Climate Change Courses

View the Climate Change competency profile here

PLEASE NOTE: The below curriculum is provided for reference only, pending final approval from the relevant study board at each university. Updated March 2021.

The specialisation in Climate Change is offered by three partner universities: UCPH, UHOH (ASP-2 only) and BOKU. If you choose to specialise in Climate Change there are a number of ways to combine the Basic Semester Package (BSP) and the Advanced Semester Packages (ASPs) in your Master Programme. 

You just have to take the BSP and the ASP-1 at one of the universities (the Home university), and the ASP-2 at another of the universities (the Host university). The Masters thesis must be conducted at the Host university.

ASP-1 at UCPH: Climate change

Course descriptions available in the course database (www.kurser.ku.dk) at University of Copenhagen

Block 3 (15 ECTS) Block 4 (15 ECTS)

Semester 2

(spring)


  • Climate Change Mechanisms and Tipping Points (7.5 ECTS) C
  • The Economics of Climate Change (7.5 ECTS) B
  • Motivation and Pro-Environmental Behaviour - Managing Change (7.5 ECTS) B
  • Global Environmental Governance (7.5 ECTS) A
  • Past Climate (7.5 ECTS) A

  • One free elective course (7.5 ECTS) in Block 3 OR 4
  • Climate Change and Biodiversity (7.5 ECTS) B
  • Energy Systems and Climate Mitigation (7.5 ECTS) B
  • Human Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Climate Change and Forestry: Monitoring and Policies (7.5 ECTS) online
  • Climate Models and Observations (7.5 ECTS) A

A,B,C: week structure at UCPH

NOTE: No courses this semester are compulsory study activities, meaning all are elective study activities

*Only offered every second year

NOTE: 22.5ECTS are to be covered from above restricted elective courses. Besides this, 7.5 ECTS are to be covered as free elective courses. All subject elements at MSc level may be included as elective subject elements.

ASP-1 at BOKU: Climate change

You will find the BOKU courses (LV) in our teaching information system BOKUonline: https://online.boku.ac.at

Further information on how to look for courses at BOKU in general: http://www.boku.ac.at/int-in-boku-howtolookforcourses-en.html

30 ECTS

Semester 2

(summer) 

  • Possible Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources VO (3 ECTS)
  • Meteorological Hazards and Climate Extremes VU (3 ECTS)
  • Mountain risk engineering VX (6 ECTS)
  • Advanced topics on hydroclimatology US (3 ECTS)
  • Environmental risk analysis and management VO (3 ECTS)
  • Protection and mitigation measures against natural hazards VX (3 ECTS)
  • Globalisation and rural development VO (3 ECTS)
  • Valuation methods for natural resources VO (3 ECTS)
  • Ecologically oriented methods and monitoring in river engineering VU (3 ECTS)
  • Remote sensing and image processing VU (6 ECTS)
  • Resource and environmental economics VO (3 ECTS)
  • Application of GIS in hydrology and water management VO (3 ECTS)
  • Flood forecasting and flood protection SE (3 ECTS)
  • Project management VU (3 ECTS)
  • Free elective course(s) (6 ECTS)


NOTE: Highlighted courses are compulsory study activities while the rest are elective study activities

ASP-2 at UCPH: Climate change

Course descriptions available in the course database (www.kurser.ku.dk) at University of Copenhagen

Block 1 (15 ECTS) Block 2 (15 ECTS)

Semester 3

(autumn)




  • Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation (15 ECTS, e-learning) 
  • Earth and Climate physics (7.5 ECTS) B
  • Climate Change and Water Resources (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Paleo-climatology (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Ecosystems, Climate and Climate Change (7.5 ECTS) B
  • Climate Change and Land Use (7.5 ECTS) C
  • Climate Change and Biogeochemical Cycles (7.5 ECTS) B
  • Climate Solutions (15 ECTS) A+B

  • One free elective course (7.5 ECTS) in Block 1 OR 2

A,B,C: week structure at UCPH

NOTE: No courses this semester are compulsory study activities, meaning all are elective study activities

NOTE: 22.5ECTS are to be covered from above restricted elective courses. Besides this, 7.5 ECTS are to be covered as free elective courses. All subject elements at MSc level may be included as elective subject elements.

ASP-2 at UHOH: The Science of Climate Change

30 ECTS

Semester 3

(winter)

  • Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation  (15 ECTS, e-learning)
  • Weather and Climate Physics (6 ECTS)
  • Global Change Issues (6 ECTS)
  • Environmental Modelling (6 ECTS)


ASP2 at UHOH consists of unblocked modules - these are running throughout the entire lecture period. 

NOTE: Highlighted courses are compulsory study activities, in addition students have to select two of the semi-elective modules plus one elective module. The elective module may be freely chosen from the module catalogue of all master courses of the Faculty of Agricultural Science and the Faculty of Natural Science.

Module descriptions can be found in the module catalogue at UHOH

ASP-2 at BOKU: Climate change

You will find the BOKU courses (LV) in our teaching information system BOKUonline: https://online.boku.ac.at

Further information on how to look for courses at BOKU in general: http://www.boku.ac.at/int-in-boku-howtolookforcourses-en.html

30 ECTS

Semester 3

(winter)

  • Meteorological Conditions and Precipitation VS (3 ECTS)
  • Climate change scenarios and regional impact VO (3 ECTS)
  • Master's Thesis Seminar SE (2 ECTS)**
  • Interdisciplinary seminar on agriculture, climate change and transition SE (3 ECTS)
  • Seminar in global change and ecosystems SE (2 ECTS)
  • Integrated flood risk management VO (3 ECTS)
  • Climate change and forest management VS (2 ECTS)
  • Risk assessment in the aquatic environment VU (3 ECTS)
  • Mountain forest climatology and headwater hydrology VU (4.5 ECTS)
  • Technology assessment VS (3 ECTS)
  • Risk management and vulnerability assessment VS (3 ECTS)
  • Soil conservation and soil protection VU (3 ECTS)
  • Disaster management VO (2 ECTS)
  • Innovations for sustainable forest management VS (4 ECTS)
  • Remote sensing and GIS in natural resource management UE (3 ECTS)
  • Statistics of extreme events and geostatistics VS (3 ECTS)
  • Foresights – what future to expect? (Late lessons from early warnings) VO (2 ECTS)
  • Climate change impacts, adaptation and mitigation SE (15 ECTS)
  • Decision support systems SE (3 ECTS)
  • Free elective course(s) (6 ECTS)


NOTE: Highlighted courses are compulsory study activities while the rest are elective study activities

** Associated with the Master's Thesis in the 4th semester -- compulsory