Earth Sciences
Department of Geography
The Department offers a three-year Bachelor and two-year Master degree programme in Regional Geography, whose graduates find occupation in regional development agencies, public authorities and other organizations engaged in the management and planning of spatial units. The department also provides higher education for future teachers of geography at secondary schools in several teaching qualifications in full-time as well as distant form of study.
Basic and applied research at the Department of Geography is based on processing digital spatial information through GIS technologies. The research focuses on issues such as urban climate, renewable energy, gambling and other social pathologies. Worldwide recognized results were achieved in the past few years mainly in regional research and regional taxonomy, specifically modeling and identification of patterns of spatial distribution of settlement and regional systems.
Department of Geoinformatics
The department guarantees full-time Bachelor degree study in Geoinformatics and Geography, Master degree programme in Geoinformatics, and Doctoral study field in Geoinformatics and Cartography (also distant form). It also offers Doctoral studies of Geoinformatics and Cartography in English (full-time and part-time). The main emphasis is on knowledge and skills in areas of geographic information systems, remote sensing, thematic and digital cartography, modeling and simulation of spatial phenomena and spatial planning. Our graduates are highly sought-after on the labor market.
Research activities of the department focus on three areas: spatial modeling of geographic phenomena in GIS, digital cartography and contactless monitoring of landscape. In both teaching and research we involve the latest technologies such as 3D printing, drones, sensor networks, devices for monitoring eye movement or virtual reality. The department has been involved in implementing many research studies and grant projects, it has drawn up many surveys and made dozens of consultations. The quality of the department is underlined by large number of publications.
Department of Geology
The department provides theoretical and practical instruction of geological, mineralogical, paleontological and other related disciplines in Bachelor and Master degree programmes of Environmental Geology and Geology and Environmental Protection, which is a part of education programmes for secondary school teachers. It also offers a Doctoral degree in Geological Sciences. The emphasis is on practical skills of our graduates, especially microscopic work and application of geology, geochemistry and geophysics in environmental issues.
The department is involved in both basic and applied research, educational and popularization activities as well as cooperation with commercial sector. The main research topics include transportation and sedimentation processes and historical development of contamination in the river environment, the issue of mobilization of arsenic in geological environments, stratigraphy and petrology of Paleozoic rocks, genesis of minerals, petrology of building materials and applied geophysics. The results are regularly published in prestigious international journals of geoscience. The department has modern equipment for shallow geophysics, petro-physics, geochemistry and microscopy techniques including electron microscopy and microanalysis.
Department of Development & Environmental Studies
We are an open, progressive and dynamically growing academic department within the Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc (Czech Republic). We provide educational opportunities and conduct research in the areas of development studies, environmental studies and foresight. We strive to inspire our students, professionals and the public and thus contribute to the sustainable development of society.
With more than 15 years of experience focusing on development, environment and foresight the department offers an English taught master program Development Studies and Foresight. One of the specializations of this program (GLODEP - Global Development Policy) is the ERASMUS MUNDUS Joint Master Degree running in cooperation with the University of Clermont Auvergne (France) and University of Pavia (Italy) financially supported by Erasmus+ program.
We also offer a three-year undergraduate, two-year Master, and four-year Doctoral degree programs in International Development and Environmental Studies taught in Czech language.
Our research activities are concentrated mainly in these five areas:
1. Pro-poor growth and inequality
2. Aid effectiveness
3. Development and environmental indicators
4. Land use and ecosystem services
5. Applying landscape ecology in biological conservation, especially in the frame of forest ecosystems
The department is very active in international cooperation (e.g. student and staff exchanges with about 40 universities within the Erasmus+ program).