Type of course

The course has a maximum of 24 student places in autumn 2026. The number of student places may vary from year to year depending on funding.

The course is reserved for the following categories of students:

• Master’s students enrolled at UiT (8 places)
• Master’s students in ecology/natural resource management enrolled at NMBU (4 places)
• Japanese Master’s students and PhD candidates enrolled at Toyama, Waseda or Tsukuba Universities, Japan (12 places)

The course is not available as a singular course.

Information for UiT students only:
If the number of applicants exceeds the number of places available, UiT applicants will be ranked in the following order: Students in Biology have priority over those studying other topics, with those doing a masters project in plant ecology, particularly in the arctic or alpine have the highest priority.

Biology Master’s candidates are further prioritized as those taking the following Master’s directions, in this order: 1. Northern Populations and Ecosystems, 2. Ecology and Sustainability 3. Molecular Environmental biology, 4. Other.

Students with other relevant backgrounds (e.g. Geography, Earth Science, Landscape Architecture or Pedagogics with Biology) are welcome to apply.

To be considered, students must have a minimum of 80 ECTS in subjects relevant to this course.

Students who take Bio-3540 Field Course in Arctic and Alpine Plant Ecology in Autumn 2026 will be prioritized for BIO-3530 Plant Ecology of Arctic and Alpine Environments.

Students at NMBU and Japan will be nominated in conjunction with the JANATEX-2 project coordinator.

Course content

This course focuses on arctic and alpine plant ecology and is part of a project enhancing international communication and joint learning between Norway and Japan.

Students will learn in an international classroom of students from Norway and Japan and lectures will be given by teachers from both countries with examples from many different arctic and alpine locations. Students will gather in a classroom at each of the participating universities and have joint lectures, give presentations and have discussions with students at the other locations in real-time through TEAMS or ZOOM.

This course gives students the opportunity to learn in an international arena and to improve their reading, writing and oral communication skills.

This course can be taken as an in-person/ hybrid version or purely as an online version if they cannot physically join the classroom.

Objectives of the course

Knowledge

Upon successful completion of this course, the student:

• Understands the similarities and differences between arctic and alpine environments.
• Understands the seasonality of arctic and alpine environments.
• Knows about vegetation zones, vegetation types and key plant species in arctic and alpine environments.
• Knows how to detect patterns of vegetation change.
• Is aware of the relevance of long-term data for ecological research.
• Is aware of the work of international scientific bodies such as the Arctic Council.

Skills

After completing the course, the student is able to:

• Outline the main challenges to plant life in arctic and alpine environments.
• Give examples of the effect of climate change on plants in the arctic and alpine.
• Give examples of plant-herbivore interactions in the arctic and alpine.
• Give examples of the importance of international scientific cooperation at several levels.

General competence

The student:

• Has increased ecological knowledge.
• Can interact with others from a different background, culture and language.
• Has improved confidence for making oral presentations and contributing to discussions.
• Can communicate information in written and oral form.
• Incorporates current knowledge and new scientific information to enhance their critical thinking

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars and student presentations.

Some lectures will be presented as videos in Canvas and some will be real-time online lectures. Seminars will be held online in real-time and discussions will be carried out with students at several universities in Norway and Japan.