Applications open: MSc in Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security

News
  • 2017•11•23     Bonn

    The United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and the Department of Geography of the University of Bonn (GIUB) are pleased to announce the call for applications for the International Joint MSc Programme the Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security

    The main purpose of the two-year Master of Science programme is to provide postgraduate students with the knowledge and tools required to take an interdisciplinary approach towards environmental risks and human security.

    The programme content addresses theoretical and methodological debates in geography to better understand the complex emergence of environmental risks and natural hazards and their implications for human-nature relations (vulnerability, resilience, adaptation) and how to deal with them in practice.

    The key fields of study include:

    • Geographical approaches to risk, vulnerability and resilience
    • New approaches to development geography
    • Earth system science
    • Qualitative & quantitative methods, as well as GIS & remote sensing
    • Social-ecological systems, risk & technology
    • Risk management and governance, forecast & prediction
    • Disaster management, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and humanitarian response

    Karen Hattenbach, who oversees the Master’s, says this programme occupies a unique place in the international MSc landscape, with exposure to one of the oldest and most renowned Departments of Geography of a German University and – with UNU-EHS – exposure to cutting-edge research and training within the United Nation system.

    Studying in Bonn, Germany, at the UN campus and University of Bonn, students experience great visibility and exposure to international organisations, federal agencies, academic institutions and NGOs, as well as private companies working in disaster risk reduction, humanitarian aid and international relations.

    Since 2013, 122 students from 34 different countries around the world have studied at UNU-EHS. Hattenbach explains each year the cohort is made up of students at different stages in their careers. “As a research-oriented Master’s we often have fresh Bachelor’s graduates who are looking to launch an international career, as a researcher or practitioner in the field of climate change, environmental risks management, humanitarian response and development. With a scholarship scheme by the German Academic Exchange, we also welcome young professionals who have already gained some experience before they join us.”

    Johanna Maas, a second-year student, said the programme has “perfectly guided us through the theory of risk and development and methodological approaches for research, while also translating this theory into practice, giving us, through field exercises and simulations, the best possible preparation to work in the international development and humanitarian sector.”

    A taster of what previous students have experienced at UNU-EHS during their studies:

    For full information about the applications process and scholarships, click here

    Deadline for applications: 15 January 2018