Aθήνα 27.5.2009, 15:02
The Programme of Environmental Management of Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania focuses on the ever growing demand for highly specialized and effectively educated scientists to tackle significant environmental issues in today’s natural environment, agro-environmental issues and land use functions.

Graduates, professionals and specialists from the Mediterranean and Balkan region majoring in a compatible discipline and background knowledge on Environmental issues have the opportunity to specialize on (a) Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing, their application to Environmental Management and other problems related to Environment, (b)  Utilization of quantitative and decision support tools to strategic and environmental impact assessment within the environmental policy and legislative framework of the European Union. The attainment of the M.Sc. degree qualifies them with in depth academic knowledge and practical skills in Environmental Management, which enable a successful continuation of their doctorate studies and/or pursue of an international career in both the public and private sector.

Requirements
Applicants must have the academic level that qualifies them to undertake postgraduate studies in their home country and corresponds to a minimum of four years undergraduate studies. Their degree must also be in a discipline compatible with the area of specialization. 

The working language of MAICH is English.  Selection is made on the basis of the files submitted by applicants – priority being given to applicants from CIHEAM member countries and takes account of their academic results and professional experience acquired in the chosen field of specialization.

Application
The following documents must be sent by post:
1. Completed application form (download available at: http://www.maich.gr/p/admissions/application)
2. Three (3) recommendation letters
3. Certified copy of University Diploma translated in English
4. Certified copy of University Transcripts translated in English
5. Medical certificate
6. English TOEFL certificate
7. Two (2) photos, passport size

Application Submission is July 15th, 2009

Scholarships
All selected candidates are awarded scholarships, fully or partly covering a) tuition, b) board, c) accommodation and d) health insurance.

Indicative M.Sc. Researh Topics
• Desertification Monitoring,
• Environmental Resource Management,
• Environmental Impact Assessment,
• Landscape Ecology,
• Soil Erosion Risk Assessment,
• Agricultural Practices Monitoring,
• Precision Agriculture,
• Forest Fire Risk Assessment
• Fire Behaviour Modelling & Effectiveness of Fire Retardants,
• Management of Mediterranean Ecosystems, and
• Regional and Rural Development

For more information, visit our website at http://www.maich.gr/env  or send inquiries to manakos@maich.gr, dina@maich.gr
 
 

EDUCATIONAL SEQUENCE

Part 1 - Post graduate specialization programme
(9 months duration, 60 ECTS)

Unit I – INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS (6 ECTS)
1. Statistics
2. Spatial Statistics – Theory

Unit II – SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT (12 ECTS)
1. Sustainable Development and Environmental Management
2. Ecosystems Processes and Issues
3. Management of Grazing and Forest Resources and Landscapes
4. Soil and Water Resource Management

Unit III – REMOTE SENSING AND GIS ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES (12 ECTS)
1. Remote Sensing – Theory
2. Geographical Information Systems
3. GIS Applications & Digital Image Analysis
4. Basic Geodesy & Digital Photogrammetry

Unit IV – INTEGRATED GIS/RS APPLICATIONS (6 ECTS)
1. Remote Sensing Applications
2. Integrated GIS/RS Case Studies

Unit V – ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, PLANNING & MANAGEMENT (15 ECTS)
1. Strategic Environmental Assessment
2. EIA Theory and Process
3. Decision Support Using GIS
4. Environmental Management Systems

Unit VI – QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (9 ECTS)
1. Quantitative Analysis of Mediterranean Ecosystems
2. Environmental Cost Benefit Analysis
3. Spatial Statistics - Practice

Part 2 - The Master of science program
(Project - 9 months duration, 60 ECTS)

The qualified second year graduates (Master of Science Degree candidates) pursue their research thesis under the supervision of visiting and/ or own MAICh faculty in an environment fully equipped with modern facilities and the most recently updated software. Research addresses spearhead topics supporting national and EU Environmental policies within an interdisciplinary international scientific network.

Facilities
GIS/RS Laboratory:
An extensive range of hardware (over 30 networked PCs, input, output, storage devices), and software (ArcGIS, ERDAS Imagine, ENVI, eCognition, and other ancillary supportive software packages) is available to support formal teaching and research activities.
Automated Cartography Unit:
ACU is dedicated to capturing (digitizers and scanners), processing, integration, archiving and printing (printers and plotters) of imaging and non–imaging datasets.
Field Survey Unit:
The Field Survey Unit is dedicated to support fieldwork and field campaigns with all the necessary equipment and tools.
Natural Objects Multispectral Identification Unit:
The Natural Object Hyperspectral Identification Unit is dedicated to study and spectrally characterize earth surface materials.
Forest Fire Wind Tunnel Simulator Unit:
The wind tunnel facility of MAICh is used in different research projects related to forest fires. It meets all the international specifications for simulated fire and wind experiments.