Programme
Erasmus Mundus Joint Master in Global Environment and Development
Programme structure
All students study together for the first year at the University of Copenhagen.
The first year focuses on obtaining interdisciplinary knowledge and skills, including supervised data collection in the field and in-depth knowledge preparing you for your specialisation.
For the second-year, you move to study in either Milan or Warsaw, depending on your specialisation:
- Agricultural Development at the University of Milan
- Sustainable Environmental Development at the University of Warsaw
In the second year, the first semester is dedicated to coursework and the second semester to the thesis. The programme includes a Programme Employment Workshop (MERGEDNext).
The choice of specialisation is made at the time of application and is binding. We accept up to 40 students each year, distributed equally between the specialisations.
First Year
ALL STUDENTS STUDY IN COPENHAGEN
- Applied Interdisciplinarity
(30 ECTS) - Preparing for your specialisation
(30 ECTS)
Second Year
CHOOSE YOUR SPECIALISATION
- Sustainable Environmental Development
(30 ECTS) - Joint Intra-semester thesis workshop
(3 ECTS) - Master’s Thesis
(27 ECTS) - Final employability workshop and networking
- Agricultural Development
(30 ECTS) - Joint Intra-semester thesis workshop
(3 ECTS) - Master’s Thesis
(27 ECTS) - Final employability workshop and networking
University of Copenhagen
FIRST YEAR PROGRAMME
The first year provides knowledge and experience of interdisciplinarity, a thorough and broad introduction to environment-development issues, and preparing you for your second-year specialisation while also developing your generic skills and academic potential.
More specifically, the first year:
- provides you with an understanding of the principles and processes that underpin environment-development challenges and solutions, with particular importance assigned to interdisciplinarity;
- provides you with methods to collect primary data in the field, then takes you to the field (at various global destinations) to practice these methods;
- prepares you for your second-year specialisation;
- develops your intellectual, practical, numeracy, communication, information and communication technology, interpersonal/teamwork, self-management, and professional development skills;
- inculcates the values of scholarship: inquiry, reflection, integrity, open-mindedness, evidence-based thinking, and collegiality.
First year Programme (60 ECTS)
In Copenhagen, there are four blocks (each is nine weeks) of teaching each year. Each block is 15 ECTS, with 1 ECTS equivalent to around 28 work hours.
The restricted elective courses must be selected from the specific list of courses (see below) for your line of specialisation.
Compulsory courses: 30 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 15 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS.
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Practicing Interdisciplinary Field Research on the Environment | Restricted Elective Course | ||
| Restricted Elective Course | Restricted Elective Course | Restricted Elective Course |
Restricted elective courses for specialisation: Agricultural Development
During the first year of studies, you must choose 30 ECTS restricted elective courses from the list below*, if you’ve chosen the specialisation in Agricultural Development.
Click on each course for a detailed description:
| Course Title | Block | ECTS |
| Tropical Crop Production | 1 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Advanced Crop Production | 1 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Tropical Forest Restoration | 1 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Experimental Soil Analysis | 1 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Life Cycle Assessment within Biological Production Systems | 1 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Agroforestry | 2 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Applied Insect Ecology and Biological Control | 2 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Applied Agrohydrology | 2 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Global Environmental Governance | 31 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Plant Ecophysiology in a Changing Climate | 31 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Land Use and Environmental Modelling | 31 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Environmental Impact Assessment | 4 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Entrepreneurship and Innovation | 1+4 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Agricultural Value Chains in Developing Countries | 4 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Project in Practice | 4 | 15 ECTS |
| Project outside the course scope | 1-5 | 7.5 ECTS |
1 Note that students will not usually take elective courses in block 3 as this block is fully occupied by the 15 ECTS “Practicing Interdisciplinary Field Research on the Environment” course.
*The curriculum may be subject to change
Restricted elective courses specialisation: Sustainable Environmental Development
During the first year of studies, you must choose 30 ECTS restricted elective courses from the below list*, if you’ve chosen the specialisation in Sustainable Environmental Development.
Click on each course for a detailed description:
| Course Title | Block | ECTS |
| Applied Ethnobotany | 1 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Political Ecology | 1 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Land Use Transitions in the Global South | 1 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Applied Econometrics | 1 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Global Forests and People | 1 | 7.5 ECTS |
| People, Poverty and Environmental Change | 2 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Participatory Natural Resource Governance | 2 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Globalisation and Dynamics in Global Value Chains | 2 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Environmental Justice | 2 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Global Environmental Governance | 31 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Human Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability | 31 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Rural-Urban Transformations in the Global South | 4 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Agricultural Value Chains in Developing Countries | 4 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Gender, Environment and Sustainable Development | 4 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Environmental Impact Assessment | 4 | 7.5 ECTS |
| Project in Practice | 4 | 15 ECTS |
| Project outside the course scope | 1-5 | 7.5 ECTS |
1 Note that students will not usually take elective courses in block 3 as this block is fully occupied by the 15 ECTS “Practicing Interdisciplinary Field Research on the Environment” course.
* The curriculum may be subject to change
Specialisation in Sustainable Environmental Development - University of Warsaw
SECOND YEAR PROGRAMME
The second-year specialisation in Sustainable Environmental Development focuses on studying environmental and development issues concerning contemporary social challenges.
With the second year at the University of Warsaw you will:
- develop your understanding of the principles and processes that underpin sustainable development and be able to apply these; principles to environmental development
- develop your abilities in the use of information technology, communication skills, and time management in an environment and development context;
- develop your abilities to use methods, assess data, and design feasible environment-development interventions;
- be equipped for a career in sustainable development and allied professions requiring an ability to synthesise concepts and ideas and to take a holistic view.
Second year Programme - Sustainable Environmental Development (60 ECTS)
At the University of Warsaw, the academic year is divided into two semesters. Each semester is 30 ECTS.
The first semester is dedicated to Compulsory Courses (19 ECTS) and Elective Courses (11 ECTS). You can choose the elective courses from the list below. During the second semester, you will take part in the MERGED intra-semester workshop (3 ECTS) and write your Master’s thesis (27 ECTS).
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
| Innovations and Knowledge Transfer (5 ECTS) | Merged intra-semester workshop (3 ECTS) |
| Emerging Sustainable Development Law (5 ECTS) | Master’s thesis (27 ECTS) |
| Sustainable Development Economics (4 ECTS) | – |
| Measuring, Evaluating and Reporting Sustainability and Innovation (5 ECTS) | – |
| Elective modules (11 ECTS) | – |
Elective courses - Sustainable Environmental Development
You must choose at least 11 ECTS elective modules from the list below:
| Course title | Semester | ECTS |
| Global Justice and Human Rights | 1 | 8 |
| Green Innovations – Strategies and Diffusion | 1 | 3 |
| Sustainable Development of Space | 1 | 3 |
| Environmental Impact Assessment | 1 | 3 |
| Communication, Education and Cooperation | 1 | 3 |
| Entrepreneurship, Leadership & CSR | 1 | 3 |
| Energy and Environmental Policy Research | 1 | 3 |
| Designing Development Research: Case-Based Learning from the Global South | 1 | 3 |
| Climate Change and it’s Human Aspect | 1 | 3 |
| The World at the Crossroads | 1 | 2 |
| Reclamation, Remediation and Renaturalisation of the Environment | 1 | 2 |
Specialisation in Agricultural Development - University of Milan
SECOND YEAR PROGRAMME
With the specialisation in Agricultural Development, you will get the qualifications to be an innovative professional figure equipped with a solid technical-scientific culture, a broad multidisciplinary vision of the environmental and agricultural system, and a high operational preparation to manage economic and productive activities related to agriculture and natural resources in a global framework and long-term sustainability.
You will be able to operate in international contexts, both in the Northern and the Southern parts of the world.
More specifically, the second year at University of Milan:
- provides you with the knowledge to address global challenges in the food system and the agricultural production;
- provides you with a technical understanding of sustainable agricultural practices;
- provides you with methods to utilize the agricultural machinery efficiently and with minimal environmental impact, to optimize the livestock production also to reduce environmental footprint, to implement sustainable irrigation practices, to minimize soil degradation while maximizing its fertility and health;
- develops your capacity to manage innovative agricultural systems, by using bioeconomic and statistical tools and building on international cooperation;
- allows you to develop your master’s thesis work in collaboration with our Associate Partners.
Second year Programme - Agricultural Development (60 ECTS)
At the University of Milan, the academic year is divided into two semesters. Each semester is 30 ECTS.
The first semester is dedicated to Compulsory Courses (19 ECTS) and Elective Courses (11 ECTS). You can choose the elective courses from the list below. During the second semester, you will take part in the MERGED intra-semester workshop (3 ECTS) and write your Master’s thesis (27 ECTS).
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
| Laboratory in sustainability of agricultural mechanization (6 ECTS) | MERGED intra-semester workshop (3 ECTS) |
| Laboratory in sustainability of livestock systems (7 ECTS) | Master’s thesis and final dissertation (27 ECTS) |
| Laboratory in sustainability of water management (6 ECTS) | – |
| Elective courses (11 ECTS) | – |
Students who do not speak Italian will need to reach the A2 level through language courses offered by the University of Milan (3ECTS).
Elective courses - Agricultural Development
You must choose elective courses of 6 ECTS credits. A list of further elective courses may be explored together with the Tutor at the University of Milan.
You must choose 8 credits from courses of your choice. Among these is the Intra-semester workshop (3 ECTS) which is an integral part of the MERGED didactic program. A list of further elective courses may be explored together on the website of the University of Milan.
| Title | ECTS |
| MERGED intra-semester workshop | 3 |
| Student choice teachings | Up to 8 |
| Additional Internship | 3 |
| Additional language skills: Italian (compulsory for non-Italian speakers) | 3 |
Thesis
The second-year MERGED Programme includes a thesis corresponding to 27 ECTS (which includes the final dissertation).
The thesis must be written within the academic scope of the programme and must be based on empirical fieldwork. The fieldwork can be combined with an internship at international organisations, NGOs, universities, or similar that partnered with MERGED.