Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Hamburg
Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg
Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht
Centre for Materials and Coastal Research, Geesthacht
German Climate Computing Centre, Hamburg
All courses are held in English.
Application is possible annually between 15 February and 31 March.
Please follow this link for more information on the application process: https://www.sicss.uni-hamburg.de/msc-programs/msc-integrated-climate-science/admission.html
Do you have to pass the APS (Akademische Prüfstelle) procedure? Please contact us as early as possible before you apply.
The MSc in Integrated Climate System Sciences (ICSS) combines all sciences concerned with the climate system. These include natural sciences and climate-relevant aspects of social and economic sciences. This interdisciplinary approach will enable you to understand the processes of climate variability and climate change and their consequences for societies, including how they respond to these.
The curriculum focuses on environmental Earth sciences, considering natural processes in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. To describe the Earth system and its intricacies, you will mainly use mathematical and numerical modelling. Observation and monitoring data are used to validate the models.
Another focus is on the climate-relevant aspects of social and economic sciences. These give insight into the political and social processes and conflicts which cause or arise from climate change.
This approach enables you to develop an understanding of the past, current and future climate variability of the Earth system. You will learn to see and understand the Earth as an integrated system.
The MSc ICSS programme gives students a strong background in natural sciences and modelling skills, and an understanding of the climate-relevant aspects of social and economic sciences. ICSS will stimulate you to look beyond your own discipline. You will become both an expert in your specific field and a driver of interdisciplinary thinking.
Based on this sound scientific education, the MSc ICSS programme offers three tracks:
Students study all three tracks during the first semester. After the second semester, you can give your personal curriculum either an in-depth focus on one of the three tracks or an interdisciplinary approach whereby you combine various courses from the three tracks.
The curriculum for the two-year MSc ICSS programme is divided into four semesters, with mandatory courses, elective courses for specialisation, and preparation of the Master's thesis. It covers 30 credit points in each semester (120 credit points for the whole MSc programme including the Master's thesis).
First semester
In the first semester, you will start your studies with an orientation week for all new MSc students at SICSS (School of Integrated Climate System Sciences). Then your curriculum starts with mandatory courses in basic research skills, as well as natural and social science courses in climate system sciences. You will also choose two elective courses from the three programme tracks, depending on your personal interests. These could be an "Introduction to Numerical Methods" or a specialisation course such as "Chemistry of Natural Waters". During the semester break, you will take exams and courses from the technical skills module, for example, scientific programming or visualisation of climate data.
Second semester
The main goal of the second semester is to broaden your knowledge across the climate science disciplines. You will choose courses from at least two of the three programme tracks: "Physics of the Climate System", "Biogeochemistry of the Climate System", and "Climate-related Economics and Social Sciences". You have the opportunity to give your studies either an in-depth or an interdisciplinary focus, depending on your personal interests and your desired professional career. In the lecture-free period you will take exams, and, in addition, you will have time to attend workshops or summer schools, or you can do an internship.
Third semester
The third semester features the Climate Study Project, which is an individual research study in preparation for your Master's thesis. During the lecture period you will implement a project idea related to Integrated Climate System Sciences together with your personal adviser and a research group. This study includes a report about your research and findings. You will also write an extended abstract about your Climate Study Project in preparation for the Integrated Climate System Science Seminar (ICSS Seminar), which is given in the lecture-free period. Every third-semester student presents her/his Climate Study Project during this seminar.
Fourth semester
The fourth and final semester is reserved for the Master's thesis. For the compilation of data and information, you will work in close cooperation with one of our research groups. The Master's thesis consists of your written thesis and the thesis presentation in front of a scientific audience.
There is a semester fee of approx. 337 EUR per semester. This fee includes a semester ticket covering public transport in the Hamburg metropolitan area.
We recommend that single students budget at least 900 EUR per month to meet personal expenses (accommodation, living, health insurance, books).
International full-time students may apply for merit scholarships or exam grants of Universität Hamburg. For more information, please use the provided link. We also recommend contacting our colleagues in the Department of International Affairs for further guidance. https://www.uni-hamburg.de/en/internationales/studierende/incoming/studium-mit-abschluss/waehrend-des-studiums/finanzierung.html
A Bachelor's degree in a subject related to climate system sciences such as atmospheric science, oceanography, environmental physics, or other environmental Earth sciences is required.
Applicants must demonstrate their skills in mathematics and physics equivalent to at least 60 ECTS (1 ECTS equals 30 hours of study).
Please follow this link for more information on the application process: https://www.sicss.uni-hamburg.de/msc-programs/msc-integrated-climate-science/admission.html
Applicants must provide adequate proof of English proficiency. The following tests are acceptable:
*Please note that these tests should have been taken no more than two years prior to enrolment.
Application is possible annually between 15 February and 31 March.
Please follow this link for more information on the application process: https://www.sicss.uni-hamburg.de/msc-programs/msc-integrated-climate-science/admission.html
Do you have to pass the APS (Akademische Prüfstelle) procedure? Please contact us as early as possible before you apply.
Please use our online form to submit your application to:
Universität Hamburg
School of Integrated Climate and Earth System Sciences
Dr Alexandra Franzke
Grindelberg 5
20144 Hamburg
Germany
Students who enrol in a full-time programme will generally have only a limited time for part-time jobs. As a rule, students who hold a student residence permit may work for up to 120 full days or 240 half days per year. Further information on work regulations for international students at Universität Hamburg is available at the Department of International Affairs (https://www.uni-hamburg.de/en/internationales/studierende/incoming/studium-mit-abschluss.html) and at the Counselling Centre for Study Financing (https://www.studierendenwerk-hamburg.de/en/counselling/counselling-centre-for-study-financing-best).
Accommodation is available through the "Studierendenwerk" (student services) or on the private market. The "Studierendenwerk" provides rooms in halls of residence, most of which are single rooms with shared kitchens and showers/WCs. We strongly advise students and researchers to arrange accommodation prior to arriving in Hamburg, as demand for affordable accommodation is sometimes larger than supply.
For more information on how to find accommodation and how to plan your first steps in Hamburg, please see: https://www.uni-hamburg.de/piasta/beratung/doc/willkommen.pdf.
Students of the MSc Integrated Climate System Sciences can attend workshops and counselling at Universität Hamburg's Career Centre.
In addition, SICSS offers networking events with former students and PhD alumni and also encourages networking via LinkedIn.
The Department of International Affairs offers comprehensive international student support. In addition to professional advising and counselling during all stages of the course of study, there is close cooperation with other advisory and counselling services at Universität Hamburg. International students will thus receive the necessary support and advice at any point during their studies.
As northern Germany's largest research and educational institution, Universität Hamburg combines diverse study opportunities with excellent research. It provides a broad disciplinary spectrum with numerous interdisciplinary opportunities and pursues cooperation with an extensive network of excellent regional, national, and international institutions. Universität Hamburg is devoted to long-term scholarship and science and promotes sustainability research in all of its schools.
Universität Hamburg offers more than 170 degree programmes in the following eight schools: School of Law; School of Economics and Social Sciences; School of Medicine; School of Education; School of Humanities; School of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences; School of Psychology and Human Movement; and School of Business.
Furthermore, several museums and collections belong to Universität Hamburg, such as the Zoological Museum, the Herbarium Hamburgense, the Geological-Paleontological Museum, the Botanical Gardens, and the Hamburg Planetarium.
Universität Hamburg was founded in 1919 by local private citizens. Important founding figures include senator Werner von Melle and businessman Edmund Siemers. Nobel prize winners such as Otto Stern, Wolfgang Pauli, and Isidor Rabi have been active at the university, and many other well-known scholars taught here, such as Ernst Cassirer, Erwin Panofsky, Aby Warburg, William Stern, Agathe Lasch, Magdalene Schoch, Emil Artin, Ralf Dahrendorf, and Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, to name but a few.
With 1.8 million citizens, Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany and is also one of Germany's 16 federal states. Due to its location on the Elbe River linked to the North Sea, it has had a long tradition as the cultural and commercial centre of northern Germany. Commercially, the Free and Hanseatic City is known as the media capital of Germany. It is a leader in the shipping and transportation industries. Culturally, the city is home to, among other things, the leading ballet company in Germany, an opera house, numerous musicals, and annual film festivals. As far as action and fun are concerned, Hamburg is the place to be. The Reeperbahn, known not only to sailors worldwide as the "Mile of Sin", has numerous bars, cafés, and clubs as well as many other interesting sites not to be seen elsewhere. The "Kiez", as the natives call it, even gave the Beatles their start in the early 1960s. Fortunately, Hamburg's many parks and green areas provide the opportunity to relax and recover from the city's active side. Moreover, the city's innumerable canals invite you to spend some time sailing, rowing or kayaking. For more information on the city, please see: https://www.hamburg-travel.com/.
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