MBA in geology and environmental protection
MBA in Geology and Environmental Protection is the latest field introduced into the educational offering of the Institute of Geological Sciences at the University of Wrocław. It is inspired by Masters of Business Administration type studies, in which classes are taught by practitioners with experience in managing business entities and state institutions.
A similar goal guides our Wrocław geology department, with classes taught by Marcin Chludzinski – President of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., Att. Jan Stefan Stefanowicz – Chairman of the Supervisory Board of LOTOS S.A., Prof. Krzysztof Szamałek – long-time Deputy Minister of Environment and Chief National Geologist, Bogusław Ochab – President of ZGH Bolesław S.A, Dr. Artur Stankiewicz – vice president of Schlumberger Co, Dr. Regina Kramarska – director of the Marine Geology Department of the Polish Geological Institute National Research Institute, Prof. Beata Kępińska – president of the Polish Geothermal Association, Michał Poros – president of the UNESCO Świętokrzyskie Geopark, Maciej Ptak – team leader at MineSpans McKinsey and Co, or Waldemar Kazmierczak – Voivodeship Geologist in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship.
– Our intention was to attract professionals working in entities in the geological and mining industry,”– says the Director of the Institute, Prof. Anna Pietranik. – We want our students, in addition to gaining theoretical knowledge, to be able to participate in classes where they learn about the daily work of geologists and managers who manage geology. In this way, our students see that geological knowledge can be successfully used in practice and combined with other areas of science, such as economics.
Classes in the MBA in Geology and Environmental Protection program also provide students with knowledge that allows them to develop their managerial competencies. This is especially important given the changes taking place in the geological and mining industry. Energy transformation, the revolution in electromobility, and increased focus on environmental protection are challenges that require a new approach in geology as well, according to Dr. Piotr Wojtulek, the author of the concept and coordinator of the program. “Our lecturers shared their insights into the latest industry trends with participants and showed possible career development paths,” he added. The essence of the classes was not only to present the “hard” aspects of geology but also equally important aspects of being a geologist, such as work-life balance and the desired competencies of an employee in modern mining companies. After the lectures, students also had the opportunity to ask questions to the instructors during separate Q&A sessions.
The lecturers of the first edition of the MBA in geology and environmental protection program represented a variety of fields related to the geological and mining industry such as petroleum geology, mineral resources management, geological and mining law, business management or even… planetary geology. After all, there is an increasing consideration for the future possibility of extracting certain resources from planets other than Earth, such as Mars. An interesting aspect of the lecture was that none of the instructors were full-time employees of the University of Wrocław. According to the creators of the program, this was intentional. “This subject is undoubtedly one of the platforms for collaboration between the Institute and the socio-economic environment, and our guests, who are not normally associated with higher education, bring a lot of freshness to our teaching,” says Dr. Piotr Wojtulek. “I think we are breaking a certain taboo with it, that academic courses are only taught by academics,” he adds with a smile.
The text is from Perspektywy magazine [address: Praktycznie o geologii – Perspektywy educational portal]
