Environmental Governance, M.Sc.
The M.Sc. -programme Environmental Governance (MEG) was established in 2005 to train leaders to be able to reconcile different social perspectives with regard to the sustainable use of environmental resources as a basis for sustainable development - for any development, at any scale from local to global, and in any context worldwide. Every year, around 35 outstanding students are selected based on criteria of excellence and geographical representation.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Science (M.Sc.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 semesters, 120 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Required English | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 15.05 |
| Admission | Admission restriction (NC): a competition of school grades |
| Tuition fee | €1,500 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €190 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
The programme has an admission restriction: the average grade of your certificate, converted to the German scale, decides. The cut-off changes every year — last year's value shows the order of magnitude, not a promise.
How the selection works and how strong the competition is — we go through it against your certificate when we select programmes for you.
Programme selection →About the programme
Since its establishment in 2005, the MEG programme has been training academics in the broader field of Environmental Governance, understood as new modes of social co-ordination among market, state and civil society actors.
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MEG is exceptional in its highly interdisciplinary approach: at its core it is social-scientific, but it provides students with basic ‘scientific literacy’ in the more technical aspects of pressing environmental challenges.
The programme has been developed with a clear ambition to be ranked among the top 10 international study programmes in the field of sustainability, society and environment worldwide.
About 35 students are selected each year based on criteria of excellence and geographical representation (industrialized countries, countries in transition, developing countries as well as geographic regions). The Programme targets future leaders with grand, innovative ideas about environmental governance arrangements beyond the traditional functional, structural and territorial boundaries (‘sustainability designers’). The ideal MEGie embraces and understands the complexities of sustainable development, but is also capable of finding ways to implement solutions in organisations, enterprises and administrations in a context-sensitive manner (‘sustainability facilitators’).
MEG is accredited in accordance with international standards for higher education. In 2006, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) acknowledged the programme as a Development-Related Postgraduate Course and thus offers a limited number of DAAD/EPOS scholarships.
What you study
The MEG study programme is designed as a two-year (4 semesters), full-time programme (120 ECTS). It aims at:
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
Our M.Sc. programme qualifies for jobs as intermediaries in the field of sustainable development and sustainable resource management with
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- International and national organisations and administrations focusing on sustainable development / sustainable use of resources (e.g. World Bank, UNEP, national ministries, NGO)s;
- Companies for which a commitment to the principles of sustainability has become a central strategic competitive advantage. (e.g. industry, utilities, insurance companies and banks);
- Projects aimed at planning and implementing successful future development schemes based on the sustainable utilisation of natural resources (at local, regional or national levels);
- Science and research centres.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Baden-Württemberg), international students | €1,500 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €190 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | BSc or BA (or equivalent primary degree) well above average in Environmental Management, Environmental Sciences, Agricultural or Forest Sciences, Geography, Political Sciences, Sociology, Law, Economics, Ethnology, International Cooperation, Development Studies, Nature Conservation, Environmental Management, Land Use Planning, Natural Resource Management, among others. |
|---|---|
| Language | English C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 15.05 |
The procedure and the set of documents depend on your certificate. We check the university's requirements against your documents and give you a list: what to submit, how to certify and translate it, where and when to apply.
Check the requirementsHow to get into this programme
- 1Check your certificate and its recognitionDirect admission, a year at a university at home, or Studienkolleg first — this decides the whole plan.
- 2Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 3Application directly to the university until 15.05Send the documents well before the deadline — an incomplete application cannot be completed after it.
- 4Admission, visa, movingPlan 2–3 months for the visa and the blocked account in parallel.
How to apply
You can submit the application yourself or with our help — the university decides on admission in both cases.
Applications go through the university's portal or uni-assist. Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
StudyInFocus does not represent the university and does not influence the admission decision. We do not sell study places and do not guarantee admission — this is a service for preparing and submitting documents on the applicant's side.
Questions about this programme
How much does the programme cost?
What language level do I need?
When do I need to apply?
Don't postpone the application
The deadline is 15.05.2027 (213 days left). Language, translations and the document check take months, not weeks. In 30 minutes we will build a plan backwards from the deadline and tell you honestly whether you can make it.