Physical Geography and Landscape Science

Program description 

Professional training of masters of the program includes gaining knowledge about theoretical and methodological principles, concepts, current problems of landscape science, landscape ecology, geosciences, physical geography, the basic laws and regional patterns of spatial temporal organization of landscapes, nature conservation and land use, the fundamentals of historical, ethnocultural landscape studies and humanitarian aspects of landscape research.

The content of the program is aimed at mastering the methods and practical skills of studying, mapping and modelling of the processes and structure of the landscape, spatial analysis, planning and implementation of field, office, analytical, research work in the field of fundamental and applied geography. Particular attention in the content of the program is paid to teaching skills in territorial planning, environmental assessment, management and audit, environmental monitoring, anthropogenic impact assessment, landscape and environmental justification of design decisions.

Benefits of the program  

The program provides a complex of knowledge that allows to understand the patterns of the systemic organization of nature, analyze the causes and consequences of spatial differences in the landscape sphere, and understand the material and energy mechanisms of interaction of natural components and natural complexes. Knowledge of theoretical problems and prospects for the development of physical geography, landscape science, and landscape ecology allows the graduate to navigate the priority directions in the development of Earth sciences, the mechanisms and consequences of global changes in the natural environment. Graduates have knowledge of the factors of spatial organization of relief, climate, vegetation cover, soils, natural waters and the mechanisms of their interaction. The program provides skills in mathematical modelling of natural processes. The combination of fundamental and applied disciplines develops skills in the field of environmental management, territorial planning, design of protected areas, environmental impact assessment, environmental assessment, and environmental management. The program develops an understanding of the relationship between natural, economic and socio-cultural factors in the structure and functioning of modern landscapes, which is necessary for the ability to develop compromise solutions for the multifunctional use of landscapes.

Leading organizations where graduates work  

• Institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Geography, Geoecology, Problems of Ecology and Evolution, Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Soil) and the Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan

• Research Institute of Urban Development

• Institute of Urban Planning of the Moscow Region

• Moscow General Plan Institute

• Institute "Giprotransput"

• Moscow Research Institute of Typology of Experimental Design

• Editorial office of Earth sciences of the Great Russian Encyclopedia

• Ministry of Agriculture

• Department of Natural Resources Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow

• Mosekomonitoring

• State reserves

• Commercial organizations in the field of engineering and environmental surveys and environmental impact assessments (ERM, ECOS LLP, Terra LLP, Artel-Eco, etc.), analysis of remote space information (Sovzond CJSC, Rakurs Projects ", JSC "Russian Space Systems")

• Environmental departments of companies specializing in the field of energy (Novatek, OJSC Atomenergoproekt, etc.).

Basic academic disciplines  

• Current problems of physical geography (Dyakonov K.N.)

• Landscape and environmental planning (Khoroshev A.V.)

• Theory and methodology of landscape science and landscape ecology (Khoroshev A.V.)

• Environmental regulation and monitoring (Sysuev V.V.)

• Environmental management and audit (Reteyum A.Yu.)

• Methodology of scientific research (Novenko E.Yu.)

• Historical and ethnocultural landscape studies (Nizovtsev V.A.)

• Geosystems modelling (Sysuev V.V., Viktorov A.S.)

• Global changes and geographical forecast (Novenko E.Yu.)

• Problems of Geography (Reteyum A.Yu.)