Forest Science, MSc, University of Padua

Italy

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Study options for this course

The award	How you will study	Study duration	Course start	Domestic course fees	International course fees
MSc	Full-time	2 years	October	find out	EUR 2739 per year

About Forest Science, MSc - at University of Padua

Forest Science is a 2-year Second Cycle Degree equivalent to a Master of Science. The programme is completely taught in English and is addressed to Bachelor graduates with either forestry, agriculture, biological or environmental backgrounds. It trains high-profile graduates with a holistic and innovative vision, prepared to work on the management and conservation of natural resources at a national, European or international scales.

Forest Science offers two different specialization paths.
Forest and Land Management trains specialists in sustainable management, conservation and integrated valorization of forests and natural resources. Students acquire awareness and understanding of the functioning of forest ecosystems and skills for the sustainable management of forests and rural landscape, especially in a mountainous Alpine and Mediterranean contexts.
Forest and Nature for the Future trains specialists in the governance of forests and natural ecosystems in the context of issues such as climate change, deforestation, land use change and biodiversity conservation. Students acquire awareness and understanding of complex socio-ecological systems and skills for identifying innovative solutions for responsible forest management in line with the major global environmental issues.
In both curricula, the scientific and technical knowledge is completed through statistics, GIS and other mapping techniques, research and project management methods, as well as the development and enhancement of soft skills such as communication skills and group work capacity.

Teaching in Forest Science is based on problem-solving approaches, aimed at integrating theoretical knowledge with field experience: to this end, lectures, seminars and independent learning are supported by practical activities, laboratory work and field visits. An opportunity for the students of the two curricula to meet and bridge their learning experience is the Joint Summer Module, an interdisciplinary field activity of 1-2 weeks in Italy or abroad, taking place in summer between the first and the second year, during which students also have the chance to discuss about forest management and forest policy with various stakeholders of the forest and wood sector.

Learning in Forest Science occurs in an international and multicultural environment, as the programme participates in three Erasmus Mundus Consortia for Master double degrees, namely SUTROFOR, SUFONAMA and MEDfOR and has close links with other international Forest Schools as well as with international forest and environmental organizations like EFIMed FAO, EFI, WWF and CIFOR.

Learn more about Forest Science, MSc - at University of Padua

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Notes about fees for this course

Our tuition fees will not exceed 2700 euros per year. Scholarship and fee waivers are available for international students, for more information visit our website.

Entry requirements

Bachelor diploma (or equivalent)

A minimum three-year undergraduate degree (or equivalent) is required, with proven basic skills in ecological, silvicultural, economic and technical areas for natural resources management, production processes and land conservation.
The Academic Committee takes into consideration the final graduation mark of the first study cycle, where applicable, or alternatively the average grades as detailed in the Transcript of Records, considering that the minimum requirement for Italian entry qualifications is 90/110. Should it be not possible to directly compare the final graduation mark with the Italian grade scale, the Academic Committee shall consider the overall results in the candidate’s study curriculum.

The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English / Italian.

You can often get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

You must take the original entry qualification documents with you when you finally go to the university.

If you are admitted to the degree course, you will have to submit other documents including original and translated/legalised copies of your previous qualifications, etc. No legalised documents are required at application stage.

English language at a B2 level (CEFR) or equivalent.

During the assesment procedure, applicants will be required to take an interview via the application platform.

Fees, Funding and Scholarships at University of Padua

The University of Padua, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and other organisations offer various scholarships and fee-waiver opportunities to support students.

The University of Padua offers up to 54 "Padua International Excellence Scholarships" to highly talented prospective students wishing to pursue an English-taught degree at Padua.

Find out more about Funding and fees

Student reviews of University of Padua

Find out what students say about University of Padua

Prachi

from India
Master’s degree in Biotechnologies for food science

I was positive to join UniPD because it had a curriculum that did fit my subject. Furthermore, there is a history of UniPD that instantly depicts the strong foundation of education... and to me that university, where I would get that foundation would always be preferred. And looking back at those years, I can clearly see that it was the right choice.

The educational structure was somewhat to quite different from my home country.
1) There is an inclination towards comprehensiveness of the course; professors like to teach in depth which make you get immersed into the topic and fully understand it.
2) Exam period is especially interesting. You have so much time to focus and prepare (even though it never feels enough to any student.. haha). Also, there is a good direction by the professor if someone doesn't do well in the exam, so he/she can prepare better next time and retake the exam.
3) It has a strong research focus for the science-based courses and that makes it a good learning.

I enjoyed going to classes, and then walking around in the city, breathing the nature and refreshing in the company of my class-mates. There were phases of fun, study, extreme-fun and intense-study, which we managed to balance well somehow. The bestest part was having some professors who were like friends to us, which made study much more engaging.. and I for sure miss those professors. Can you imagine how good it was, that someone miss going to classes, and by the way, it is not only about UniPD, but there was also a lot because of the country, Italy, that made my time memorable.

Carolina

from Brasil
Master’s degree in Forest Science

The master's programme in Forest Science balances equally between the theoretical and practical parts of the courses, which frequently involves field trips in the North region of Italy, where Padova is located. This is a privileged region to have a forest science course, since it is close to a variety of ecosystems, such as the mountains (Alps), plain area (Po river), and the coast (Venice) and where it is possible to see the interaction of people-nature and climate change aspects.

After the first year of the master experience, I got the chance to do a summer internship in FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), whose headquarter is in Rome. That was a dream coming true, since from the beginning of my career I used FAO’s reports as supporting material for my job and studies.

Padua has the charm of a small city but everything you need from a big city. The thing I appreciate the most is just walking around the city centre and admiring the architecture of the historical buildings and squares, with an occasional stop for a coffee or spritz! The fact that it is bike friendly was another big plus.

Padova is also logistically interesting, since you can easily reach many beautiful cities by train or bus, such as Venice (in just 30 minutes!), Verona, Vicenza, Treviso, or if you feel like going a little bit further (2 hours) you can get to Milano, or to the Alps (Belluno, Asiago), where you can find natural areas to hike or ski or just escape the hot summer days.

Coming to Padova not only changed my professional career, but deeply changed my personal life: Here I found friends that I know I can count on for the rest of my life, and I also found love! I met my boyfriend over a year ago in the University.

Lauren

from Scotland
Master’s degree in Human Rights and Multilevel Governance

I would recommend the Unipd experience to anyone who wants to challenge themselves and be immersed in the Italian style of learning at university. At times it’s very intense but it’s also flexible and can suit anyone’s schedule, as I managed to work part time and even for 6 months, full time, on top of studying and volunteering. One thing I think is really important is making a real effort to learn Italian: it was very important for me to speak to local people and have the independence to go through bureaucratic procedures independently. In saying that, Padua is a very open-minded city with lots of people who speak English and a lot of international students! I sat my Italian exam and I was very happy that my efforts to immerse myself in the language have paid off, having never properly studied Italian before arriving in Padua!

An important part of my university experience came from joining the CUS Padova triathlon team. Having not come from a sporty background but however enjoying running and cycling, I decided to challenge myself to complete a triathlon. I didn’t realise I would find such a great team of people who encouraged me to keep going and after 6 months in the team I saw such great improvements in my fitness. I managed to participate in 4 races, even completing one in Scotland whilst visiting home! The training sessions helped to de-stress after long days of studying but it also required a lot of commitment and taught me how to balance my studies alongside preparation for the race season!