Frequently asked questions

What is Restoration Ecology, which contents will be taught?

The Society for Ecological Restoration gives the following definition: "Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed" (Quelle: Society for Ecological Restoration International Science & Policy Working Group. 2004. The SER International Primer on Ecological Restoration. www.ser.org & Tucson: Society for Ecological Restoration International).

Restoration Ecology is a borderline science and combines fundamental knowledge in natural sciences with basic socio-economic principles. Like hardly any other sciences it is a transdisciplinary discipline.

What is the duration of the programme?

The Certificate programme can be finished within one semester. It will be offered regularly in summer semester starting in April and ending in September. The four-week summer school at BTU Cottbus will take place from 27. July until 21. August in summer semester 2009. Besides the summer school the participants get the lecture material via the e-learning-portal myBTU starting 1. April 2009.

How much do I have to pay?

Participants in summer semester 2009 do not have to pay any tuition fees yet. Nevertheless BTU Cottbus asks for an admistrative fee of 116,00 Euro per semester for the Certificate programme.

Which degree do I get?

After the successful completion of all five modules in the continuing education programme Restoration Ecology the Certificate of the BTU Cottbus will be awarded. Further the successful participants get a Transcript of Records showing the results in all five modules. Certifcate and Transcript of Records will be issued each as one document in English and German.

For further information click here.

Which qualifications are necessary?

An admission for the Certificate programme Restoration Ecology is possible if you have a first degree (Bachelor of Science) in environmental sciences,  engineering or management, biology, ecology, landscape planning, geography, wildlife management and depending on the focus as well civil engineering. Further you have to proof your proficiency in English.

For further information click here.

How can I apply?

If you want to apply for the Certificate programme you have to fill in the application form. You send the filled in form together with your documents like curriculum vitae, certificates of your educational background and proficiency in Englisch until 15. December 2008 to BTU Cottbus - Lehrstuhl Allgemeine Ökologie - Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 1 - 03046 Cottbus - Germany .

For further information click here.

Do I need a visa?

All participants from Non-European-Countries need a visa for the four-week summer school in July/August at BTU Cottbus. You have to apply with the German embassy or consulate in your home country or the country where you have your present residence. We recommend that you contact the embassy or consulate in time. You need the admission letter and proof about your finances for your stay in Germany for your application to the student visa.

For further information please refer to the webpage of  the  German Federal Foreign Office.

When is the summer school?

The summer school takes place regularly in July and August for four weeks. In summer semester 2009  the summer school will start on Monday 27. Juli 2009 and end at Friday 21. August 2009. 

How do I register for the E-learning-Portal myBTU?

The registration of the participants at the e-E-learning-Portal myBTU will be done automatically by the BTU staff.  Each participant will receive a user name and password. The lecture notes and contents of the modules provided at myBTU will be available for the participants in a timely manner. The start page of the E-learning-Portal with the possibility to login is available with the following link http://www.tu-cottbus.de/lernportal. Depending on the language settings of your web-browser the start page is shown in German or English.

Which system requirements are necessary to access the E-learning Portal myBTU?

When you start to use myBTU you should check the settings of your web-browswer (e.g. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape etc.) that you can use all features of myBTU without any problems. For this, you can find three links on the right side of the blue navigation bar at the start page of myBTU: contact, system check and select language (flag button). In order to check your browser and system setting please clicke on "system check".

For further information click here.

Who are my lecturers?

The five modules of the Certificate Programme Restoration Ecology are offered mainly by different departments of BTU Cottbus with expertise from diverse research projects in the area of restoration and renaturalisation. The lecturerers are named at the pages of the five modules.