Graduate School of Climate Sciences

Curriculum

For basic information about the MSc Climate Sciences program, please refer to the Factsheet provided by the Faculty of Sciences.

As an exception from the standard curriculum (see Factsheet), the 60 ECTS of the master thesis can be separated into an internship and the writing of the thesis. Further information and some guidelines can be found in the Internship subsection. The courses are given at the participating research units of the Graduate School. The master thesis project can be carried out at one of these research units.

Specialization and degree

The completion of the master program entitles you with the degree of a "MSc in Climate Sciences, University of Bern". As an option, your master master degree will include one of these specializations:

  • Climate and Earth System Science
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Economics
  • Ecology and Agriculture
  • Social Sciences
  • Humanities

The specialization is not a module. It is just a label that will be added to your degree. The final specialization will be defined by the choice of your master thesis and elective courses (see the course guides).

Compulsory courses (8 ECTS)

Compulsory workshops and a seminar are the backbone structure of the MSc Climate Sciences program (see course list or documents below). It is the platform to meet all students of the master program and teachers from the different fields and disciplines, and it is designed to put your individual work and research interest into a broader context. You will learn from your expert fellow student, you will practice to write and talk about your work and how to get help in a collaborative learning environment. Some workshops are held jointly with students from the sister program at the ETH Zurich.

Elective courses (52 ECTS)

You shape your expertise and skills with your personal choice of elective courses. You select your courses from a broad range of lectures, practicals, laboratory courses, excursions, seminars and colloquia. Depending on your research interests and career expectations, you make your choices from a list of elective courses at the University of Bern and a list of elective courses at ETH Zurich (see documents below). Your supervising committee is willing to advise you in composing a tailor-made, individual curriculum.

Master thesis (60 ECTS)

The MSc program emphasizes strong and competitive research. Consequently, an extended 60 ECTS master thesis is part of the curriculum. You will have the opportunity to work in the research group of your supervisor in a research project in one of the nine participating research units at the University of Bern. The master thesis is usually written in English and may consist of a research article in an international journal. Depending on your career plans, you may wish to carry out an internship (30 ECTS, see guidelines) at an external institution and write a 30 ECTS master thesis at the University of Bern.

Supervising committee

The MSc candidates have a supervising committee consisting of a principal supervisor and up to two co-supervisors out of the supervising faculty of the Graduate School of Climate Sciences. During the time of the master thesis, students are affiliated with the research group of the principal supervisor at the respective research unit. Your research topic for the master thesis guides the selection of the committee.