Ecology of cities

Form of study:
full-time

Duration of training:
2 years

Kasimov Nikolay S.

Head of the Department of

Environmental Geochemistry and

Soil Geography

Academician of the Russian

Academy of Sciences, professor

Kosheleva Natalia E.

Responsible executor of the program

Professor of Department of
Environmental Geochemistry and

Soil Geography

Doctor of Geography

The interfaculty master's program «Urban Ecology» is being implemented within the framework of the Interdisciplinary Scientific and Educational School of Moscow State University «The Future of the Planet and Global Environmental Change» together with the faculties of soil science, biological faculties and the Scientific Research Institute of Nuclear Physics of Moscow State University.

Specialized competencies of the master's program

Knowledge of the theory and methods of studying cities and urban landscapes, understanding of the patterns of formation of urban infrastructure and their functional zoning, knowledge of the characteristics of sources of technogenic impact

Knowledge of theoretical concepts and approaches to assessing the specific consequences of climate change for the urban environment, modern landscapes and their ecosystem functions

Knowledge of modern theoretical foundations and principles of environmental geochemistry, geoecology, biogeography and soil science, methodology of comprehensive ecological-geographical and ecological-geochemical research

Knowledge of methods of geoinformation analysis and processing of remote sensing data for analysis and modeling of the state of urban environmental components

Knowledge of the basics of environmental monitoring and environmental control, the ability to assess and forecast the state of ecosystems under technogenic influence, assess the impact of the quality of the urban environment on public health.

Graduates of the program will be able to

gain knowledge and master innovative methodological apparatus in the field of ecological and geochemical studies of cities and urban landscapes, including:

Quantitative assessment and forecast of the ecological and geochemical state of the components of urban landscapes, as well as the consequences of climate change for the urban environment (heat and pollution islands)
Methodology of complex physical-geographical and ecological-geochemical studies, GIS analysis methods for environmental monitoring and environmental control
Assessing the impact of the quality of the urban environment on public health
Justification of a set of measures aimed at restoring and improving the condition of the urban environment.

The graduate can work in scientific and educational institutions, in organizations involved in assessing the current ecological and geochemical state of urban areas and its possible future changes under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors, its impact on the comfort of living of the urban population and the socio-economic development of cities, as well as issues of developing scientifically based measures to reduce the dangerous consequences of pollution.

Basic academic disciplines

Infrastructure and functional zoning of cities (Bityukova V.R.)
Climate and atmosphere of large cities (Surkova G.V., Popovicheva O.B.)
Geochemistry of atmospheric fallout and road dust (Vlasov D.V., Kosheleva N.E.)
Properties, functions and pollution of urban soils (Kosheleva N.E., Prokofieva T.V.)
Geoinformation analysis of urban ecosystems and landscapes (Chernitsova O.V., Martynenko I.A.)
Environmental assessment of water systems (Chalov S.R., Sadchikov A.P.)
Environmental monitoring of the urban environment (Lychagin M.Yu., Timofeeva E.A.)
Quality of life in the urban environment and public health (Shartova N.V.)
Landscape ecology of cities (Umarova A.B.)