Curriculum of the Master degree programme Mountain Risk Engineering Code: 066 430 University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna Center for International Relations For legal purposes, only the version of the curriculum that has been published in the official journal (Mitteilungsblatt) is binding and valid - this English translation is for information purposes only.
Table of contents 1 Description of qualification... 3 2 Format of the Master degree programme... 3 3 Admission to the Master degree programme... 3 4 Academic qualification... 3 5 Types of courses... 4 6 Timetable of courses... 5 7 Thesis for the Master degree... 6 8 Graduation requirements... 7 9 Transitional regulations... 7 Impressum Center for International Relations University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna Peter Jordan Strasse 82a, 1190 Vienna Austria, Europe Phone:(+43-1)-47654-2600 Fax:(+43-1)-47654-2606 e-mail: zib@boku.ac.at http://www.zib.boku.ac.at/ Published and printed with support of ERASMUS OM-funds Issued in October, 2010 2
Curriculum of the Master degree programme Mountain Risk Engineering At the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna As at October 1 st, 2010 1 Description of qualification The Master degree programme Mountain Risk Engineering aims at imparting knowledge and methods necessary for the evaluation of natural dangers and for the formulation of protection concepts. The following gravity-related movement of matter and material are focused upon: avalanches, mud flow, flood waters and sediment transports, rotational slippings as well as rock fall and slide. The academic education of this Master degree programme covers the following focal points: knowledge of processes, preventive and protective measures, integral risk management, and further optional courses. The collective overview and approach for the evaluation of risks, improvement and optimisation of protection concepts is based on a sound foundation of natural sciences, as well as technical and socio-economic subjects. Professional positions after completion of the master degree program Mountain Risk Engineering will be found in diverse areas of public administration (for example sheeting for the forest-technical service for mountain torrents, avalanches and landslides), engineering advisors, technical offices, teaching, research and development. 2 Format of the Master degree programme The Master degree programme in Mountain Risk Engineering comprises four semesters and is made up of 120 ECTS credits. Of the total number of credits 81 ECTS or 56 weekly semester hours are compulsory courses (including a Master thesis seminar consisting of 2 ECTS or 2 weekly semester hours) and 9 ECTS are free elective courses. 30 ECTS are assigned to the thesis for the Master degree. The Master degree programme in Mountain Risk Engineering is held in English. 3 Admission to the Master degree programme Students who graduated a professionally linked Bachelor degree programme in Austria or an international university are admitted to the Master degree programme Mountain Risk Engineering. These Bachelor degree programmes are especially appropriate: forestry, environmental engineering, construction and civil engineering, physical geography and geology. A high command of English, which is essential for successful completion of this Master degree programme has to be proven for admission. 4 Academic qualification The Master degree programme Mountain Risk Engineering is an engineering degree. In accordance with this classification of engineering degrees, graduates of the Master degree programme will be awarded the academic qualification Diplom-Ingenieur of technical sciences, shortened to Dipl.-Ing. or DI. 3
5 Types of courses Courses within this degree are defined as follows: (1) Lectures (VO): Courses in which portions of an academic discipline and the methods involved are didactically presented. (2) Practical exercises (UE): Practical exercises are courses which are in technical connection to a lecture. They serve to apply specific practical abilities and skills presented theoretically during the lectures. Furthermore, these practical exercises also serve the acquisition of specific practical knowledge. (3) Proseminars (PS): Courses which serve the preparation for scientific and academic research and work whereby students have to prepare and hold an oral presentation and / or write a research paper. This research paper should be written in the language of the representative literature. (4) Seminars (SE): Seminars are courses which assist in the development of academic abilities. They serve to acquire knowledge independently and deepen learned content and scientific discussion. (5) Excursions (EX): Excursions are courses held in Austria and abroad and focus on aspects of the Master degree programme which cannot be imparted at the University of Natural Resources and Life Science, Vienna, itself. (6) Combinations Courses in which aspects of courses referred to in (1) to (5) are combined didactically. For these combination courses pre-mentioned regulations have to be applied. (7) Interdisciplinary Courses (IP): Courses which serve scientific and academic work including data collection and discussion. These courses require students to collect, analyse and present their data orally as well as in a written paper. (8) Diploma thesis seminar (DS): Courses which serve scientific and academic discussions and presentations in connection to the process of writing a diploma thesis. (9) For courses which require compulsory attendance (due to immanent assessment) the lecturer has to announce this fact as well as the necessary compulsory attendance for successful completion of the course (coverage for compulsory attendance: UE, SE, PS, IP, DS = 100 %; VU, VP, VS, VSX and others = 30 70 %). (10) If necessary courses can also be held out of the University of Natural Resources and Life Science, Vienna. 4
6 Timetable of courses 1 Used abbreviations: SST = weekly semester hours ECTS = European Credit Transfer System points WS = Winter Semester SS = Summer Semester The following courses are compulsory courses and make up 56 weekly semester hours or 81 ECTS. Number Type Name Semester SST ECTS Assessment of natural hazard processes in mountain regions 814.301 VS Meteorological conditions and precipitation WS 2.0 3.0 871.303 VX Rock fall WS 1.0 1.5 871.307 VZ Geomorphology and Watershed WS & SS 2.5 4.0 Characteristics 871.309 VZ Channel processes (floods, sediment WS & SS 3.0 4.5 transport, debris flows) 871.310 VY Snow and avalanches WS 3.0 4.5 871.323 VS Forest hydrology and vegetation effects WS 2.0 3.0 872.320 VY Landslides (engineering geology) WS 2.0 3.0 Hazard mitigation measures and watershed management 816.340 VU Ecologically Oriented Methods and SS 2.0 3.0 Monitoring in River Engineering 871.300 VX Afforestation near the timberline SS 1.5 2.0 871.306 VZ Technical protection measures: avalanches SS 2.5 3,5 871.308 VZ Technical protection measures: torrents SS 3.5 4.0 871.321 VX Forecasting and warning systems WS 2.0 3.0 872.322 VY Technical protection measures: slopes (incl. SS 1.5 2.5 rock fall) 874.300 VY Soil-bioengineering techniques (slopes and SS 2.5 3.5 gullies) 913.314 VY Management of protective forests SS 1.5 2.0 916.300 VX Forest protection in afforestations and protective SS 1.0 1.5 1 A more detailed description of all courses, including objective of the course, course contents, name of lecturer, prerequisites, recommended reading, teaching methods, assessment methods and language of instruction, is found in the BOKU-Online: https://online.boku.ac.at. 5
Number Type Name Semester SST ECTS Risk management and socio-economic aspects 732.318 VS Forest Policy Analysis SS 2.0 3.0 871.304 VS Hazard and Risk assessment SS 3.0 4.5 871.305 VS Integral Risk Management WS 2.0 3.0 871.331 VO Cost/benefit analysis WS 2.0 3.0 871.332 VO Disaster management WS 1.5 2.0 915.327 VU Project Management SS 2.0 3.0 Data acquisition and preparation 835.320 VS Statistics of extreme events and WS 2.0 3.0 geostatistics 857.321 VO Remote Sensing and GIS in Natural WS 2.0 3.0 Resource Management 871.301 VS Introduction to modelling and simulation WS 2.0 3.0 models 871.302 SE GIS tools for data handling WS 2.0 3.0 - SE Master Thesis Seminar 2 WS or SS 2.0 2.0 7 Thesis for the Master degree 1) A thesis for the Master degree is a scientific graduation paper which serves the evidence that the student can work on a scientific subject in an autonomous, justifiable as regards content and methodology. This thesis is an integral part of the Master degree programme Mountain Risk Engineering. 30 ECTS are granted for this thesis. 2) The scientific subject of the graduation paper has to be chosen from a subject relevant and belonging to the Master degree programme Mountain Risk Engineering. 3) The supervision and grading of the candidate s work is incumbent upon the university professor who has assigned the chosen subject for the graduation paper. 4) The thesis for the Master degree has to be handed in at the office responsible for study judicial affairs. 5) 30 ECTS are granted for the thesis for the Master degree programme in Mountain Risk Engineering. 2 The Master Thesis Seminar is completed at the institute at which the thesis is supervised. Please contact your thesis supervisor for further information. 6
8 Graduation requirements The Master degree programme Mountain Risk Engineering has to be concluded in two parts. The first part of the Master degree examination comprises the successful completion of courses listed in 6. The second part of the Master degree examination is an oral and commissioned exam which has to comprise: Positive examination in the subject which the topic for the diploma thesis was taken from and one additional subject which can be regarded a focus in the student s Master degree programme. This second subject has to be defined by the office responsible for the study judicial affairs and in accordance with the student. The registration for the second part of the Master degree examination requires: positive completion of all required compulsory courses stated in 6, positive completion of free elective courses to an extent of 9 ECTS, positive evaluation of the Master degree thesis 9 Transitional regulations (1) Regular students, who are permitted to follow the diploma degree programme on the basis of the UniStG from 1. 10. 1999, may continue to follow their degree programme. From the effective date of the new degree programmes for Bachelor and Master degrees, these students are permitted to complete their degree within the legal duration period, with the addition of one extra semester, according to 80 b (2) UniStG. If the degree is not completed within this period, then the student will be required to follow the Bachelor degree programme for the remainder of his / her studies. (An admission to the Master degree programme can only take place after the successful completion of a Bachelor degree programme, also see 3). (2) For regular students who commenced their degree programme before the commencement of the degree course scheme on the basis of UniStG and who run their degree programme according to 80 paragraph 2-4 UniStG there is no change in transitional dates. (3) For students, who continue their degree according to a diploma degree programme there is an equivalence list which shows which courses or groups of courses from the range of the Master degree programme of the respective diploma degree programme are equivalent to the Master degree programme. Courses of diploma degree programmes, which are no longer offered or no longer assessed, have to be completed according to the equivalence list of the Master degree programme. 7