Physical Geography: Environmental History

The MSc "Physical Geography: Environmental History" focusses on the reconstruction of environmental and climatic history, as scientific expertise in this field is paramount today. The programme provides physical-geographical knowledge and skills that will enable students to analyse, interpret, and evaluate the complex effects of natural and anthropogenic environmental changes on nature and society. Global environmental changes are one of the biggest social, political, and cultural issues of the 21st century. In order to cope with their complexity, innovative and interdisciplinary approaches in teaching and research have been developed to qualify students for linking natural and anthropogenic phenomena. This Master's programme is unique in Germany. It includes courses in physical and human geography, archaeology, geosciences, paleobiology, and environmental physics. To ensure high academic quality and practical orientation, the programme draws on both expertise within the University of Bremen as well as on partnerships with regional scientific institutions in Bremen and Lower Saxony. All classes are taught in English. Students holding a BSc degree in Geography with a focus on Physical Geography, in Geo or Earth Sciences with a focus on Sedimentology or Quaternary Geology, or in Archaeology focussing on Geoarchaeology are welcome to participate in the programme. The first semester (introductory phase) takes into account the different levels of knowledge and provides basic courses in the form of compulsory lectures and seminars in the consecutive core subjects, which encompass the disciplines of climatology, environmental physics, geosciences, limnogeology, prehistoric archaeology, vegetation history, and archaeobotany. Students elect three out of six consecutive core subjects starting in the first semester and ending at the end of the second semester. Furthermore, computer-based analyses and visualisation techniques of spatio-temporal data and processes are conveyed. In the second semester (advanced study phase), the consecutive core subjects are continued. They are closely interconnected and consolidated by means of research-based and hands-on training, particularly in the framework of field and laboratory exercises. The third semester (individualisation phase) involves project work as well as additional electable modules with specialised lectures, exercises, and field trips in the disciplines of marine environmental archives, soil science, and regional environmental history. Students can combine these options with a study abroad or with an internship to gain a deeper insight into the research practice of environmental and climate reconstruction. Participation in ongoing research projects fosters an intensive interdisciplinary research experience and allows for the combination of the project module, the internship, and the final Master's thesis in a meaningful way. These options enable students to develop their own individually tailored study profile in order to support their intended professional careers. In the fourth semester (final phase), students work on their Master's theses.