Biology

Biology is the science about all lifeforms on earth, their structures, functions, interactions and relatedness. 

Education

Biology at Karlstad University offer elementary courses in cell biology, genetics, botany, zoology and ecology and advanced studies in mainly ecology, evolution and nature conservation.

Important goals of our courses and programmes are to wake your interest, provide you with knowledge and understanding of biological problems and to cultivate your skills in an investigative and problem-oriented work procedure. 

We offer elementary studies up to a bachelor’s degree in our Biology Programme (180 ECTS credits), which can then be expanded into a master’s degree in our Master Programme in Biology with focus on Ecology and Nature conservation (120 ECTS credits). 

Another option is to steer your biology studies with the goal of becoming a biology teacher in secondary school within the boundary of Karlstad University’s Secondary education programme: upper secondary school: Biology (300 ECTS credits).

Both elementary and master level programmes are available as campus or distance education options. Education is conducted in English when non-swedish speaking students attend.

Biology at Karlstad University is a doctoral discipline with thematic focus on Ecology and Nature conservation as well as Biology Didactics.

Research

The biology discipline also conduct research and researcher education, mainly in ecology and nature conservation in aquatic environments in the forest landscape, and in biology didactics.

Our research in ecology and nature conservation is focused on stream ecology and includes both fundamental and applied research efforts. A large part of our research focus on the study of ecologic systems and -interactions as well as human impacts on the valuable resource of streaming water and how these impacts can be reduced. 

Our research often focusses on species of fish but other organisms are studied as well. Fundamental research might for example focus on winter ecology of salmonid species of fish and the importance of land-water interactions whereas applied research might focus on questions of water regulation, fish passage ways, migration, fish aquaculture and endangered species of river clams.

We have a state-of-the-art stream aquarium laboratory which allows us to conduct fundamental research year-round, to link ecological theory with our applied research.

Our ecology and nature conservation research is mainly conducted in the River Ecology and Management Research Group, RivEM. 

Our didactic research focus on education in fields such as evolution, genetics and sustainable development and is conducted in the Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education Research, SMEER, group.

Biology in the media

On SVT2 starting Sunday 2021-10-17, the first part of a trilogy about water and fish broadcasted, where the filmmaker visited Ätran and interviewed teacher and students when they were there during Biology’s master course BIAD12.

Part 1 ÄLVEN Sunday Oct 17 at 7-8pm
Part 2 SJÖN Sunday Oct 24 at 7-8pm
Part 3 HAVET Sunday Oct 31 at 7-8pm

Wednesday, 2021-10-20 at 8-9pm, Uppdrag granskning broadcasted a documentary on SVT1 about eel conservation which Olle Calles, professor at Biology, has contributed to.

The films and documentary broadcasted on SVT Play on the same day each film broadcasted on SVT.

Biology graduate and doctoral students in media