Overview
This English-language MSc trains you to tackle urgent environmental and resource policy questions: how to manage scarce resources sustainably, how to protect the environment without sacrificing living standards, which policy instruments best support climate action or the shift to renewable energy, and how to value environmental goods and services. The programme emphasizes strong quantitative and analytical skills so you can rigorously analyse these problems and propose well-founded policy or market solutions.
What you will learn
You will deepen your ability to apply analytical methods across core areas such as environmental and resource economics, energy economics, microeconomics, economic dynamics and econometrics. Independent acquisition and application of research methods is encouraged through elective lectures and seminar work, allowing you to specialise and build a research profile. A broad selection of specialised courses—offered regularly via close collaboration with the Kiel Institute for the World Economy—exposes you to current economic research and empirical practice.
Interdisciplinary options and support for international students
The programme offers supplementary subject choices to broaden your perspective: political science (note: this option is taught only in German), or ecology and geography. For non-German speakers, a dedicated German-as-a-foreign-language track is available, taking learners from beginner level up to C1 to help you integrate academically and socially in Germany.
Program components and requirements (study focus, not admissions)
This master's curriculum is split into clearly defined parts that combine core theory, quantitative techniques and subject-specific electives. During the first two semesters you cover the programme’s foundations: environmental and resource economics, microeconomic theory, economic dynamics and econometric methods. These core modules build analytical and empirical skills needed to model environmental problems, assess resource use, and evaluate policy interventions.
After the core phase, you choose from a broad range of elective modules to specialise your profile. Electives may come from other areas of economics or deeper topics in environmental and resource economics, allowing you to tailor the degree toward applied policy analysis, theoretical research, or empirical work. Regularly offered specialised courses—many organised in cooperation with the Kiel Institute for the World Economy—give exposure to current economic research and applied projects.
The programme culminates in a research-oriented master’s thesis, with two completion routes to suit different timelines: a full-length thesis option and a shorter thesis combined with extra coursework. Graduates will emerge with advanced competence in environmental/resource economic theory, strong econometric and modelling skills, proficiency in empirical analysis of environmental data, and the ability to conduct independent research and communicate policy-relevant results.
Curriculum requirements (ECTS):
Useful documents:
Note: ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) indicate workload and are recognised across Europe; the programme’s structure gives flexibility to shape your course load and research focus.
Overview
This Master’s programme requires applicants to hold a completed university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) and to have covered essential economics and quantitative coursework during their prior studies. The faculty assesses both the overall degree and the specific course content to ensure incoming students have the quantitative and theoretical background needed for advanced studies in environmental and resource economics.
Admission requirements
Degree and academic length
Required coursework within the 180 ECTS
Documentation of course content
Additional resources
Winter Semester (International)
15 July 2026
Summer Semester (International)
15 January 2027
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
1 August 2026
Summer Semester (EU/EEA)
1 February 2027
Graduates are well prepared for quantitative and policy-oriented roles in the public sector (environment and energy agencies), international organisations, research institutes and think tanks, environmental and energy consultancies, and private-sector firms dealing with natural-resource management or sustainability. The programme’s combination of econometric skills, economic policy analysis and specialised knowledge in environmental and energy economics also provides a solid foundation for doctoral studies and research careers.