Master program in Physical Geography

From our working group, contributon to the MSc program in Physical Geography is about Environmental Geography with the soil environment playing a central role. In this context, soil serves as a basis for plant growth as well as landscape development. Soil properties and their interrelationship with its abiotic and biotic environment help to better understand biogeochemical processes like soil erosion, matter fluxes and element dynamics that give a landscape a unique structure and function.

We use field surveys, soil chemical lab analyses, micromorphological analysis and GIS-based pedometrical modeling together with state-of-the-art machine learning techniques embedded in the cluster of excellence as foremost methodologies. We put special emphasis on training of related methods with state-of-the-art techniques. We are committed to embed our teaching in environmentally-relevant questions and fundamental theories and train our students to proficiency.

Our courses follow a line from field observations, to experiments, to lab and statistical analysis, to interdisciplinary interpretation and publication of research results.

Modules offered by our group (current semester, see ALMA portal)

• GEO 77 (Soils and Geomorphology) emphasizes the interrelation between soil and topography. It covers basic knowledge of soils and geomorphology and intensive training on digital terrain analysis (DTA) using digital elevation models (DEM) and ecopedological analysis using soil maps. The aim is to facilitate the students with GIS-techniques that allow to analyze and to understand how the spatial distribution of soils and the shape of the terrestrial surface of our Globe are related to each other.
• GEO 78 (Soil Conservation) explores various concepts and field methods to evaluate soils as well as soil-landscape and their conservation. Hazardous soil changes are discussed as well as ways to mitigate and avoid them.
• GEO 86 (Soils and Landscape) offers field- and lab based hands-on training. The students will conduct a field survey near Tübingen, learn how to sample soils and do some advanced soil chemical analyses in our lab for soil science and geoecology. They will learn how to describe and sample soil profiles, map soils and analyze major soil properties.
• GEO 95 (Research Seminar) serves as a forum to present and discuss results from the MSc thesis. A two-step approach is applied with the presentation of the thesis outline at the beginning of the MSc project and the results at the end.
• GEO 98 (MSc Thesis) covers the MSc thesis. In most cases, the thesis works on a specific scientific question which is part of or related to a running research project of our research group. Alternatively, co-operations with other universities, research groups or environmental agencies may offer opportunities for master thesis. Generally, the students can start to work on their thesis at any time of the master program.

All above courses can be combined with those from geoinformatics (Prof. Volker Hochschild) and geoecology (Prof. Yvonne Oelmann) as well as lectures from human geography or other disciplines and programs. Someone who is interested in environmental problems in the tropics might choose a supplementary course on tropical soils (University of Hohenheim). Ecologists tending to biotic systems are wise to attend courses in botany and zoology. Those who love programming and GIS might choose additional courses from the geoinformatics section and attend lectures in informatics. Landscape reconstruction and paleopedology as major topics are nicely accompanied by courses in archaeology and ethnology. To study the relation between humans and environment might even need a much wider perspective given by a combination of courses from natural and social science, which is possible as well. Here are some prominent examples:

1. The scientist (specialized in soil science and heading for a scientific career)
2. The practitioner (specialized in environmental analysis and looking for a job in the industries, engineering or consulting companies)
3. The environmentalist (specialized in solving problems on all levels of decision-making and management and in all parts of the world related to topics like soil conservation, sustainable land use, environmental pollution, land use and resource management, etc.)

Information for students about our master study course, e. g. which courses one can take, study highlights, recently written master’s thesis and possibilities.

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Additional Information:

There is a team meeting every week (all team members, including student helpers, technicians and secretary).

We meet regularly for scientific discussion and exchange with guest scientists and on running projects and thesis (during winter and summer term, Monday, 12 – 14 h, mandatory for all team members, student helpers and students writing their thesis with us).

Those who are working in the lab meet every Monday, 9 – 10 h, to communicate and organize lab work.

Each winter and summer term starts and ends with a barbecue.