Are you up to the challenge of finding innovative methods and sustainable solutions to the threats facing the environment? The Environmental Sciences master's programme in Wageningen has its roots in the natural, technological and social sciences. Students will gain insight into the socio-economic causes and the characteristics of pollution and degradation of the natural environment, including the effects on human beings, the atmosphere, ecosystems and other organisms. This two-year programme is based on an interdisciplinary approach. Students learn to develop analytical tools and models, as well as technologies, socio-political arrangements and economic instruments to prevent and control environmental and sustainability issues.
The Environmental Sciences MSc programme of Wageningen University is an international programme containing one year of course work and and one year of research. It is thesis-oriented with the individual research project (major) as its core. Compulsory elements are kept at a minimum, thus enabling the coursework to be tailored to the wishes and needs of the individual student. Study adviser and thesis supervisor both assist the student in selecting the most relevant courses from what Wageningen University has to offer. Read more about the background of the programme.
Within the master's programme you can choose from the following Thesis tracks to meet your personal interests:
Graduates find jobs at many different organisations. Professional job possibilities can be found as:
Read more about the career perspectives and opportunities.
Related programmes:
MSc Urban Environmental Management
MSc Forest and Nature Conservation
MSc Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management.
Plants, animals, and microbes all play a key role in the sustainability of life on Earth. The Master's programme in Environmental Biology offers you the opportunity to explore different organisational levels of life – from genes, cells, and organisms to populations and entire ecosystems.
In this programme, you will study the fundamental life processes of plants and microbes. The interdisciplinary course content also offers you the chance to examine animal behaviour from an ecological and evolutionary perspective.
Within the Environmental Biology Master, you can select a specialised track from the following:
Alternatively, you can develop an individualised curriculum suited to your unique interests. We offer you considerable flexibility in choosing specific subfields or topics within Environmental Biology. See the study programme and courses page.
Are you interested in working on solutions for environmental issues like water scarcity and quality, soil degradation, food supply, loss of biodiversity, vulnerability to severe weather and climate change? Join the master's Earth & Environment in Wageningen to help the next generations of scientists to find solutions for these issues confronting the way we look after our planet, now and in the future!
During the two-year master programme, you become a well-rounded specialist in the fields of (a) hydrology and water resources; (b) meteorology and air quality; (c) biological and chemical aspects of soil and water; or (d) soil geography and earth surface dynamics. Furthermore, you also gain a broad view of the interactions in the critical zone where the different spheres meet. Subjects studied range from micro to global scale; they are closely related to the innovative research and applications of ten leading research groups. Read more about the Background of the programme.
Within the master's programme you can choose one of the following Specialisations to meet your personal interests.
The best way to get to know a place is by getting to know the people. Students share their experiences with you about the master's programme and student life in Wageningen on the page student experiences.
Graduates from this programme are well equipped with the knowledge and skills to continue their academic training as a PhD student, or to start a career as a scientific professional at universities, research institutes and consultancies. Depending on their specialization, graduates may take up positions as meteorologists, hydrologists, water quality scientists or soil scientists in the public or private sector. Read more about career perspectives and opportunities after finishing the programme.
Related programmes:
MSc Management, Economics and Consumer Studies
MSc International Land and Water Management
Communities and Ecosystems deals with the ecology of units of interacting individuals, in populations, communities and ecosystems. The biodiversity is analysed and functionally related to the hydrology, nutritional status and landscape configuration of the ecosystem. Ecogenomics tools are applied to obtain information on unknown components such as microbial composition or evolutionary history of populations. This information together gives insight in how different communities (plants, animals, micro-organisms) within an ecosystem are interrelated and interdependent, and how they determine the resilience of the community to environmental stress. This fundamental knowledge is applied in proven applications in nature and water management.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/biology/ecosystems
1. A completed Bachelor's degree in Biology or related area
2. Proficiency in English
In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English. Non-native speakers of English without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:
-A TOEFL score of >575 (paper based) or >232 (computer based) or >90(internet based)
- A IELTS score of >6.5
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), with a mark of C or higher
This programme provides you with the qualifications you need to start working on your PhD and in the field of communication, business and management or education. Biologists often continue their research careers in universities, research institutes, pharmaceutical companies and public health authorities. On graduation, our students very quickly take up positions as researchers or analysts in government departments, research organisations and medical or pharmaceutical companies.
What biologists do:
- Researchers at universities or in companies
- Supervisors of clinical trials
- Consultants
- Lecturers
- Policy coordinators
- Teachers
Where biologists work:
- Research/education
- Health care
- Business services
- Industry
- Government
- Trade
Communities and Ecosystems deals with the ecology of units of interacting individuals, in populations, communities and ecosystems. The biodiversity is analysed and functionally related to the hydrology, nutritional status and landscape configuration of the ecosystem. Ecogenomics tools are applied to obtain information on unknown components such as microbial composition or evolutionary history of populations. This information together gives insight in how different communities (plants, animals, micro-organisms) within an ecosystem are interrelated and interdependent, and how they determine the resilience of the community to environmental stress. This fundamental knowledge is applied in proven applications in nature and water management.
- Rich programme
This M.Sc. programme not only puts the interactions between organisms into context, it also integrates all levels of organisation from the molecule and the cell up to ecosystems and the landscape. This combination of experience results in a rich and coherent MSc. programme of Master's courses and exciting internships with state-of-the-art research. It prepares you for a career in science, both fundamental and applied, but also provides the necessary knowledge for innovative evidence-based applications in nature and water management.
- Personal tutor
Our top scientist are looking forward to take you with them on a challenging and inspiring scientific journey. This programme offers you many opportunities to follow your own interests under the guidance of a personal tutor. Radboud University offers you a multitude of research fields to choose from in close collaboration with the
- Academic hospital UMCN St. Radboud;
- Institute for Water and Wetlands Research;
- Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences;
- Donders Institute.
This allows you to specialise in a field of personal interest.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/biology/ecosystems
If Environmental Sciences is your passion, the specialisation in Water and Environment would be a great choice. This specialisation aims at the insight needed to tackle problems such as climate change, flooding, eutrophication, chemical pollution, habitat fragmentation and bio-invasions. We provide you with the laboratory, field and assessment tools needed to protect ecosystem and human health in the context of multiple environmental pressures. After completing the Water and Environment specialisation you will have the qualifications needed for positions at research institutes, industry, consultancies, universities, governments and other scientific and management oriented organisations.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/waterandenvironment
1. A completed Bachelor's degree in Biology or related area
2. Proficiency in English
In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English. Non-native speakers of English* without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:
- A TOEFL score of >575 (paper based) or >90 (internet based)
- A IELTS score of ≥6.5
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), with a mark of C or higher
After completing the Water and Environment specialisation you will have the qualifications needed for positions at research institutes, industry, consultancies, universities, governments and other scientific and management oriented organisations.
If Environmental Sciences is your passion, the specialisation in Water and Environment would be a great choice. This specialisation aims at the insight needed to tackle problems such as climate change, flooding, eutrophication, chemical pollution, habitat fragmentation and bio-invasions. We provide you with the laboratory, field and assessment tools needed to protect ecosystem and human health in the context of multiple environmental pressures. After completing the Water and Environment specialisation, you will have the qualifications needed for positions at research institutes, industry, consultancies, universities, governments and other scientific and management oriented organisations.
- Rich programme
This M.Sc. programme not only puts the interactions between organisms into context, it also integrates all levels of organisation from the molecule and the cell up to ecosystems and the landscape. This combination of experience results in a rich and coherent MSc. programme of Master's courses and exciting internships with state-of-the-art research. It prepares you for a career in science, both fundamental and applied, but also provides the necessary knowledge for innovative evidence-based applications in nature and water management.
- Personal tutor
Our top scientist are looking forward to take you with them on a challenging and inspiring scientific journey. This programme offers you many opportunities to follow your own interests under the guidance of a personal tutor. Radboud University offers you a multitude of research fields to choose from in close collaboration with the
- academic hospital UMCN St. Radboud;
- Institute for Water and Wetlands Research;
- Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences;
- Donders Institute.
This allows you to specialise in a field of personal interest.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/waterandenvironment
An international programme for future water managers, combining ecology, hydrology and socio-economics.
What is the best way to handle invasive species in a river ecosystem? Or how do you protect a city like New Orleans from floods? In this double degree programme, you’ll learn to tackle these kinds of problems on the basis of ecological, hydrological and social-economic aspects. We focus on ecological solutions, which are often more effective than technical adjustments. Think of estuaries with sea grass fields breaking the waves instead of reinforcing dikes, or self-purification of drainage-basins, making dredging unnecessary.
If you follow the TWM double degree programme, you don’t have to choose between ecology and hydrology. On the one hand, you’ll learn to classify different ecosystems, analyse ecological data and assess the impact of various stressors. On the other hand, you’ll get the technical background to calculate water flow properties and work with flood management models. So upon graduation, you’ll have all the required knowledge for a career in water management.
Apart from the natural sciences, the programme offers multiple courses in water governance, and the social, economical and philosophical aspects of water management. This widens your perspective and provides you with the tools to bridge the gap between science and society.
The Master’s specialisation in Transnational Ecosystem-based Water Management (TWM) is partly taught at Radboud University and partly at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. This means that you’ll profit from the expertise at two universities and become familiar with different cultures and research approaches. And after successful completion of the programme, you'll receive a German and a Dutch diploma. With that broad background, our graduates often find a job as manager or project leader, with an all-encompassing view in national or international water-related projects.
Although the universities are only about 100 kilometres apart, you’ll certainly notice a cultural difference. Hence, following this programme not only means you’ll profit from both of their expertises, you’ll also experience a rapid personal growth. We notice that our students are very independent in finding their way around and performing research, are not afraid of new challenges and are well-trained in (international) communication skills.
Visit http://www.ru.nl/masters/twm for more information about the programme and to start your application today.
The question is no longer if our climate will change, but how will it change and how will we adapt to these changes? Adaption and mitigation to global warming, the greenhouse effect and climate change all form the basis of the master's Climate Studies programme in Wageningen. Students will gain a broad overview of climate change during this two-year programme. As changes and challenges crystallise, the demand for scientists able to understand and investigate them will rise. This master's programme is specifically targeted at students who wish to focus on the scientific insights into climate change and on the social and economic implications of climate change in the broadest sense.
The MSc programme Climate Studies runs annually beginning from September. It comprises 120 European credit points (EC) and runs for two academic years. The first year consists of 40 weeks of coursework; the second year consists of the academic internship (16 weeks) and thesis programme (24 weeks), which are the core components of the Masters degree programme. View the complete programme of Climate Studies.
Within the master's programme you can choose from the following Specialisations to meet your personal interests.
The best way to get to know a place is by getting to know the people. Students share their experiences with you about the master's programme and student life in Wageningen on the page Student experiences.
The demand for scientists that are able to understand and investigate climate change issues is increasing. After graduation you will be able to continue your scientific career or work in the professional field. Read more about the career perspectives and opportunities after finishing the programme.
Related programmes:
MSc Management, Economics and Consumer Studies
