Professional Diploma in Nature-Based Solutions for Coasts
This professional diploma prepares you to design and assess nature-based solutions that protect the coast against erosion and flooding while restoring biodiversity. You will study how dunes, salt marshes, seagrass meadows, oyster reefs and mangroves work as natural defenses, how to combine them with conventional works in hybrid systems, and how to plan, finance and monitor these projects using technical and ecological criteria.
Prior knowledge check
These are the skills this program gives you. Tick the ones you already master and we will tell you which part of the syllabus is for you.
You are starting from scratch in this subject. The program is designed precisely for that.
What is the Professional Diploma in Nature-Based Solutions for Coasts?
This professional diploma prepares you to design and assess nature-based solutions that protect the coast against erosion and flooding while restoring biodiversity. You will learn how dunes, salt marshes and reefs reduce risk, propose green and hybrid solutions tailored to each stretch of coast, apply physical and ecological monitoring indicators, and discover the funds and mechanisms available to finance nature-based projects.
What sets this professional diploma apart: a double benefit, with coastal protection and ecosystem recovery in the same project; a technical foundation in the physical and ecological processes behind the protective effect; international standards, including the criteria of the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions; a realistic view of the limits, uncertainties and conditions for success of each solution; and a practical case in which you design a nature-based solution for a real stretch of coast.
Program highlights
- Double benefit: coastal protection and ecosystem recovery in the same project.
- Technical foundation: the physical and ecological processes behind the protective effect.
- International standards: criteria from the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions.
- Realistic view: the limits, uncertainties and conditions for success of each solution.
- Green, gray and hybrid: combining natural defenses with conventional coastal works.
- Practical case: a nature-based solution project for a real stretch of coast.
Syllabus of the Professional Diploma in Nature-Based Solutions for Coasts
8 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Fundamentals of Nature-Based Solutions
- 1.1. Definition and principles
- 1.2. The IUCN Global Standard
- 1.3. Green, gray and hybrid infrastructure
- 1.4. Coastal ecosystem services
- 1.5. Multiple benefits
- 1.6. Limits and risks
- 1.7. International policy framework
- 1.8. How the approach has evolved in coastal engineering
Coastal Processes and Protective Function
- 2.1. Wave attenuation by vegetation
- 2.2. Sediment stabilization
- 2.3. Accretion and vertical growth
- 2.4. Response to storms
- 2.5. Interaction with sea-level rise
- 2.6. Spatial and temporal scales
- 2.7. Methods for measuring protection
- 2.8. Modeling nature-based solutions
Dunes and Beaches
- 3.1. Dynamics of dune systems
- 3.2. Dune regeneration
- 3.3. Dune vegetation
- 3.4. Sand fences
- 3.5. Beach nourishment
- 3.6. Managing trampling and access
- 3.7. Dunes as a defense against storms
- 3.8. Monitoring dune systems
Salt Marshes, Wetlands and Mangroves
- 4.1. How salt marshes work
- 4.2. Managed realignment
- 4.3. Restoring tidal connectivity
- 4.4. Mangroves as coastal defense
- 4.5. Species selection
- 4.6. Sediment management
- 4.7. Blue carbon as a co-benefit
- 4.8. Vegetation monitoring
Reefs and Living Shorelines
- 5.1. Oyster and bivalve reefs
- 5.2. Coral reefs and coastal protection
- 5.3. Living shorelines in estuaries
- 5.4. Seagrass meadows and sediments
- 5.5. Structures for species recruitment
- 5.6. Ecological enhancement of rock armor
- 5.7. Materials and substrates
- 5.8. Biological monitoring
Project Design and Hybrid Systems
- 6.1. Site diagnosis
- 6.2. Selecting alternatives
- 6.3. Design criteria
- 6.4. Combination with conventional works
- 6.5. Construction phases
- 6.6. Risk management during implementation
- 6.7. Adaptive maintenance
- 6.8. Permits and environmental assessment
Assessment, Financing and Governance
- 7.1. Physical and ecological indicators
- 7.2. Cost-benefit analysis
- 7.3. Valuing co-benefits
- 7.4. Public funds and international programs
- 7.5. Insurance and nature-based solutions
- 7.6. Community participation
- 7.7. Governance and land ownership
- 7.8. Communicating results
Practical Case: Coastal Nature-Based Solution Project
- 8.1. Selecting the stretch of coast
- 8.2. Risk analysis
- 8.3. Ecological diagnosis
- 8.4. Choosing the solution
- 8.5. Conceptual design
- 8.6. Monitoring plan
- 8.7. Budget and financing
- 8.8. Project presentation
Duration and format of the Professional Diploma in Nature-Based Solutions for Coasts
It is 800 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Professional Diploma in Nature-Based Solutions for Coasts
Career opportunities after the Professional Diploma in Nature-Based Solutions for Coasts
Questions about the Professional Diploma in Nature-Based Solutions for Coasts
Not always. In many cases they are combined with conventional works; the program teaches you to judge when each option is appropriate.
It combines both approaches so that you can work confidently with technical and scientific teams.
Yes. As well as temperate dunes and salt marshes, the program covers mangroves and coral reefs.
Yes. You analyze documented projects from different countries and their monitoring results.
You prepare a conceptual nature-based solution project for a real stretch of coast, including a monitoring plan and a budget.
The professional diploma is taught entirely online, with a virtual campus available 24/7, recorded live sessions and tutorials. It comprises 800 hours of study across 8 modules of about 100 hours each, and you progress at your own pace within the schedule you are given on enrollment.
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Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: aimed at biologists, environmental scientists and marine science graduates who want to apply ecology to coastal defense, civil and coastal engineers looking for alternatives to conventional works, public administration staff who manage coasts and protected areas, environmental consultants who design restoration and adaptation projects, and landscape architects and urban planners working on the shoreline. A degree in marine sciences, biology, environmental sciences, civil engineering, geography, landscape architecture or a related field, or professional experience in coastal management or environmental restoration, is recommended.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a camera for live sessions and project presentations.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.