Soil Science

Faculty of Soil Science

Dean: Professor Sergei A. Shoba
International Students Office: phone: +7-095-939-2467, fax: +7-095-939-0989
WWW: http://www.socio.msu.ru/

General Information

Soil Science studies the great variety of Earth soils, their forming, structure and properties. Soil Science fundamentals were first formed in Russia by Professor Vasyli V. Dokuchaev. Soil Science as a university discipline was formed in Moscow University in 1906.

The department of Soil Science was the first in the world organised at Moscow University in 1927. In 1973 Faculty of Soil Science became an independent educational subdivision of the University.

Faculty of Soil Science is one of the most prominent and large educational and scientific centres in the field of fundamental Soil Science. Now the Faculty is numbered by 300 employees. 20 professors and 125 researchers holding PhD Degree are among them.

Departments

  • General Soil Science
  • Soil Chemistry
  • Soil Biology
  • Soil Erosion
  • Soil Geography
  • Soil Physics and Melioration
  • Agrochemistry of General Agriculture and Environment

Laboratories

  • Radioecology
  • Electronic Microscopy
  • Soil Micromorphology
  • Laboratories of Soil Stationary

Bachelour Degree

4 years full time

Direction: Soil Science

General Courses

  • Mathematics
  • Computer Science
  • Geology
  • Physics
  • General, Inorganic and Organic Chemistry
  • Colloid and Physical Chemistry
  • Botany
  • Physiology and Biochemistry of Plants
  • Mineralogy and Petrography
  • Pedology
  • Soil Biology
  • Soil Chemistry
  • Soil Geography
  • Agricultural Chemistry
  • General Agriculture and Plant Husbandry
  • Soil Reclamation
  • Methods of Soil Analysis
  • Soil Mapping
  • Soil Erosion
  • Political Economy
  • Philosophy

Special courses

Department of General Soil Science

  • Biological Turnover of Elements
  • Soil Parent Material
  • Chemical Pollution of Soils and It’s Influence on Soil Processes
  • Soil Informatics
  • Soils of The World

Department of Soil Chemistry

  • Chemistry of Humus Compounds
  • Clay Minerals in Soil
  • Chemical Pollution of Soils and Means of their Protection
  • Principles of Chemical Melioration of Soil
  • Modern Methods of Soils Study

Department of Soil Biology

  • Soil Mycology
  • Physiology of Soil Microorganisms
  • Biochemistry of Microorganisms
  • Ecology of Fungi
  • Microbial Transformation of Nitrogen in Soil
  • Soil Algae

Department of Soil Erosion

  • Principles of Hydrology, Hydraulics and Aerodynamics
  • Physico-Mechanics of Soils
  • Melioration of Moved Sands
  • Melioration of Eroded Soils
  • Deciperment of Washed Off Soils and Erodibility of Soil Cover
  • Methods of Erosion Process Study

Department of Soil Geography

  • Soil Mapping
  • Morphological and Analytical Diagnostics of Soil
  • Introduction into Geoinformative Systems
  • Monitoring and Degradation of Soils
  • Biological Diagnostics of Soil
  • Land Resources and Rational Land Use

Department of Agrochemistry

  • Computer Methods in Agrochemistry
  • Ecological Problems of Agrochemistry
  • Fertilization Management of Crops in Rotation
  • Physiology Biochemical Principles of Quality of Plant Production
  • Optimisation of Plant Nutrition in Greenhouses
  • Methods of Agrochemical Study

Department of Soil Physics and Melioration

  • Mathematical Simulation in Soil Physics and Melioration
  • Meliorative Soil Science
  • Principles of Mass Transfer in Soils
  • Hydrology and Hydrogeology
  • Principles of Soil Melioration

Department of Agriculture and Environment

  • Soil Tillage
  • Protection and Rational Use of Land
  • Ecological Stability of Soils
  • Reclamation of Soils
  • Chemical Weed Control

Training at the Faculty combines theoretical courses with practice in special laboratories and at the Soil-Ecological monitoring station near Moscow and during special soil excursion (4 weeks) along the Moscow meridian through the major climate and vegatation zones of Russia.

Master Degree

2 years full time

Programme: Soil Science and Agrochemistry

General Courses

  • Ecological Function of Soil
  • Biogeochemistry
  • Geochemical Functions of Microorganisms
  • Biogeophysics of Landscape
  • Soil Evolution
  • Geoinformatic Systems
  • Sociology

Special Courses

Department of General Soil Science

  • Clay Minerals
  • Micromorphology
  • Genetic Soil Science Problems

Department of Soil Chemistry

  • Potassium State of Soils
  • Alcalinity of Soils
  • Organic-Mineral Interactions in Soils

Department of Soil Biology

  • Soil Biology: Bacteria, Algae, Actinomycetes, Fungi, Yeasts

Department of Soil Erosion

  • Soil Monitoring
  • Potential Hasard of Soil Erosion
  • Melioration of Moved Sand

Department of Soil Geography

  • Morphogenetic Analysis of Soil
  • Forestry Soil Formation
  • Geoinformative Systems in Soil Science

Department of Soil Physics and Melioration

  • Physics of Gas Phase of Soil
  • Electophysics of Soil
  • Ecological Hydrophysics of Soils

Department of Agrochemistry

  • Agrochemistry and Biosphere
  • Modern Methods of Agrochemistry
  • Computer Data Analysis

Department of General Agriculture and Environment

  • Heterogenity of Soils
  • Methods of Analysis of Multidimension Data
  • Metrology of Field Experiment

PhD Degree

3 years full time

Specialities

  • Soil Science
  • Agrochemistry
  • Agrophysics
  • Microbiology
  • Biogeochemistry