Curriculum
Required Course Breakdown:
Year 1 (Arava Institute for Environmental Studies)
- Introduction to Ecology; (required for students without a background in Ecology), 3 points.
- Sustainable Development: Principles, Concepts and Implementation, an Interdisciplinary Course,3 points
- Introduction to Environmental Policy, 3 points
- Research Methodologies, 3 points
- Environmental Biology (required for students without a background in Biology, 3 points
- Introduction to Environmental Science-Global Issues (required for students without a background in chemistry or physics),3 points
- Interdisciplinary Course: Water Resources in the Middle East,3 points
- Introduction to Environmental Ethics , 1 point
- Environmental Economics, 3 points
- 2-4 graduate level electives
- Seminar in Environmental Studies, 0.5 points
Year 2 (Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies
Desert Ecology Track
During the second year of studies, students in the Desert Ecology track must complete three introductory courses in Ecology from the AKIS or equivalent disciplinary courses, as recommended by their academic advisors and approved by the academic committee.
One of the following:
- Population Ecology, 2 points
- Community Ecology, 2 points
Two of the following::
- Conservation Ecology A or B, 2.5 points
- Ecosystems Ecology ,4 points
- Landscape Ecology , 3 points
Students in the Desert Ecology track are required to take Bio-statistics or an analogous course (unless an analogous course has already been taken) 3 points
Social Sciences Track
- Statistics for the Social Sciences
- Electives as directed by advisor
- In certain cases, "Scientific Writing" (2 pts) may be required, according to the writing level of the student and the recommendation of the advisor.
Required Seminars
As mentioned, all students must attend and present at the student seminar. Students in the Ecology track must attend the Ecology Departmental Seminar. Students with a social science orientation are required to take the equivalent departmental forum of the "Man and Dryland" specialization - "The Human Dimension: Living in Drylands".
Arava Institute Electives
Additional Arava Institute graduate-level electives that can be taken by students during the course of the Masters Program are:
- Technology, Society and Environment, 3 points
- Comparative Environmental Law,3 points
- Human Ecology and History in the Southern Arava, 3 points
- Natural History of the Arava Desert , 3 points
- Introduction to Environmental Science: Local Impacts, 3 points
- An Intensive Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 3 points
A full list of Albert Katz electives is provided in Appendix 2.
Exemption from Required Courses: A required course that was taken for a previous degree cannot fulfill the same requirement in the Master's curriculum. Students who can provide documentation of comparable courses in earlier formal studies may be allowed to select replacement courses as electives instead, after receiving approval from their advisors and the academic committee.
Pass/Fail Option: Students are entitled to take one elective course each semester on a "pass/fail" basis with the approval of their advisors and the academic committee. Required courses cannot be taken on a pass/fail basis. Requests for approval will be made before the beginning of the course. No approvals will be granted retroactively.
Appendix 2-Electives at Albert Katz 2005-2006 (44.61 kB)