Program Overview

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Faculty of Geosciences and Environment

The Faculty of Geosciences and Environment is unique in Switzerland, bringing together the humanities and natural sciences in a single entity. Created in 2004, it offers comprehensive training in geography, earth sciences, and the environment, from the first year of the Bachelor's degree to the PhD.

Education

The faculty provides a range of educational programs, including:

• Bachelor's degree
• MA in Tourism Studies
• MA in Foundation and Practices of Sustainability
• MSc in Geography, Environment and Planning
• MSc in Environmental Science
• MSc in Earth Sciences
• MSc in Biogeosciences
• Master TRACEE

MSc in Geography, Environment and Planning

The MSc in Geography, Environment and Planning is a comprehensive program that offers joint training in cutting-edge, multi-faceted contemporary approaches to geography, the environment, and planning. The program includes:

Curriculum

• A new curriculum from the start of the 2025 academic year
• Study plan MSc GEA 2025/26
• Additional documents (in French)

Thematic Modules

The program offers a choice of thematic modules, including:

• Nature and inequality in the city
• Environmental management and livelihoods in rural areas
• Mobility and territorial policies
• Methods for the analysis of geographic information

Specialisation Modules

The program also offers specialisation modules, including:

• Sustainable urbanism: The urban planning module offers workshops introducing students to the design of urban and ecological projects.
• Sustainable management of mountain regions: The module on mountain regions offers professionalising tutorial projects and deepens knowledge of alpine ecosystems.
• Sustainable development North/South: The module in sustainable development enables students to conduct research into the management and solution of specific problems in the North and South contexts.
• Territorial analysis and modelling: The specialisation module in territorial analysis and modelling offers practical training in quantitative geographic methods through practical projects.

Study Plan

The study plan for the MSc GEA is organised around average teaching modules, including:

Part 1: Common Modules - 30 ECTS

• Geography and the environment
• Governance, planning and development
• Project cycle
• Land planning law
• Diagnosis and territorial representations
• Viewing and processing information
• Introduction to the Master's thesis

Part 2: Thematic or Specialised Modules - 45 ECTS

• Subpart a: Thematic modules
  • Module 4.a - Cities and socio-environmental challenges
  • Module 4.b - Society, nature and resources
  • Module 4.c - Sustainable development strategies
  • Module 4.d - Analysis and modelling of geographic information
• Subpart b: Specialist modules
  • Module 5.a - Urban and regional planning
  • Module 5.b - Projects in mountain regions
  • Module 5.c - North/South sustainable development projects
  • Module 5.d - Projects in territorial analysis and modelling

Part 3: Elective Courses and Work Placement - 15 ECTS

• Elective courses and internship

Part 4: Research Dissertation - 30 ECTS

• Master's thesis

Research

The Faculty of Geosciences and Environment brings together natural sciences and humanities to conduct transdisciplinary research. The faculty includes:

• Institute of Geography and Sustainability
• Institute of Earth Sciences
• Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics

Institutes

The faculty is composed of several institutes, including:

• Institute of Geography and Sustainability
• Institute of Earth Sciences
• Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics

Areas

The faculty has several areas, including:

• Staff area
• Student area
• Doctoral student area
• Teacher area
• Researcher area

Masters

The faculty offers several master's programs, including:

• MA in Tourism Studies
• MA in Foundations and Practices of Sustainability
• MSc in Geography, Environment and Planning
• MSc in Environmental Science
• MSc in Earth Sciences
• MSc in Biogeosciences