Conservation Biology

General information

Name of the programme: Conservation Biology
Type of programme: academic, 1st Bologna cycle
Degree awarded: "diplomirani varstveni biolog (UN)" equiv. to B.Sc. in Conservation Biology
Duration: 3 years (6 semesters)
ECTS-credits: 180
Programme structure: 26 courses (5 electives), practical training (6 ECTS) and final project paper (6 ECTS)
Mode of study: full-time
Language of study: Slovene

Programme coordinatortop

Assist. Prof. Martina Lužnik, PhD

Assist. Sara Zupan, PhD, Deputy Coordinator

For information regarding application, enrolment and other administrative procedures please contact Student Services.

About the programmetop

At the beginning of the 3rd millenium, modern technologies in the natural sciences face a unique challenge – they have to fulfil the demands of a rapidly developing society while helping to conserve the balance of nature. In particular, they must address continual consumption and the decay of Earth’s biodiversity.  The science of conservation biology enables us to understand the interdisciplinary linking of classic biological areas and their applications in diverse fields. The boundaries typically found between natural scientists such as biologists, chemists and physicists are disappearing and thus certain tools in bioinformatics are becoming invaluable.

Our competitive programme was shaped by the idea of this new specialist, who masters all the fields mentioned above. The programme unites all necessary disciplines related to classical biology, molecular biology, chemistry and especially bioinformatics. Students can reinforce their natural science fundamentals with practical experience in industry and business. This assures that they will be prepared for employment and quickly integrate into work enviroments. The programme is innovative and adaptable, and will provide a wide range of natural science proficiencies.

Educational and professional goalstop

To produce experts who:

• Are capable of preparing strategies and finding creative, interdisciplinary solutions for problems which arise in nature.
• Will develop a critical understanding of human interference in nature, which will, in turn, enable them to strategically approach environmental problems with a sense of responsibility to nature.
• Are capable of solving advanced problems with respect to biodiversity and conservation biology, especially in cases dealing with the Mediterranean.
• Know how to estimate the importance and role of various species in ecosystems and determine organisms' and ecosystems' tolerances to harmful effects of humans.
• Are able to provide advice regarding environmental conditions that will enable particular species and ecosystems to coexist with humans.
• Are acquainted with technical terminology in the field of conservation biology and are capable of communicating in foreign languages.

Course structuretop

During their studies, students must complete a total of 26 courses (21 compulsory and 5 electives), pass the internship, and prepare a final project.

All courses are awarded 3, 6 or 9 ECTS-credits. One ECTS-credit encompasses 30 hours of student work. In addition to the student’s presence (at lectures, seminars, in-class and laboratory practical work), this also includes independent work (literature study, preparation for examinations, assignments, seminar and project work, etc.). The courses require a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 120 hours of a student’s presence (contact hours).

The student may select 2 out of 5 elective courses from study programmes provided by other institutions of higher education in Slovenia and internationally. The courses selected may fall within the fields of the Natural Sciences (in particular Biology and Chemistry), Conservation Biology, Mathematics and Computer Science.

Short descriptions of courses are available HERE.

The student may also select elective courses (internally elective courses) from the study programmes at UP FAMNIT:

• Bioinformatics: Evolutionary and Population Genetics;
• Biopsychology: The Psychology of Communication;
• Mediterranean Agriculture (VS): Fishery; Agroecology; Land Use and Soil Protection; Forest and Wood Management; Nature Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture; Soil Ecology; Applied Entomology; Agrobiodiversity and Gene Banks; Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Sustainable Agriculture; Floral Biology and Pollination Ecology.

Course structure and programme information for students enrolled in the academic years 2008/09 - 2017/18

In the academic year 2018/19 changes occurred in the study programme, which include also the change of the study programme's name from Biodiversity to Conservation Biology. In the beginning of this section you can find the course plan for students enrolled from the academic year 2018/19. Here you can find information regarding course structure, compulsory and elective courses, and also short description of courses for students enrolled for the first time in the study programme Biodiversity in the academic years 2008/09 - 2017/18:

• course structure, short description of courses.

Practical Trainingtop

In their 2nd year of study, students must undertake a 3-weeks-long practical training. The purpose of this training is to transfer theoretical knowledge into practice.

At the beginning of the academic year, after an initial meeting with the coordinator of the practical training at the Faculty, students choose the organization in which they would like to undertake their practical training. Students should contact their preferred organization and arrange the practical training themselves.

The list of organizations (that already accepted students for practical training) is available here.

Student must submit the application for practical training in the Student Information System (SIS) before starting the practical training. The application must be approved by the coordinator of the practical training at the Faculty. After the approval, the Student traineeship cooperation agreement must be signed from all three parties: student, UP FAMNIT and the receiving institution. Student can start the practical training only after the approval of the request/application and the signature of the agreement. If a student needs the Student traineeship cooperation agreement in English (due to the practical training abroad), he/she must inform the Student Services as soon as he/she is informed that his/her application for practical training has been approved by coordinator.

Students will be assigned a mentor in the organization who is responsible for the supervision and guidance of their work.

Student must submit a report in SIS at the end of the training.

All forms are available in SIS - application, student traineeship cooperation agreement, report, certificate of the completion (only in Slovene).

Admission requirementstop

Admission requirements for the academic year 2024/2025

Admission to the first year of study shall be granted to applicants having:

• passed the matura examination; or            
• passed the vocational matura examination in a 4-year secondary-school programme and a final examination in a general matura subject; the selected subject cannot be the same as one of the subjects passed in the framework of the vocational matura;
• successfully completed any four-year secondary-school programme before 1 June 1995.

In the case of enrolment limitations, applicants shall be selected on the basis of overall matura, vocational matura or final examination results (70%), and overall results in the 3rd and 4th year of secondary school (30%).

Admission may also be gained by an applicant having completed a comparable study programme abroad. Prior to enrolment, the applicant must apply for the recognition of completed education.

Admission requirements for the academic year 2025/2026

Admission to the first year of study shall be granted to applicants having:

• passed the matura examination; or            
• passed the vocational matura examination in one of the 4-year secondary-school programmes that is classified in:
  - KLASIUS-P-16 classification: broad area 05, or
  - FORD classification: areas 1 or 4, or
  - ARRS classification: areas 1 or 4, or
  - CERIF classification: area P,
  and a final examination in the general matura subject Biology; insofar as the aforementioned subject has already been taken within the framework of the vocational matura examination, applicants must pass any other general matura subject; the selected subject cannot be the same as one of the subjects passed in the framework of the vocational matura;
• successfully completed any four-year secondary-school programme before 1 June 1995.

In the case of enrolment limitations, applicants shall be selected on the basis of overall matura, vocational matura or final examination results (70%), and overall results in the 3rd and 4th year of secondary school (30%).

Admission may also be gained by an applicant having completed a comparable study programme abroad. Prior to enrolment, the applicant must apply for the recognition of completed education.

Continuation of studies according to the transfer criteriatop

Transfers between study programmes are possible on the basis of the Higher Education Act, Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes and in accordance with other regulations of this field.

The transition between study programmes is the enrolment in the higher year of the study programme, in case of leaving the education at the initial study programme and continuing the study process at another study program of the same degree. The transition takes into account the comparability of the study programmes and the completed study obligations of the candidate in the initial study program.

Access to year 2 or year 3 of the study programme of Conservation Biology on the basis of the Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes is granted to candidates of a related first-cycle study programme or a pre-Bologna reform undergraduate study programme, provided that the following conditions have been met:

• the candidate fulfils the requirements for admission to the study programme of Conservation Biology
• the completion of the initial study programme which the candidate is transferring from ensures the acquisition of comparable competencies as those envisaged by the study programme of Conservation Biology
• other conditions have also been met, in accordance with the Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes (a comparable course structure, course requirements completed)

Individual applications for transfer shall be considered by the relevant UP FAMNIT committee. Apart from comparability between both fields of study, the committee shall also consider the comparability between the study programmes, in accordance with the Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes.

Enrolment on the basis of the Criteria for Transferring between Study Programmes is also open to candidates of a related study programme abroad who have been, in the process of recognition of their studies abroad, legally granted the right to continue their educational training in the study programme of Conservation Biology.

In case of enrolment restrictions, applicants shall be selected on the basis of the average grade obtained during the study programme they are transferring from.

Advancement requirementstop

For enrolment in the next study year it is necessary to collect at least 42 ECTS-credits from courses and exams in the current study year, and to fulfil all the study obligations (60 ECTS-credits) for the previous study year.

The Study Committee of the Faculty may permit a student who has not fulfilled all study obligations for the particular year to enrol in the next study year. The student is obliged to submit a formal written request to the Study Committee. Progression may be approved if a student could not fulfil the obligations for justifable reasons. Students may repeat a year only once during their study period.

Students shall be deemed to have completed their studies when they fulfil all the prescribed study requirements to a total of 180-credits. Students must obtain a positive assessment for the Final Project Paper completed within the frameword of the Seminar.

Graduate competenciestop

General competencies

• Basic knowledge in the fields of biology and conservation biology, including the ability to identify organisms and their functioning at various taxonomic levels, as well as an understanding of the diversity and importance of living environments, and the importance of protecting biodiversity.
• Familiarity with the technical terminology of this study field.
• Proficient use of ICT (information and communications technology).
• The ability for constructive cooperation and the ability to synthesize different skills and multidisciplinary approaches in solving theoretical and practical problems in the conservation of biodiversity; the ability to understand the importance of ecosystems services in the preservation of life.
• Enhanced competence in communicating with the public for effective protection of the environment.

Subject-specific competencies

• The capacity to apply a systematic and comprehensive approach to solving problems in the fields of nature and environmental conservation.
• The ability to evaluate biodiversity at different levels, and to form effective strategies in nature and biology conservation.
• Enhanced capacity to evaluate the quality of natural systems.
• The ability to recognize sources of pollution and harmful substances, and the ability to predict their impact on nature and the environment.
• Enhanced capacity to prepare strategies for biodiversity conservation and for the improvement of living environments.
• The capacity to interpret information about nature conservation, and to supply this information to different target groups such as policy makers, landowners, school populations and farmers.

General and subject-specific competencies for students enrolled in the academic years 2008/09 - 2017/18

In the academic year 2018/19 changes occurred in the study programme, which include also the change of the study programme's name from Biodiversity to Conservation Biology. In the beginning of this section you can find the competencies for students enrolled from the academic year 2018/19. Here you can find information regarding general and subject-specific competencies for students enrolled for the first time in the study programme Biodiversity in the academic years 2008/09 - 2017/18:

• general and subject-specific competencies

Field worktop

Within the individual courses of the study programme, part of the course is also carried out in the field (field work).

Field work is carried out as a complement to the study process and students are required to attend it. The field work provides students with practical knowledge that builds on the theoretical content covered in the lectures. Field work takes place over one or several days. In some courses, particularly in the second or third year, two- and three-day field work takes place in Slovenia or abroad (e.g. in Istria, Cres and Lošinj, Velebit). During the field work, students, assisted by professors and assistants and local guides, learn about local features and foreign research institutions, and carry out practical tasks in the natural environment. At the same time, it should not be forgotten that field work is one of the most enjoyable and popular study commitments, as it also allows students and teachers to socialise informally and get to know new places.

We recommend that students on fieldwork programmes be vaccinated against tick-borne meningitis because of the exposure and the possibility of infection during fieldwork. The vaccination is organised as part of the regular medical check-ups at the Koper Health Centre and will be free of charge for students on this study programme.

On the basis of the Regulation on Tuition Fees and Other Contributions in Higher Education (Official Journal of the Republic of Slovenia, No.40/94, 45/98) and in accordance with the Regulation on Contributions and Evaluation of Costs at the University of Primorska, the members of the University of Primorska charge students for the costs related to the implementation of the study programme in the field and the organisation of field trips at the actual cost per participant.

The management of UP FAMNIT decides, on the basis of an analysis of the costs of field work and an assessment of the financial capacity of the faculty in a particular academic year, to what extent it will be able to co-finance the costs (in recent years between 50% and 80% of the costs) of field work for a particular academic year.

The Faculty will continue to part-finance the costs of field work in the future, subject to the availability of financial resources, as in previous academic years.

Graduate employment opportunitiestop

Graduates are equipped for employment in both private and public sectors involved in environmental and nature conservation:

• as experts and technical staff in administrations (for example, in ministries, inspection services, various institutes, municipal administrations);
• as associates in scientific research institutions and public companies, chambers and agencies (for example, Slovenian Environmental Agency, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia);
• as supervisors in protected areas (for example, landscape, regional and national parks, nature reserves, other protected areas);
• as expert staff in museums (including the Museum of Natural History and regional museums);
• as organisers and expert staff in national and international non-governmental organisations (such as DOPPS and WWF);
• as technical associates in routine and research laboratories;
• in private companies involved in environmental and nature conservation;
• in the area of service activities (ecotourism advisers);
• in the areas of teaching and research.

During the three-year study programme, students will acquire the techniques and knowledge required in industry and commerce, and will therefore also be able to obtain employment in these sectors. With some entrepreneurial spirit and good ideas, they can also apply their knowledge and skills to launching their own enterprise or company.