On March 19, 2026, a meeting of project groups for the Bachelor’s and Master’s level OP “Ecology” was held at the Department of Horticulture and Ecology to discuss draft educational programs. The guarantors of the educational programs – Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agrarian Sciences, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor N.Yu. Matsai and Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor I.V. Kyrpichova acquainted those present with changes to the draft educational programs, which were developed taking into account the results of a survey of applicants and graduates, employer proposals, labor market analysis, modern trends in the development of environmental science, as well as the experience of implementing similar educational programs in Ukraine and abroad.

During the discussion, the participants expressed their support for the educational programs and provided a number of constructive recommendations for their improvement. Particular attention during the discussion was paid to the educational component “GIS in Ecology”. Participants emphasized the growing role of geographic information systems in the professional activities of an ecologist, in particular in the processes of environmental monitoring, spatial analysis of the state of the environment, assessment of anthropogenic impacts and modeling of ecological processes.

Project group member N. S. Tsapko, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, First Deputy Director of the National State Educational Institution “Ukrainian Research Institute of Ecological Problems”, emphasized the relevance of expanding the content of the discipline “GIS” at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels and the need to develop the skills of working with spatial data to solve applied ecological problems, and also emphasized that educational programs are relevant, promising and well-oriented towards training competitive specialists.

O. O. Zaporozhtsev, Chief Specialist of the Department of Control over Compliance with Licensing Requirements for Conducting Economic Activities in Waste Management of the Waste Management Department of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, noted the importance of strengthening the practical component of applicants’ training and expressed high appreciation of the educational program as one that meets the modern requirements of the industry and the labor market.

M. Yu. Yakunin, Head of the Department of State Environmental Supervision (Control) of Subsoil, Acting Deputy Head of the State Environmental Inspectorate in Luhansk Region, emphasized the practical significance of the appropriate level of training of graduates for work in the field of state environmental supervision (control) and noted that the educational programs are high-quality and meet the real needs of environmental protection specialists.

The head of the Department of Landscape Gardening and Ecology, Associate Professor I. S. Kravets, actively participated in the discussion of the educational programs; I.V. Tymchenko, member of the project group, associate professor of the Department of Landscape Gardening and Ecology; Berezenko K.S., member of the project group, senior lecturer of the Department of Landscape Gardening and Ecology; students Oleksii Sobyna and Kateryna Makarova. The participants of the meeting noted the relevance of educational programs, their compliance with modern challenges in the field of environmental protection and the practical orientation of students training.

The discussion demonstrated a high level of interest of the academic community and stakeholders in improving educational programs and contributed to improving their quality.

According to the Department of Landscape Gardening and Ecology