2013•11•06     Bonn

Recognizing and tackling the consequences of climate change, environmental risks and global social change are key challenges for the future. Now, the city of Bonn will become a new source for experts trained to tackle such challenges, with the official launch of the joint Master’s programme, “Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security.” The first class is comprised of 25 students from around the world.

In a festive ceremony held in the Alfred Philippson Auditorium of the University of Bonn, Department of Geography, the Rector of the University of Bonn, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Fohrmann, and the Vice Rector of the United Nations University (UNU-ViE) in Europe, Prof. Dr. Jakob Rhyner, in the presence of the Science Minister of NRW, Svenja Schulze, inaugurated the first joint Master’s programme organized by a state university in cooperation with a UN institution.

This Master’s programme represents a major achievement in post secondary education policy and international law. It is the first time that a university grounded in national university law and a UN institution based on international law have successfully joined forces as institutions. The joint English-language programme will award successful students a “Master of Science” (M.Sc.) degree. In four semesters, participants will, in addition to completing teaching modules, also perform an internship at a UN or other international organization, as well as write a master’s thesis. In its first year, the program accepted 25 students from 14 different countries, with roughly half of all students coming from Germany.