Courses and study modules
The extent of the Master's Programme in Integrative Plant Sciences is 120 credits (ECTS), to be completed in two years of full-time studies.
The degree consists of 80 credits of advanced studies and 40 credits of other (elective) studies from this or other programmes. The advanced studies consist of joint courses (20 credits), two alternative study modules (30 credits) and the Master's thesis (30 credits).
With your choices of courses, you can deepen your expertise in particular areas of integrative plant sciences. Your degree can thus be tailored depending on your aspirations, whether you want to be a university researcher, entrepreneur, or environmental/agricultural consultant. You can also pick individual courses from any module to your elective studies. However, each module is a coherent entity so we recommend taking all the courses in a module.
You can find the joint courses, the study modules and examples of other available courses presented below.
Joint studies
Joint studies in the MSc Programme in Integrative Plant Sciences, 50 cr
- IPS-001 Personal Study Plan (PSP), 0 cr
- IPS-002 Plants in a Changing World, 5 cr
- IPS-003 Design and Planning of Biological Experiments, 5 cr
- IPS-004 Master’s Thesis Seminar, 5 cr
- IPS-005 Literature Examination, 5 cr
- IPS-006 Master’s Thesis, 30 cr
- VIIKB-001 Maturity Essay, 0 cr
Module in Plant Growth and Developmental Biology
Plant Growth and Developmental Biology, 15 cr
- IPS-111 Plant Developmental Biology, 5 cr
- IPS-112 Wood Structure, Growth and Differentiation, 5 cr
- IPS-113 Lectures in Plant Physiology, 5 cr
Modules in Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology
Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, 15 cr
- IPS-121 Plant Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 5 cr
- IPS-122 Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, 5 cr
- IPS-123 Laboratory Course in Plant Biotechnology, 5 cr
Advanced Plant Molecular Biology, 15 cr
- IPS-131 Advanced Course in Plant Molecular Biology, 15 cr
Modules in Plants in Their Environment
Plants in Their Environment, 15 cr
- IPS-141 Sensory and Physiological Ecology of Plants, 5 cr
- IPS-142 Plant Adaptation, 5 cr
- IPS-143 Plants, Ecosystems and Bioresilience, 5 cr
Subarctic Ecology and Flora, 15 cr
- IPS-154 Subarctic Habitats and Biota, 5 cr
- IPS-153 Flora of Subarctic Europe, 5 cr
- IPS-172 Polypores as Tools in Forest Conservation, 5 cr
Module in Plant Taxonomy and Systematics
Taxonomy and Systematics, 15 cr
- IPS-161 Biological Collections, 5 cr
- IPS-164 Introduction to Phylogenetics, 10 cr
Module in Plant Diversity and Distribution
Diversity and Distribution of Plants and Fungi, 15 cr
Elective, 15 cr
- IPS-172 Polypores as Tools in Forest Conservation, 5 cr
- IPS-173 Mapping Plant Distributions, 5 cr
- IPS-174 Tropical Flora of East Africa, 5 cr
- IPS-175 Flora and Vegetation of East Africa, 5 cr
- EEB-301 Fundamentals of Conservation Biology, 5 cr
- IPS-177 Flora of Southern Finland, 5 cr
- IPS-178 Threatened Vascular Plants of Finland, 5 cr
The Master's Programme in Integrative Plant Sciences offers several field courses that can be included in your studies:
The courses above are located at following research stations:
Read more about the Research stations at the University of Helsinki.
Some of the field courses can be accomplished remotely – be in touch with the responsible teacher to find out more.
Career orientation and professional skills training (examples)
Career orientation and professional skills training (examples)
- IPS-008 Advanced Training in a Research Group, 5-10 cr
- IPS-009 Practical Training, 5-10 cr
- IPS-010 Learning by Doing in Scientific Natural History Collections, 5 cr
- IPS-011 Project Work, 5 cr
- IPS-012 Plant Biology Journal Club, 5 cr
- IPS-013 Symposia and Seminars, 5 cr
- IPS-014 Learning by Teaching, 5 cr
- VIIKB-002 Tutoring, 5 cr
- VIIKB-005 Participation in Organization and Administrative Activities, 2-5 cr
Other optional studies (examples)
Optional studies from student’s own programme or from other programmes
Examples:
Orientation, language courses, courses from other universities
- VIIKB-003 Orientation Course, 1 cr
- KK-ENG501, Academic Writing 1: Principles and Practice (MSc Students) (CEFR C1), 2 cr
- KK-ENG502, Academic Writing 2: Process and Feedback (MSc Students) (CEFR C1), 2 cr
- VIIKB-100 Studies Accomplished at Another University, 1-15 cr
- VIIKB-200 Study Module Accomplished at Another University, 15-45 cr
- VIIKB-201 Study Module Completed in a Foreign University , 15-25 cr
Courses or modules from the MSc Programme in Forest Sciences:
FOR-306 Forest Biotechnology, 30 cr
- FOR-231 Basic Biotechnology Applications in Forestry, 5 cr
- IPS-112 Wood Structure, Growth and Differentiation, 5 cr
- FOR-232 Forest Microbiology, 10 cr
- FOR-233 Advanced Forest Mycology and Pathology, 10 cr
Courses or modules from the MSc Programme in Forest Sciences:
FOR-307 Forest Production Ecology, 25 cr
- FOR-211 Tree Ecophysiology, 5 cr
- FOR-212 Forest Production, Growth and Yield, 5 cr
- FOR-213 Field Course in Production Ecology, 5 cr
- FOR-215 Mitigation of Climate Change in Forestry, 5 cr
- FOR-216 Adaptation of Forestry to Climate Change, 5 cr
Courses or modules from the MSc Programme in Agricultural Sciences:
AGRI-230 Plant Breeding, 15 cr
- AGRI-231 Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources, 5 cr
- AGRI-232 Breeding of Crop Plants, 5 cr
- AGRI-233 Forest Tree Breeding, 5 cr
Courses or modules from the MSc Programme in Agricultural Sciences:
AGRI-250 Plant Pathology, 15 cr
- AGRI-251 Fungal Plant Pathogens, 5 cr
- AGRI-252 Plant Pathogenic Bacteria, 5 cr
- AGRI-253 Plant Virology, 5 cr
Or other optional study units or modules from the Plant Production Sciences
Courses offered to the exchange students