Courses in Physics of the Hydrosphere Study Track

The preliminary syllabus for the next academic year will be published in the end of March and the final syllabus will be published in Sisu by the end of June. Please note, that some courses will not be lectured every academic year.

Compulsory courses (45-50 cr)

Atmospheric and Earth Sciences Today (5 cr)
Atmospheric science seminar for Master’s students (5 cr)
Master's thesis (30 cr)
Maturity test (0 cr)
Personal study plan (0 cr) (included in ATM301)

Select either Climate.now (5 cr) or Climate.now (2 cr).

Select either  Project course in atmospheric sciences (3 or 5 cr) or  Integrating art and science (5 cr) or Solutions.now (5 cr).

Theories and Methods in Geophysics of the Hydrosphere course package (complete at least 20 cr)

Compulsory courses (20 cr)

Measurement Methods in Hydrospheric Geophysics (5 cr)
Geophysics of Snow and Ice (5 cr)
Turbulence Theory (5 cr)
Time Series Analysis in Geosciences (5 cr)

Geoinformatics (complete at most 5 cr)

Select either  Geoinformatics 1 (5 cr) or  Geoinformatics I (5 cr).

Optional courses (0-10 cr)

Advanced aquatic and sediment biogeochemistry (5 cr)
Spatial Modelling and Bayesian Inference (5 cr)

Optional course packages (complete at least 25 cr)

Complete at least 25 cr, including one course package with at least 15 cr.

Physical Oceanography course package

Dynamic Oceanography (5 cr)
Descriptive Oceanography (5 cr)
Surface Water Waves (5 cr)
Oceanography of the Baltic Sea (5 cr)
Coastal Oceanography (5 cr)
Polar Oseanography (5 cr)

Cryology course package

Sea ice geophysics (5 cr)
Frozen Gound (5 cr)
Glaciology (5 cr)

Hydrology course package

Global Hydrology (5 cr)
Physics of lakes and rivers (5 cr)
Field Course in Micrometeorology and Hydrology (5 cr)
 Quantitative hydrogeology and flow modeling (5 cr)

Optional advanced courses for all study tracks (0-30 cr)

Leadership for Sustainable Change (5 cr)
Introduction to Earth System Modelling (5 cr)
Sustainable.now (5 cr)
SystemsChange.now (5 cr)
Solutions.now (5 cr)
Living with changing climate (5 cr)
Forests and Climate Change (2 cr)
Climate University for Virtual Exchanges (CLUVEX) (1 cr)
Una Europa Virtual Exchanges for Sustainability (1 cr)
Environmental and Climate Regulation in the EU (5 cr)
Application of AI/ML techniques in Atmospheric Science (3 cr)
Integrating art and science (5 cr)
 
Data Science

Statistical Tools for Climate and Atmospheric Science (5 cr)
Analysis of atmosphere-surface interactions and feedbacks (5 cr)
Time Series Analysis in Geosciences (5 cr)
Introduction to Data Science (5 cr)
Advanced Course in Machine Learning (5 cr)
Bayesian Data Analysis (5 cr)
Neural Networks and Deep Learning (5 cr)

Select at most one of the following courses:

• Introduction to Machine Learning (5 cr)
• Introduction to Machine Learning for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (5 cr)

Take the compulsory prerequisite courses FYS2075 and FYS2076 if these courses or courses with the same contents are not included to your previous studies.

• Basic Course in Oceanography (5 cr)
• Basic Course in Hydrology (5 cr)

In addition to the compulsory prerequisite courses other studies can include study modules or courses from other programmes or courses from other study tracks. Also practical training and language studies can be included in other studies.

Hydrosphere geophysics has its basis on the theories of classical physics and in advanced high school mathematics and physics. In order to successfully pursue MSc studies in the geophysics of the hydrosphere study track it is recommended that you have the following knowledge and skills before entering to the programme: 

• Physics: principles of mechanics and thermodynamics are particularly important. You should be familiar with at least the following:
  • Principles of mass, momentum and energy conservation
  • Basic knowledge of fluid dynamics
• Mathematics
  • Fundamentals of vectors and linear algebra
  • Complex numbers
  • Differentiation and integration
  • First and second degree ordinary and partial differential equations
• Programming and statistics
  • Ability to demonstrate research results tabularly and graphically  
  • Understanding of standards of scientific writing
  • Basics in programming

In case you have not completed University of Helsinki's courses Basic Course in Oceanography and Basic Course in Hydrology or equivalent courses during your bachelor's degree, you need to complete them in the beginning of your Master's studies.