In this series of posts, alumni share their experiences gathered during their time in Landau. Today: Denise Kötter.

Denise at a sampling during her time in Landau

“The Master’s program in “Ecotoxicology” at Landau University covers many aspects of the entire discipline of Ecotoxicology. I was actually surprised how good I was prepared for my job, and so were my colleagues. The common saying, “you’ll never need this [academic information] again”, is definitely not true. As Waleed already mentioned, the program provides a great balance of practical work and theory, along with research and applied experiences that enables students to go on to enter a PhD program, take a job in industry, or find a place working in the public sector.

The small number of students in this program was a big plus in my opinion. Lectures and tutorials with fewer students, makes learning and following the courses much easier. Connecting with a few fellow students in lively discussions over lunch helped a lot to grasp the taught stuff! I found the working and learning environment at the Institute of Environmental Sciences to be very friendly and supportive. A research project abroad as part of my course work and an internship were supported and encouraged by professors and supervisors and greatly enhanced my learning experience. Additionally, with a job as student assistant in the Environmental physics group I was able to get “hands-on-experience” on the practical & research side of transport processes in the environment, which I would highly recommend.

Even after having completed my studies and working for some time now in industry, I’m still part of the Ecotox network in Landau, which enables me to stay in touch with the latest research topics and of course all the “gossip”. 🙂

The Landau campus of the University of Koblenz-Landau, is located in a surprisingly nice town far away from Koblenz, which I only realized after moving there. With its charming and beautiful landscape, there are a lot of possibilities for outdoor activities and sports, not to mention the “Weinfeste” throughout the year.

Any concerns I had in the beginning about how difficult it will be to make new friends when moving there only for a master’s program, while everyone else has already been in Landau for the undergraduate studies, were unfounded. My fellow students did a great job in getting me involved and through the large number of sports’ courses offered at the campus, I found new friends instantly.

I’m glad that I chose to study Ecotoxicology in Landau, it was a personally and professionally enriching time, which lead me to a job that I really like!”

Denise is currently with Sasol.