Environmental Governance and Adaptation to Climate Change
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This is a two-year Master’s degree program to develop a basic to intermediate understanding of the science, policy and practice needed to manage – protect and restore – environment and to mitigate climate change at local and global levels. Featured courses cover foundational scientific concepts like climate and weather science, greenhouse gas fluxes, chemical pollutants in air, water, soil, ecosystem services, biotechnology and waste management. Plus, on policy side, the joint program offers a high-level overview of various aspects of environmental management, ranging from climate policymaking at European/international levels, and regulations concerning agriculture, forests, waters, energy, etc, to citizen science, urban green spaces, and bioeconomy.
Is this program right for you?
Rate on a 5-point scale how applicable the following statements are to you:
For the “Master of Science (MSc) in Environmental Governance and Adaptation to Climate Change” program:
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I am passionate about protecting and restoring environment and want to deep-dive into the complexities of air, soil, water pollution, and biodiversity loss.
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I am curious about the scientific principles underlying climate change and its impacts, which inform environmental policies and regulations.
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I thrive on problem-solving and seek to explore innovative solutions for addressing environmental challenges, from renewable energy to natural resource management.
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I am committed to making a positive impact on the environment through effective governance and adaptive strategies, both locally and on a global scale.
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I am eager to learn from experts working in different fields, ranging from climatology and public policy to biological oceanography and ecosystem restoration.
18-25 points "This curriculum is perfect for you!"
Your values and interests seem to match the objectives of the curriculum to a large extent. Our curriculum offers you the opportunity to deepen your knowledge and skills. Your positive attitude, passion and previous experience will set you in good stead to study this curriculum and become a future professional. We welcome you to study!
13-17 points "You are well equipped to study the curriculum."
It seems that your interests and values match quite well with the objectives of our curriculum. Studying with us will give you additional knowledge and skills, as well as confidence and a deeper understanding of the subjects that interest you. We encourage you to take this opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. Take this step and start studying!
0-12 points "We are not sure whether this curriculum is the right choice."
At the moment, it seems that your interests and goals don't quite match the objectives of the curriculum. This doesn't mean that you can't still advance your knowledge and skills in this area, although we encourage you to consider other options that better match your current interests and future plans. Find out more about our other specialisations!
What and how will you learn?
In what areas will you gain in-depth knowledge?
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You will get the lay of the land covering a wide range of environmental and climatic areas, such as weather science; carbon cycle; biodiversity; circular economy, ecotechnology, among others.
What will you learn?
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You will get the knowledge and skills essential to succeed in environment and climate careers in public and private sectors, or within academia. Courses offered to prepare students as future professionals and leaders include Pollutants in environment and ecotoxicology; Environmental management and policy; Atmospheric and climate sciences; Energy flow and material cycles; Wastewater and sludge treatment technologies; Mineral resources of future and mining technologies; Geospatial analysis with Python and R; Introduction to programming, among many others.
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As a Master-level student, you can successfully complete your mandatory and elective courses during the first three of all four semesters. You can reserve your fourth and very last semester for your thesis, in which you go deep into your research topic guided by your supervisor at any, or both, of the two universities.
How will you gain practical experience?
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The degree program includes fully practical courses such as Practical Course in Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotechnology; Practical Training in Environmental Monitoring and Sampling; Practical Training in Ecological Engineering; and Estonian Nature and Cultural Landscapes. These courses are designed for participants to get hands-on experience in different departments in the field of environment. Generally, that involves lab work or field work or both. In the end, participants write an academic report, as guided by the course instructor, and may also present in front of class. Participants get to scientifically monitor, collect empirical evidence (like soil and water samples) and report their findings. Be it identifying tree species, measuring tree heights/age and vegetation sampling in a forest, or root analysis and DNA testing inside a lab. Special emphasis is placed on developing report-writing and public-speaking skills among participants.
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Courses like Wastewater Treatment and Solid Waste Management, which mostly demand on-desk learning inside and outside class, also include field trips built in into their respective course plan. Students get to visit Tartu’s sewage treatment and recycling facilities as part of their studies to get a real feel of how things are managed in the real world.
Virtual tours of University of Tartu’s and Estonian University of Life Sciences’ campuses are available online.
Get to know the faculty
Kalev Sepp, PhD, Curriculum Manager at the Estonian University of Life Science, Head of Chair of Environmental Protection and Landscape Management, professor in environmental protection.
Kalev Sepp lectures on nature conservation, landscape ecology, ecosystem goods and services, ecological restorations and environmental management. His research and publications focus on evaluating the human impact to agricultural landscapes, mapping ecosystem services, management of protected areas, methodological approaches for landscape and biodiversity monitoring, applying the concept of ecological networks in planning Kalev Sepp is a member of several nature conservation expert committees. He was a Vice-President an elected Councillor (2004−2012) of the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN). He is a member of the EU Horizon Europe Programme Committee for Environment (including climate change).
Here, Sepp is presenting on planning green infrastructure.
Margit Kõiv-Vainik, PhD, Curriculum Manager for the Environmental Governance and Adaptation to Climate Change in the University of Tartu and Associate Professor in Environmental Technology, in the Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu.
Margit Kõiv-Vainik teaches courses related to nature-based solutions, blue-green infrastructures, and ecological engineering (eco-technology), and environmental monitoring and sampling. She is conducting process-based research to develop and enhance nature-based solutions like blue-green infrastructures (treatment wetlands and sustainable urban stormwater solutions among them) for removal of highly problematic contaminants from polluted waters such as from urban stormwater and diffuse agricultural and forest runoff, landfill leachate, municipal and aquaculture wastewater and greywater. She is a member of several specialists croups of International Water Association and member of International Ecological Engineering Society.
Piia Post, PhD, Professor of Climate Science and Head of Laboratory in the Centre for Climate Research in the University of Tartu.
Post is involved in two very important projects for Estonia on future climate adaptation. She is in charge of the multidisciplinary project "Climate Awareness from School to Society: empowering children, youth and teachers to reduce the impacts of climate change" and is leading the preparation of new climate projections for Estonia within the project “Implementation of national climate change adaptation activities in Estonia”. Piia Post is the chair of council of the Estonian Meteorological Society and president of the Estonian Committee of Geophysics, through which she represents Estonia in several international scientific organisations. Also, she is a member of the Baltic Earth Science Steering Group.
Ülo Mander, PhD, Head of Chair and Professor of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology for the Chair of Physical Geography and Landscape Ecology in the University of Tartu. Also a member of Estonian Academy of Science on Global Change. Ülo Mander spearheads various wetland monitoring and restoration projects in and outside Estonia. See him comment on his work in a Malaysian tropical forest.
Learning environment
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Student associations: https://www.emu.ee/en/studies/studentsassociations/
Future Prospects
Opportunities for further education
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Pursuing a PhD or another Master’s degree is a possibility way to keep doing what you love in environmental studies. This could be more on the policy front, or even on the more technical natural sciences side. Because by the end of the ENGO program, you would have had the sense of where your heart lies, you can choose your path forward. As reference, here is the PhD research topics in UT and EULS.
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Even while doing Master’s in ENGO, students can opt to spend a full semester or a couple of weeks in a partner European university. It is a competitive process. Criteria includes academic track record and application quality. Long-term or short-term mobility are indeed quite popular among students. Funding support is provided through ERASMUS, an EU-funded process to encourage well-rounded learning.
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Both universities are participating universities in The Baltic University Programme, which also offers a great opportunity for students to avail if they meet the requirements.
Opportunities for future work
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ENGO is a relatively new degree program, which launched in 2021. Our one batch that passed in 2023 includes alumni working in both technical and non-technical fields, such as energy production, ESG/sustainability consultancy, communications, environmental development sector, etc.
Admission period is over, next admission period will open in February, 2025!
Programme duration: 2 years
Degree: Master of Science (MSc)
Language: English
Application fee: 100 euros (non-refundable)
Tuition fee: 4400 EUR/year
Scholarships: 5 targeted scholarships (a tuition fee free study place, no extra money for living and travel included) for student candidates who are Estonian citizens or who have long-term Estonian residence permit or permanent right of residence; 1 targeted scholarship for student candidates from EU/EEA member states, Georgia, Turkey, Switzerland or UK (except Estonian citizens or who have long-term Estonian residence permit or permanent right of residence); 2 targeted scholarships for candidates from Ukraine (citizens of Ukraine)
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