Master’s Degree Program

For more than 16 years, the Master’s Degree Program in Environmental Studies has presented a unique field of study which brings together graduates of many different Bachelor’s degree programs – programs in the social and natural sciences as well as in economic, legal, artistic, and technological studies. Thus the students make a diverse community and, together with academics from a variety of disciplines and professionals from outside academia, they cross the boundaries of their respective fields, broadening as well as deepening their view of the relation between humans and the environment. Consequently, the Program will prepare you for a career as a manager and an expert/analyst in a wide range of professions connected with nature, landscape, and the environment.

100 hours of Practical Training will be an important step toward your future career. Further, the choice of more than 35 elective courses (that you can freely combine) and 4 specializations will allow you to create your own professional direction:

Environmental Issues from the Perspective of the Social Sciences

Environmental Issues from the Perspective of the Social Sciences is a specialization that explores the relations between humans and nature at the community and individual levels. Students gain insights into selected sociological, psychological, philosophical, and ethical theories, learn to employ scientific research methods in the field, and are given the opportunity to compose academic texts.

The Civic Sphere and Politics

The Civic Sphere and Politics is aimed at students seeking to connect their professional career with active citizenship, whether within the framework of public administration, non-profit organizations or political engagement.

The City, the Country, and the Landscape

The City, the Country, and the Landscape deals with the environmental contexts of the transformations of the physical (natural as well as human-designed) environment, examining them from the point of view of the social sciences. Field trips are an important part of this specialization.

Ecological Economics

Ecological Economics is aimed at students who are interested in exploring the economic contexts of the ecological crisis, developing a critical perspective on mainstream economics, and searching for alternatives in the area of economic theory, public policy, and (eco-social) entrepreneurship.

What does the Master’s Degree Program offer to students who have received a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies at this Department?

New perspectives in environmental studies (such as landscape management, aesthetics, environmental sociology, ecopsychology, politics, and communication with the public) and, at the same time, deeper insights into areas covered in the Bachelor’s Degree Program (such as ethics, ecological economics, history, and methodology).

Four specializations, three of which build on and significantly develop the specializations in the Bachelor’s Degree Program and one which offers an additional area of study (The City, the Country, and the Landscape).

Courses taught by international lecturers, for example Christos Zografos (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Jan Haverkamp (Greenpeace International, Zhaba Facilitators Collective), Dominika Dzwonkowska (Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw), Dan Keech (University of Gloucestershire), and Tim Crabtree (Schumacher College).

More space devoted to discussion (thanks to fewer students in each course) as well as to trying new things, working in groups, and receiving feedback on your work.

Closer contact with your teachers, further development of your scientific research skills (you can choose Qualitative or Quantitative Methodology and take the optional course Academic Text Composition) and the opportunity to participate in research projects at the Department.

Preparation for professions connected with nature, the landscape and the environment, especially for positions that presuppose a broader orientation in the environmental field and a deeper awareness of the natural, social, economic, historical, political, and ethical contexts of environmental issues.