Environmental Modelling and Data Sciences (EMDS)

First Semester (Winter)

In the first winter semester, which begins Mid October, the modules are offered in a weekly course format. It consists of core and major modules.

Core modules

• Research Skills: Basic skills and concepts to conduct and communicate scientific reserach
• Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives on Environmental Sciences: Different scientific fields, methods, ethics and philosophies in Env. Sciences

Major modules

• Environmental Statistics: Extends statistics knowledge and application, multiple regression, R/Python, advanced use of R
• Environmental Monitoring, Data Analysis and Visualization: Data collection, storage, analysis and visualisation, Upscaling of information
• Ecosystem Functioning: Important processes in ecosystems, overview of ecological approaches and systems
• Earth System Modelling: Formulating processes as ODEs, simulating DEs, programming a simple ecosystem model

Second Semester (Summer)

During the summer semester, courses are taught in a 3-week block format and may include field trips.

Major modules

• Remote Sensing Geoinformatics: Quantify environmental processes and states with open satellite data , automatised big-data processing, Exchange processes between biosphere and atmosphere, micrometeorological and other methods
• Applied Land Surface Modelling: Linking ecosystem models to remote sensing, parameterisation and scenario analysis of land-surface models)
• Bioinformatics: Acquiring omics data from data bases and services, analytical pipelines for omics data, combining omics data to address environmental questions)´
• Modelling Environmental Systems: Handling large models for environmental systems, sensitivity analysis and model application

Third semester (Winter)

In the third semester, the modules are offered in a weekly course format. It consists of a core module, several major modules and free space to take elective courses.

Core modules

• Research in Environmental Sciences: Strategic advices, approaches, tools and management for Master thesis

Major module

• Capstone Project: Practicing collaboration with applied environmental scientists, reproducing and re-evaluating published (process or statistical) modelling studies
• Advanced Statistics: Generalised mixed-effect models, analysis of correlated data, opt. advanced machine learning, opt. neural network architectures

Electives

During the program you take three electives amounting to 15 ECTS credits.

You can choose from a wide selection of modules offered to the students of MSc Environmental Sciences. The language of instruction is mainly English, although German taught modules are also available.

In addition, modules from other master programmes within the faculty, the university, or even outside the university may be taken, provided they are academically relevant. Eligibility is decided by the examination board in accordance with the specific focus of the study programme.

Language courses are not recognised as suitable teaching units.

The internship should provide an insight into possible career fields and enables to gain hands-on and real-life work experience, connect to organisations and develop personal and professional competences. It serves as an excellent opportunity to explore possible professional fields and career paths.

The mandatory internship (10 ECTS) lasts at least 7 weeks (275 full‑time working hours). It is recommended to place it in the semester break between the 2nd and 3rd semester, but it can also be scheduled flexibly at any time thats suitable. It may be completed either in one company or can be also split into two phases and two different companies of at least three weeks each. Students are free to do it either in Germany or abroad.

Internships are organised by the students themselves. They will be supported with advice and contacts on request.

The Master thesis is worth 30 ECTS credits (27 ECTS master thesis and 3 ECTS colloquium). The written part is an individual examination paper. This thesis must be completed within 6 months and the topic must be chosen from the area of the chosen major. The Master’s colloquium consists of an approximately 20-minute presentation by the student on the topic, methods and results of the Master’s thesis, followed by a discussion.

The purpose is to enable each student to work intensively on a subject within their field of study using scientific methods, meet the stipulated deadline, and present the results in an appropriate scientific research format. Both the thesis topic and the supervising faculty members are arranged and agreed upon by the student themselves. Registration of the thesis is permitted once the student has accumulated at least 60 ECTS on their transcript of records.

Upon request, it is possible to study abroad for one semester. Although the master’s programme does not include a dedicated Erasmus semester, it still offers many possibilities for international experience. These include a semester abroad with individual modules that can be taken, a professional or research internship, and the option to write the master’s thesis overseas. If you are interested, our team is happy to advise you and help organise the appropriate stay abroad.