Master's degree (2 years)Full timeEconomics and Environmental Governance
The master program in Economics and Environmental Governance will give you a solid understanding of the foundations of environmental change and its effects on society, the environment, and the economy. The program is multidisciplinary, drawing on economics, environmental and resource economics, climate economics, ecological economics, political science, environmental sciences, and human geography. You will gain a wide set of lenses through which to see the world, the problems we face, and, importantly, sustainable solutions for a better future. Upon completion of the program you will have the practical tools of analysis and a broad skillset enabling you to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Application deadline:
Norwegian, Nordic, EU/EEA and Swiss citizens: 15th of April.
Students outside EU/EEA/EFTA: 1st of December. Tuition fees: nmbu.no/en/studies/tuition-fees
Start of Studies:
Autumn 2024
Number of students:
30
Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in economics, business administration, political science, or other social sciences. Applicants must have: 100-level equivalent of economic theory courses, mathematics, and statistics; and have at least 80 ECTS deemed relevant for the program. Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of C (or the equivalent) or higher.
Bachelor’s degree in economics, business administration, political science, or other social sciences. Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of C (or the equivalent) or higher.
Students without such a bachelor´s degree will need a specialization equivalent to at least 80 ECTS within subjects from the social sciences.Applicants are encouraged to include a one-page (A4) motivation letter outlining their background (personal, professional, and academic), their motivation to join the program and their contribution to the learning environment.
Admission is based on the applicants' academic transcripts and the motivation letter.
Applicants must demonstrate English language ability in accordance with the NMBU regulations for programmes taught in English: Language requirements for programmes taught in English at NMBU | NMBU
The program is structured in four parts:
- The first semester, which is designed to bring students up to a necessary level of competence in economics, social sciences, and methods
- Four core courses making up the core components of the degree
- Specialization profiles or elective courses e.g internship
- Master thesis
Career opportunities
Students who graduate from the program are ideal candidates for jobs in both the public and private sectors. In a changing world, governments, NGOs, and businesses need people who understand both drivers and solutions to environmental change. Through the program students will develop skills applicable to the real world.
Types of jobs our candidates would qualify for are public administration, management, policy analysis, communication, and more. Tasks that graduates are qualified for include, among other things, preparing policy briefs, analyzing policy impacts, and make recommendations for decision makers.
The study program also qualifies for PhD studies in relevant and related fields.
Read student stories and get information about the student life at NMBU here.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
- Understand the role and impact of environmental and climate policy on society, the environment, and the economy.
- Be familiar with different schools of economic thought and how they attempt to address contemporary environmental challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
- Know the foundations and drivers of environmental change.
- Extensive knowledge of the challenges posed by environmental change and its drivers at different scales: global to local.
- In-depth understanding of key concepts, frameworks, and tools for understanding climate change, biodiversity loss, and other environmental problems; and for creating solutions
Skills
- Be able to see the world and the problems we face through different lenses
- Critically assess and evaluate competing theories and policies for solving environmental change.
- Apply theories from economics and political science to analyze and understand environmental, climate, and natural resource issues.
- Ability to engage in management and policy formulation for sustainable development.
- Capacity to draw on multiple scientific fields to analyze complex environmental change problems and governance issues.
- Capacity to create and evaluate solutions to the environmental change challenge, acknowledging the dynamics between ecological and socio-political processes.
- Ability to use various theoretical frameworks and methods in the study of economic and political issues arising from the environmental change challenge.
- Develop a critical perspective on power relations, ethical issues and value conflicts related to environmental change and governance.
General competency
- Clearly communicate and discuss complex problems facing society
- Develop writing skills and learn to evaluate and use primary and secondary sources of data in the writing of papers, including the correct use and presentation of references.
- Plan and carry out independent research, develop relevant research questions, and engage critically in policy formulation and project development.
- Solve theoretical, methodological and project/policy problems independently.
- Apply insights and knowledge in management, teaching or business.
- Build research teams and inter-personal communication across cultures and across academic fields.
- Given the structure of the program and its focus on drawing synergies across courses offered at NMBU, there are limited opportunities for exchange. Students who wish to go on exchange will have to find replacement for affected core courses. For now, this is assessed on a student-by-student basis in collaboration with the study advisors.
The master’s degree consists of 120 ECTS, including a 30 ECTS master’s thesis.
The program comprises 4 core courses (40 ECTS) in Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, Global Environmental Governance, Climate Economics, and Climate Change and Society. In addition, there are 20 ECTS of basic courses in the first semester as well as 10 ECTS of methods courses.
The 20 ECTS of electives in the program can be either in one of the profiles in Energy Economics or Ecological Economics, or freely chosen among the courses offered at NMBU.
The program is structured in four parts:- The first semester, which is designed to bring students up to a necessary level of competence in economics, social sciences, and methods
- The four core courses making up the core components of the degree
- Specialization profiles or elective courses
- Master thesis
Full overview of programme structure
The courses included in the program use a diverse set of pedagogical approaches including traditional lectures, group- and teamwork (where groups are multidisciplinary), case studies, excursions and field trips and digital learning tools. There is a focus on student centered learning.
We aim to make use of the fact that this is a multidisciplinary program where students with social sciences, political science, and economics backgrounds are mixed in the same program to create potential for peer learning and exchange of experiences. This will improve soft skills such as teamwork and multidisciplinarity, and foster creativity and collaboration.
During work with the master thesis, students will be assigned a supervisor which provides ongoing feedback and assistance from beginning to end. Supervisors will be allocated according to students’ topics of interest and to achieve a balance in supervising load between School of Economics and Business and LANDSAM/Noragric.
- Individual courses in the program use a range of different assessment methods including semester assignments, project reports, peer review, presentations, and exams. All assessments are constructively aligned with each course’s learning outcomes, and courses in the program are selected such that they together meet the learning outcomes of the program. Assessments in courses are such that students will meet a variety of different assessment methods throughout the program.
- In this study program we use computers in learning situations and on exams. Therefore every student must have their own laptop, cf. The Academic Regulations for the Norwegian University of Life Sciences § 17-4.
Study advisor(s):
Climate change affects, among other things, biodiversity, food production, human health, and infrastructure. The full consequences of climate change depend both on where and by how much green house gas emissions are reduced and how well we adapt. In the Paris agreement, countries agreed to work towards reducing emissions to keep the increase in the global average temperature well below 2 degrees and preferably no higher than 1.5 degrees Celsius. To reach this target, the world must enact society wide changes within the next decade and reach net zero emissions by 2050. We need to change both how we produce and consume energy, and how we use land and resources. Signatories to the agreement have committed to ambitious climate targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, there is gap between how much countries have said they will reduce and how much is needed to reach the 1.5-degree target.
Moreover, globally we are facing an unprecedented loss of biodiversity. The Montreal agreement in 2022 saw countries agree to protect 30% of land and ocean areas by 2030 leading some to call it "the Paris agreement for nature". Together, climate change, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss falls under the broader category of environmental change.
The Master program in Economics and Environmental Governance will give a solid understanding of the foundations of environmental change and its effects on society, the environment, and the economy. The program is multidisciplinary, drawing on economics, environmental and resource economics, climate economics, ecological economics, political science, environmental sciences, and human geography. This pluralistic approach to learning will give students a wide set of lenses through which to see the world, the problems and, importantly, sustainable solutions for a better future. The program will give students practical tools of analysis and a broad skillset enabling them to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.