies are organised in relation to the R&D projects of the industry, service activities and public sector. Slovenia implemented ...

Programme Description

The Ecotechnologies study programme is designed to gain expert knowledge in the field of ecotechnologies. The studies are organised in relation to the R&D projects of the industry, service activities and public sector. Slovenia implemented the principles of sustainable development in its fundamental research strategy which is supported by a number of legal, economic, ecological and social measures. However, these measures and integration of their effects show a deficit, especially due to the lack of sustainability-oriented and professionally qualified management personnel. The integration of Slovenia into the European Union led to an increased demand for competitiveness in all areas. In the economy, service activities and public sector, it requires a faster and more efficient development and transfer of ecotechnologies, as well as it exercises a stronger orientation towards sustainable development.

In science and education, the importance of connecting basic research with applied research and development in the field of economy, service activities and public sector is significantly larger, and this is exactly what the Ecotechnologies programme is all about. The strategy of sustainable development includes the integration of environmental, technological, economic and social goals, particularly in production and consumption. It is essential to plan, develop and disseminate the use of ecotechnologies (“eco” meaning both ecological and economic), and to implement systematic sustainable market strategies to develop more favourable consumption trends. The essential components of ecotechnological approaches are new procedures and products which include an increasing efficiency in the use of raw materials and energy, minimizing and recycling of wastes, the reduction of adverse environmental impacts of production and transport, and the systematic improvement of the endangered environment.

Characteristic for the proposed programme is the emphasis on the interlinking of basic research with applied research and with the progress in industry and trade, and therefore this study programme is intended, in principle, for candidates who have at least two years of work experience and the support of their employers. The programme is intended to design study and research conditions where theoretical basics on the highest level will intertwine with the efforts to solve real-world problems in the processes of production and decision-making.

This postgraduate study programme offers the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills for competent research, forming international relationships, and for the management of sustainability-oriented development, and the transfer and application of ecotechnologies.

Emphasis will be placed on threefold ability for:

  • widening and deepening the scientific content, methods and techniques in the selected fields of natural sciences, technologies, engineering and information sciences, which will support strategic choice, development, transfer, optimization, utilization and control of selected ecotechnologies for increasing commercial efficiency while benefiting broader social interests concerning sustainable development;
  • developing the abilities and skills for enhancing the quality of processes, products and services, and increasing the added value, striving for excellence and maximum enforcement of the principles of sustainable development;
  • developing an integral process of thinking which surpasses individual areas and develops multidisciplinary communication skills for dealing with experts from other disciplines and subject areas, comprehensive definition of problems, systematic approaches solving complex problems through teamwork, decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, and long-term target-oriented strategic planning.

Credit Framework (ECTS)

Total number of ECTS for the third-cycle study programme 180 ECTS
Required Courses 65 ECTS
Elective Courses 15 ECTS
Individual Research Work 70 ECTS
Doctoral Dissertation 30 ECTS

Curriculum

1st Year (60 ECTS)

Required Courses (25 ECTS)
Seminar I (10 ECTS)
Tools for the Environmental Quality Control (10 ECTS)

Economics and Society (5 ECTS)

Elective Courses (15 ECTS)
The courses are listed below.

Out of all the courses the student can select max. one general course:
- Industrial Seminar (5 ECTS)
- Science Communication (5 ECTS)
- Contemporary Mathematical and Statistical Methods in Natural Sciences and Engineering (5 ECTS)
- Preparation of Patent Application (5 ECTS)

Individual Research Work 1 (20 ECTS)

2nd Year (60 ECTS)

Required Courses (30 ECTS)

Seminar II (30 ECTS)

Individual Research Work 2 (30 ECTS)

3rd Year (60 ECTS)

Required Courses (10 ECTS)

Seminar III (10 ECTS)

Individual Research Work 3 (20 ECTS)

Doctoral Dissertation (30 ECTS)

Courses

Course Module Professor ECTS
Advanced Processing of Materials NANO3,EKO3 prof. dr. Uroš Cvelbar 5 ECTS
Artificial Intelligence for Science ST3,IKT3,NANO3,EKO3 prof. dr. Sašo Džeroski 5 ECTS
Automated Modeling of Dynamic Systems with Ecological Applications EKO3 prof. dr. Sašo Džeroski 5 ECTS
Biomonitoring EKO3 prof. dr. Milena Horvat 5 ECTS
Cell Entrapment and Encapsulation Technologies EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Aleš Lapanje 5 ECTS
Chemical and Food Toxicology EKO3 prof. dr. Bojana Žegura 5 ECTS
Chemistry of Environmental Systems EKO3 prof. dr. Milena Horvat 10 ECTS
Citizen Science and Environmental Health EKO3 prof. dr. Milena Horvat 5 ECTS
Colloidal Biology EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Aleš Lapanje 5 ECTS
Contemporary Mathematical and Statistical Methods in Natural Sciences and Engineering ST3,IKT3,NANO3,EKO3 prof. dr. Matjaž Omladič 5 ECTS
Critical Raw Materials EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Gašper Tavčar 5 ECTS
Doctoral Dissertation ST3,IKT3,NANO3,EKO3 Prof. dr. Predstojnik / Head of Programme 30 ECTS
Economics and Society ST3,IKT3,NANO3,EKO3 prof. dr. Aleksander Zidanšek 5 ECTS
Engineered Microbial Biofilms EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Aleš Lapanje 5 ECTS
Environmental Biotechnology EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Aleš Lapanje 5 ECTS
Environmental Colloid Chemistry EKO3 prof. dr. Nives Ogrinc 5 ECTS
Environmental Physics EKO3 prof. dr. Aleksander Zidanšek 5 ECTS
Environmental Technologies - Selected Topics EKO3 prof. dr. Peter Glavič 10 ECTS
Environmentally friendly functionalization of organic materials EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Alenka Vesel 5 ECTS
Environmentally-Friendly Piezoelectric Ceramic Materials EKO3 prof. dr. Andreja Benčan Golob 5 ECTS
Food Chemical Safety - inorganic, organic contaminants, nanoparticles EKO3 prof. dr. Janez Ščančar 10 ECTS
Food Traceability and Authenticity EKO3 prof. dr. Nives Ogrinc 10 ECTS
Foodomics EKO3 prof. dr. Urška Vrhovšek 5 ECTS
Fuel Cells EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Nejc Hodnik 5 ECTS
Hydrology and Environment EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Sonja Lojen 5 ECTS
Ichthyology and Fisheries EKO3 prof. dr. Lovrenc Lipej 5 ECTS
Individual Research Work 1 ST3,IKT3,NANO3,EKO3 Prof. dr. Predstojnik / Head of Programme 20 ECTS
Individual Research Work 2 ST3,IKT3,NANO3,EKO3 Prof. dr. Predstojnik / Head of Programme 30 ECTS
Individual Research Work 3 ST3,IKT3,NANO3,EKO3 Prof. dr. Predstojnik / Head of Programme 20 ECTS
Industrial Seminar ST3,IKT3,NANO3,EKO3 prof. dr. Spomenka Kobe 5 ECTS
Inorganic chemistry: Selected topics EKO3 doc. dr. Matic Lozinšek 5 ECTS
Introduction to Environmentally Friendly Plasma Technologies EKO3 prof. dr. Miran Mozetič 5 ECTS
Introduction to the Process Safety EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Marko Gerbec 5 ECTS
Invasion ecology and importance of interspecific interactions in ecosystems EKO3 doc. dr. Al Vrezec 5 ECTS
Knowledge Discovery in Environmental Data EKO3 prof. dr. Sašo Džeroski 5 ECTS
Materials and Ecology EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Srečo Davor Škapin 5 ECTS
Modeling in the Environment EKO3 prof. dr. Milena Horvat 5 ECTS
Nuclear Fusion as an Environmentally friendly Source of Energy EKO3 prof. dr. Miran Mozetič 5 ECTS
Ocean-based Solutions to Climate Change EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Sonja Lojen 5 ECTS
Organic Analysis EKO3 prof. dr. Ester Heath 5 ECTS
Organic chemistry for the sustainable development EKO3 prof. dr. Ester Heath 5 ECTS
Preparation of Patent Application ST3,IKT3,NANO3,EKO3 prof. dr. Miran Mozetič 5 ECTS
Radioactive Wastes EKO3 doc. dr. Marko Štrok 5 ECTS
Radioactive and Nuclear Methods for the Study of Processes EKO3 doc. dr. Marko Štrok 5 ECTS
Science Communication ST3,IKT3,NANO3,EKO3 prof. dr. Saša Novak Krmpotič 5 ECTS
Selected Chapters from Analytical Chemistry EKO3 prof. dr. Maja Ponikvar-Svet 5 ECTS
Selected topics on Biotechnology EKO3 doc. dr. David Dobnik 5 ECTS
Seminar I EKO3 prof. dr. Milena Horvat 10 ECTS
Seminar II EKO3 prof. dr. Milena Horvat 30 ECTS
Seminar III EKO3 prof. dr. Milena Horvat 10 ECTS
Society, Nature and the Environment EKO3 izr. prof. dr. Tomaž Grušovnik 5 ECTS
Speciation of Elements in Biological Systems and Environment EKO3 prof. dr. Radmila Milačič 5 ECTS
Strategic Evaluation of Environmental Impacts EKO3 doc. dr. Davor Kontić 5 ECTS
Strategies of Environmental Radioactivity Monitoring with the Dose Assessment EKO3 doc. dr. Benjamin Zorko 5 ECTS
Stress responses in marine environment EKO3 doc. dr. Andreja Ramšak 5 ECTS
Tools for the Environmental Quality Control EKO3 prof. dr. Milena Horvat 10 ECTS
X-ray Structure Analysis NANO3,EKO3 doc. dr. Evgeny Goreshnik 5 ECTS

*The course will no longer be carried out from 1 October 2018. More information: info@mps.si.

Basic Objectives

The basic objective of this programme is to qualify the candidate for:

A)  General competences

  • ability for individual research work on the field of ecotechnologies,
  • ability to research, select and organize information, as well as synthesize solution and anticipate their consequences,
  • mastering of research methods, procedures and processes, development of critical and self-critical assessment,
  • ability to use knowledge in practice,
  • autonomy in professional work, as well as responsible and creative performance of activities,
  • development of communication abilities and skills, particularly for communication in international environment,
  • ethical reflection and commitment to professional ethics and regulations,
  • cooperativeness, work on joint assignments and problems within a group and in international environment.

B)  Subject-specific competences

  • knowing the bases of environmental protection techniques, material and energy balance and process systems technology,
  • understanding integrated planning of energy production and distribution in the economic sector, including environmental evaluation of energy consumption and energy processes, management of internal energy systems in connection with the public energy supply system, energy and emissions trading, evaluation of operational and investment/supported improvements,
  • ability to combine various skills and knowledge in identification and analysis of environmental issues, evaluation and decision-making on the use of the environment in relation to development schemes, plans and policies,
  • ability to analyze ethical aspects of practices, institutions and valuations associated with the environment and nature,
  • recognizing the social relevance of scientific knowledge and responsibility of planners for activities interfering with nature, social and cultural environment,
  • understanding the legal aspect of environmental protection, in the European and national legislation,
  • knowing the bases of ecology and ecotoxicology for students without basic education in biology,
  • ability to discover knowledge in environmental data,
  • continuing research & development work in ecotechnologies,
  • knowing the concepts of ecotechnologies,
  • acquiring the bases of natural-science and technical knowledge in ecotechnologies in the form of combining the existing solutions.