Climate change and rapidly growing slum settlements in big cities are two examples of major global environmental problems.

Within this programme you will learn how to explain the underlying social factors for natural disasters and the economic, demographic and political processes that are root causes of increased vulnerability. This requires an analysis of global socio-economic processes and knowledge of long-term earth system processes.

Purpose and learning objectives:

The programme is designed for students with a background either in social sciences or in biology and/or earth sciences who want to develop a multidisciplinary perspective. The overall aim of the programme is that students will develop a capacity to communicate across the disciplinary boundaries between social theory and natural sciences.

Among the more specific aims are that students, after the programme, should be able to critically integrate knowledge from the socio-economic and bio-geographical spheres of study and make interdisciplinary analyses in the areas of globalization, environment and social change.

They should also be able to use interdisciplinary methods and theory and independently develop a research question, plan and carry out a study within the fields of globalization, environment and social change.

Programme content and structure:

The first year consists of the four following courses:

1. Introduction Course: Globalization, Environment and Social Change (15 credits).
2. Global Climate and Environmental Change (15 credits).
3. Urbanization and Environment (15 credits).
4. Theory and Method (15 credits).

In the autumn semester of the second year, you take optional courses (15 credits) from a list of courses available at any of the three involved departments in order to provide for specialization. You also have 15 credits available for a course of free choice at any recognized university. The whole spring semester of the second year is devoted to writing your master’s thesis (30 credits).

The Department of Human Geography hosts the Master’s programme and cooperates with the Department of Economic History and the Department of Physical Geography.

Degree and career options:

You will improve your ability to communicate with different groups of people dealing with global environmental questions. This programme targets students who want to do research on global environmental and social issues or work at government authorities, international organizations and private companies.