Ecology – Environmental Protection – Nature Conservation

Ecological topics can be studied within the programmes listed on the right. Ecology is not its own subject at the University of Göttingen.

Studying Ecology
Becoming aware that "something must be done" for our environment and for nature often leads to the desire to study ecology, environmental protection or nature conservation. Environmental protection or nature conservation, however, is something that must primarily be practised. One can study the necessary basics of ecology, meaning understanding and assessing the connections and interactions between living creatures and their animate and inanimate environment. This knowledge can then be used to develop new concepts.

Complex area of knowledge
As indicated already, this subject is complex in terms of both teaching and research. This complexity also means that environmental protection – this term should be understood to mean everything concerning ecology, environmental protection and nature conservation, can be the topic of many different disciplines. It can be dealt with from many different points of view, such as technical, economic and legal side, but also from the political, social and educational side. One would correspondingly study a natural science, law or politics, sociology or education (not possible in Göttingen) or study for a teaching degree.

Basics and application competencies
Most prospective students will associate this topic with a natural-scientific technical direction or an evaluative-conceptional one - and here lies the first decision that must be made when selecting a course of study. The basic idea of this process is to acquire the specific methodical basics and specific skills of the respective selected subject in order to, in additional to suitable foci and specialisation, have the basis to then acquire the application competencies needed to for the individually set environmental goals. Most of the research areas are interdisciplinary.

Excellently equipped
The University of Göttingen offers excellent conditions for programmes in the Natural Sciences and Ecology. These include the botanical garden, the forest botanical garden, the University herbarium, the collection of algae cultures Göttingen (with 2,100 cultures the largest in Central Europe), the zoological museum, the museum of the geological institute, the State and University Library of Lower Saxony (SUB), one of the five largest libraries in Germany, the divisional library of the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology as the special library of Germany for forest sciences.


To deal with this topic further when selecting your course of study, the Central Advising Office offers counselling (see contact).