Program Overview

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Introduction to the Master's Program

The Master's program in Ecology and Environmental Change is designed to provide students with the necessary skills to understand the various responses of organisms to their rapidly changing environments. The program brings together different fields of ecology, including animal and plant ecology, chemical ecology, conservation ecology, and theoretical evolutionary ecology, to explore how individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems respond and adapt to environmental change.

Program Structure

The program is structured to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of ecological principles and their application to real-world problems. Over the course of the program, students learn to design and conduct laboratory and field experiments, acquire chemical-analytical methods, learn how to build eco-evolutionary models, and strengthen their statistical analysis and scientific communication skills.

Degree Details

• Degree: Master of Science
• Duration: 4 semesters
• Start: Winter semester
• Language: English

Topics Covered

In this Master's program, students gain knowledge and skills in the areas of fundamental and applied ecology, with a special focus on aspects of global environmental change. Using model species, they get to know the role of diverse abiotic and biotic parameters in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, addressing trends of global change and adaptations of organisms to these parameters.

Job Prospects

The combination of basic and applied concepts of ecology as well as the numerous methods and tools conveyed qualifications for both scientific and more applied areas of the job market. Graduates interested in research may pursue a scientific career by working on a PhD, in order to qualify for research positions in universities, research institutes, or industry. Graduates focused on applied aspects are qualified for a broad spectrum of job opportunities such as in communal, national, and European government agencies, in economy, and in nature conservation.

Faculty

The following working groups with relevant research orientations contribute to the degree program:

• Behavioural Ecology
• Chemical Ecology
• Theoretical Ecology
• Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration

Application and Formalities

An overview of program-related details can be found in the university's "Study Information". This includes, for example, legal regulations for the degree program, including the requirements for access and admission, subject-specific regulations, and contact persons.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit the following application documents:

• A document detailing your qualifications, goals, and motivation for the Master's program. Please answer the following questions in full sentences in English:
  • How do your past studies qualify you for the Master's program Ecology and Environmental Change? Briefly state the most relevant theoretical and practical skills you gained.
  • What are your main learning goals for the Master's program? What research fields are of particular interest to you, and what skills would you like to develop over the course of the Master's program?
  • What career goals could you imagine pursuing after completing the Master's program, and how might the program help you achieve these goals?
• Your Bachelor's certificate (or the certificate of your prior studies qualifying you for the Master's program) and transcript of records. If the final certificate is not available, a current transcript of records is sufficient at the time of application.
• Proof of English language skills (at least level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). If you have a high-school or university diploma from an English-speaking institution, this is automatically fulfilled. Otherwise, please provide an English language certificate recognized by German universities (TOEFL, telc, IELTS, Unicert, or Cambridge Certificate).