Master in Environmental Sciences

The MSc in Environmental Sciences at the University of Freiburg covers environmental change and its impacts on natural systems and human societies, including mitigation and prevention of environmental problems. Students choose one of four English-taught majors. Climate Change Ecology examines climate impacts on terrestrial ecosystems using laboratory and field approaches, and introduces earth system modelling. Wildlife and Biodiversity addresses the ecology and conservation biology of wildlife in terrestrial ecosystems, from research methods to data analysis and scientific writing. Environmental Modelling and Data Sciences develops programming and data science competences for handling large environmental datasets from remote sensing, omics, and public collections. Sustainability Assessment and Transformation covers tools including material and energy flow analysis, cost-benefit analysis, life cycle assessment, and legal analysis applied to sustainability questions in organisations and societies. The programme spans 4 semesters starting in the winter semester, with a tuition fee of 3,000 EUR per year. The structure includes core modules (15 ECTS), major-specific modules (50 ECTS), electives (15 ECTS), an internship of at least seven weeks in Germany or abroad (10 ECTS), and a six-month Master's thesis (30 ECTS). Winter modules are taught weekly; summer modules are delivered in three-week blocks. The programme is offered at the University of Freiburg in Freiburg im Breisgau.