Planetary Health University of Bonn

The MSc Planetary Health is a genuinely interdisciplinary degree, by design. The programme structurally prevents siloed learning: regardless of your chosen specialisation (Environmental Health, Human Health, or Societal Health), you are required to take modules in the other two specialisations and in a shared cross-disciplinary area. From day one, you work in interdisciplinary project groups alongside peers from very different academic backgrounds.

Students learn about cutting-edge methods to solve pressing global problems. The curriculum includes machine learning and causal inference, spatial data analysis and GIS with R, analytical epidemiology, satellite remote sensing, probabilistic programming, and integrated assessment modelling — all taught in the context of climate change, biodiversity loss, food security, and public health. You graduate fluent in the tools that research and policy organisations actually use.

The students are embedded in ongoing research from the start. The programme is directly connected to the University of Bonn's Excellence Cluster PhenoRob and two Collaborative Research Centres focusing on climate and land use change as well as on development and future making in rural areas. Several methodology courses were developed specifically by these research groups to give students early access to frontier methods. The thesis semester (30 ECTS) can be conducted within these networks, providing you with experience in applied problem-focused research.

The MSc Planetary Health opens doors across academia, policy, and the private sector. The degree signals both disciplinary depth (your major specialisation appears on the certificate) and cross-disciplinary competence — making you competitive for PhD programmes in multiple fields as well as roles in international organisations, public health agencies, environmental NGOs, and sustainable business. The MSc Planetary Health is entirely taught in English and is explicitly designed for an international career.

This is a two-year (120 ECTS) MSc programme with a thesis, organised for students with a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Sciences, Agribusiness, Agricultural Management, Agricultural Economics, Nutritional Economics, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Economics, Geography, Biology, Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Human Medicine, or a related discipline.

The study programme is instructed in English and organised in modules, which usually consist of units within a semester that have a thematic, methodical or systematic link. 

The first semester is dedicated to "learning interdisciplinarity", in the field of Planetary Health (30 ECTS), through compulsory courses. In the second and third semesters, the students choose a field of specialisation and deepen their disciplinary knowledge in their chosen field (30 ECTS), whilst further nurturing their knowledge of methods or concepts across specialisations (30 ECTS). All courses in the second and third semesters are selected by the students from a large pool of elective courses. The final semester is devoted to the Master's thesis (30 ECTS), which is written within the field of specialisation.

The fields of specialisations are:

1. Environmental Health: Students learn how to systematically analyse and assess the impacts of human activities on environmental factors such as air and water quality, climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution levels. 
2. Human Health: Students acquire the ability to recognise interactions between environmental changes and both individual and population health, and to evaluate their influence on diseases.
3. Societal Health: Students develop a systemic understanding of the interactions between societal, political, and economic frameworks and their influence on human use of the environment and resources.

The consecutive Master’s degree programme in "Planetary Health" is aimed at applicants who, as an admission requirement, can demonstrate a first professionally qualifying university degree in Agricultural Sciences, Agribusiness, Agricultural Management, Agricultural Economics, Nutritional Economics, Nutrition and Food Sciences, Economics, Geography, Biology, Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Human Medicine, or a related field. The Examination Board determines which degrees are considered to be in a related field.

The qualifying (Bachelor's or equivalent) university degree for the MSc Planetary Health must demonstrate a minimum average grade of 2.5 or a comparable classification under another grading system.

Enrolment in the programme may be granted prior to fulfilment of the admission requirements if applicants:

1. At the time of application for the Master’s programme, can demonstrate that they have already earned 150 ECTS credits in the course of study leading to the first professionally qualifying university degree; and

2. Have completed all examinations required for the successful completion of the degree programme leading to the first professionally qualifying university degree in the semester prior to commencing the Master’s programme.

The University of Bonn is a public university, meaning that it does not charge tuition fees. However, all students must pay the semester fee of about 350 EUR per semester, which covers a Deutschlandsemesterticket (student transit pass for public transport) and statutory accident insurance, among other things.

Students in Bonn can expect to pay around 1,000 EUR a month, with rent accounting for the largest share of their living costs.

It is possible for students to get a job as a teaching or research assistant ("Studentische Hilfskraft"), e.g. helping run experiments in practical courses of the BSc programmes. The contracts provided by the institutes are focused on the study activities and include accompanying labour activities, e.g. of 10 hours per week. Bonn itself offers numerous other jobs (in bars, filling stations, restaurants, shops, etc.).

The University of Bonn has a central Career Service (www.uni-bonn.de/careerservice), which provides a range of advice and support about choosing a career and applying for jobs. International students can also join the iStart career programme (www.uni-bonn.de/istart), which teaches participants tangible knowledge and valuable skills that will enable them to write successful applications for jobs in Germany. The programme is geared toward giving students a successful career path both during and after their studies and thus making it easier for them to enter the job market.

Students of the University of Bonn can apply for a room in a dormitory of the Studierendenwerk Bonn (further information: https://www.studierendenwerk-bonn.de/en/accommodation/).

For further information on housing in Bonn, please visit our website: www.uni-bonn.de/en/university/university-life/living-in-bonn.

International applicants who are admitted to the Master’s programme can ask for advice on accommodation from the programme coordinator and the international affairs unit of the faculty. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that all students will be allotted a room, as demand exceeds supply. We can only provide advice and information.