Global Food Systems Justus Liebig University Giessen

The Bachelor's programme in Global Food Systems provides interdisciplinary training at the interface of nutrition, agriculture, the environment and international development cooperation. 

Students acquire a broad foundation in natural, social and economic sciences, enabling them to analyse complex challenges in global food systems and develop sustainable solutions. They will gain practical skills in data collection, system modelling, research and evaluation.

Career prospects arise in companies in the agricultural and food industry, in sustainability and quality management, in project and consulting, as well as in international organisations and NGOs. The programme qualifies graduates for both career entry and further Master's programmes.

The study programme is organised in modules (courses). Each module comprises four semester hours per week and is completed with a final examination. The final grade of the study programme is calculated from the achieved module grades.

In the first four semesters, students build up their knowledge base in a total of 20 mandatory modules (core modules), which can be deepened or broadened in five optional modules (profile modules) in the fifth semester. Two profile modules can be replaced by a work placement in order to gain initial professional experience.

In the final semester, students work on the Bachelor's thesis, which is structured and supported by an accompanying thesis module.

Having completed the core modules, the students are well equipped with a solid scientific education and ready to deepen their knowledge in specific research areas. By individually choosing their profile modules from a diverse range of study areas, students shape their individual competence profiles.

Core Modules (mandatory):

• Introduction to Biochemistry
• Biology
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Introduction to Global Food Systems
• Language Acquisition I
• Language Acquisition II
• Ecology and Biodiversity
• Agriculture and Environment
• Policy and Food Systems
• Foundation of Nutritional Physiology
• Land Use Systems
• Climate Science
• Food Production: Animals
• International Food and Nutrition Security
• Intercultural Communication
• Life Cycle Assessment
• Food Production: Plants
• Sustainability of Food
• Food Economic
• Thesis Lab: Scientific Writing and Communication

The programme offers a voluntary work placement that enables our students to gain an initial insight into the various areas of professional activity in which they hope to pursue in the future. The work placement also enables them to collect hands-on professional experience and establish contacts with potential employers. The variety of contacts that our faculty possesses allows us to provide expert support to students seeking a work placement.

• 1 May – 15 June for students with an international university entrance qualification
• 1 June – 1 September for students with a German university entrance qualification

Applicants must have a valid university entrance qualification.

You can find out whether your university entrance qualification from your home country entitles you to enrol directly in a degree programme in Germany on the Information System for Foreign Applicants (anabin).

403 EUR (summer semester 2026, varies slightly with each semester)

The current semester contribution can be found here: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/org/admin/departments/b/5/studoffice/sc.

• Partial scholarships for international students at JLU in the closing phase of their degree: Partial scholarships are possible for three to six months and range between 300 to 450 EUR per month. More: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/international-pages/study/grants/closingphase

• DAAD scholarships for more equity and opportunity: Possible funding duration of one to six months, ranging from 300 to 450 EUR per month for students who face special challenges during their studies (a disability, a chronic illness, a refugee background, single parenting and those caring for close relatives in Germany). More: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/international-pages/study/grants/equalopportunities

Career Service and special opportunities for international students: www.uni-giessen.de/en/faculties/research-centers/zfbk/career_services/

The cost of accommodation in Giessen ranges between 400 and 500 EUR/month on average. Students usually live in halls of residence provided by the Student Union (Studierendenwerk Giessen) or in shared flats from the private housing market.

Accommodation in the halls of residence is available between 240 and 420 EUR per month. The rooms are fully furnished and equipped with gas, electricity, warm water and internet. Students may apply for a spot in the halls of residence or search for private accommodation, ideally three to four months before starting their studies.

More information via www.uni-giessen.de/en/international-pages/study/around-gi/accommodation/where-to-live-in-giessen

Founded in 1607, Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), Germany, is a comprehensive university with a longstanding tradition which attracts around 25,000 students. JLU offers the full range of traditional and modern subjects with top-level teaching and research — extending from classical natural sciences, law and economics, social and educational sciences, linguistics and cultural studies to a unique selection of life science subjects such as human and veterinary medicine, agricultural, environmental and nutritional sciences and food chemistry. The leading personae who carried out research and taught at JLU include a number of Nobel Prize winners, such as Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901) and Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize in 2004). Since 2006, research at JLU has received continuous funding from the Excellence Initiative schemes and the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal Republic and Federal States.

With around 94,000 inhabitants, Giessen has one of the highest student densities throughout Germany. Four higher education institutions with altogether 40,000 students provide a unique university-town atmosphere. The city offers plenty of leisure options for students, such as canoeing on the Lahn river, walks and picnics in its multiple green areas, cinemas with student concession tickets, the municipal theatre with a programme consisting of plays, opera and ballet as well as swimming pools and sports facilities, and a variety of pubs, restaurants and night life venues. The great thing about Giessen is that it's an easy place to navigate and, when the mood takes you, to escape into the picturesque surrounding countryside or the metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, which is about 60 kilometres away.