Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

The course provides knowledge on evolution and ecology in the fungal kingdom with regards to ongoing research. The curriculum is largely based on scientific articles that will highlight current research questions and methods in the field. The students will choose a project where they investigate a relevant topic and hand in a paper formatted as a research proposal. Knowledge on genetic and morphological diversity within important taxonomic and ecological groups will be covered in the field course.

Learning outcome

After taking the course you will be able to:

  • Explain and discuss modern research methods and important research topics in mycology
  • Discuss and evaluate research literature in mycology
  • Explain why and where classification in the fungal kingdom is problematic
  • Describe the evolution of ecological plasticity in fungi
  • Understand the significance of and discuss the use of DNA-based methods such as metabarcoding and genomics for mycology
  • Explain how ecological strategies are reflected in fungal genomics
  • Describe the life cycle of fungi and understand conceptual challenges related to fungal individuals, populations and species
  • Be familiar with species identification tools based on morphology
  • Plan and write a simple research proposal with clear research hypotheses and use of relevant literature and methods

Admission to the course

PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through Studentweb.

If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers’ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.

PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must apply for a position as a visiting student within a given deadline.

The courses BIOS5217 and BIOS9217?have joint admission. There is a total of 20 seats in these two courses. Applicants are ranked by the following criteria:

1. PhD candidates and master students at the MN faculty who have the course as part of the approved curriculum.

2. Other PhD candidates and visiting PhD candidates.

3. Students with admission to single courses on master’s level and exchange students

4. Applicants are ranked by credits in each group; all applicants within 1st rank before applicants in 2nd etc. If admission is limited to a fixed number of participants, admission will be decided by drawing lots for students who are ranked equally