Sustainable Transition Justus Liebig University Giessen

Do you want to understand development and transition processes? Do you want to initiate social and technological change to make economic activities more sustainable? Are you interested in social, economic, political and natural sciences, especially in their interdependencies? Do you want to study from anywhere in the world at one of Germany's oldest universities? Then join us in working towards a more sustainable future, with a special emphasis on sustainable agricultural and food systems, and explore our international Master's degree programme in Sustainable Transition!

The Master‘s degree programme in Sustainable Transition is the first fully online degree programme at Justus Liebig University Giessen, offered by the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Sciences and Environmental Management (Faculty 09), a faculty with recognised expertise in the scientific analysis of agricultural and food systems. The standard duration of the programme is four semesters. All courses and examinations are offered online and can be taken remotely. If you wish to be physically present in Giessen during your studies, you can attend on-site courses during the summer vacations.

As a student of our MSc programme, you will:

• analyse and understand the concept of sustainability and the trade-offs involved through the lens of different disciplines,
• comprehend the various areas of transition, including economic, legal, political, social, agricultural, and environmental aspects, and how they relate to sustainability,
• gain knowledge as well as analytical competences in methods and strategies to enhance transition processes towards a more sustainable economy, and
• be skilled in evaluating transition processes from a sustainability perspective and developing solutions for sustainable transitions applicable to the private and public sectors.

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

Our modules offer a wide spectrum of different teaching methods including synchronous online teaching such as lectures, seminars and group discussion as well as asynchronous elements such as videos and individual work tasks.

The programme schedule consists of 11 mandatory modules (core modules), 5 optional modules (profile modules) and the Master's thesis. 

Having completed the core modules, the students will be 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):

• Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research
• Theory and Practice of Economic Development
• Global Food Markets
• Sustainable Food Systems
• International Economics
• Climate Change and Economic Development
• Resource Economics and Sustainable Management
• Renewable Energy Transition
• Natural Resources and Ecosystem Services
• Food Politics
• Scientific Working and Writing

Profile Modules

Students tailor their individual profiles by selecting five modules from the profile module catalogue for digital degree programmes. Among the modules for this study programme are the following:

• Python for Environmental Scientists
• Concepts of Ecological Economics
• Land Governance for Sustainable Land Use in Africa
• Agriculture, Ecosystem Functioning and Climate Change
• The Economics of Nitrate Pollution
• Special Topics of the UN Sustainable Development Goals I
• Special Topics of the UN Sustainable Development Goals II
• Sustainable Plant Protection
• Land Use Change Projection with Q-GIS

On-Site Courses during the Summer Vacation

Several profile modules are offered as block modules with physical attendance in Giessen during the summer vacation. These modules are optional, and you can attend them if you wish to be physically present in Giessen during your studies. If you are interested in attending some of these modules, please contact the study coordinators of the Faculty 09 at studies@fb09.uni-giessen.de for further information.

Recommended programme schedule:

In general, students can apply for this Master's programme if they hold a Bachelor's degree with a duration of at least three years (180 credits) or a comparable degree and the grade "good" or "very good" (minimum grade of 2.6 in the German grading system) in a closely related scientific field. For example:

• Agrarwissenschaften (Agricultural Science)
• Ernährungswissenschaften (Nutrition)
• Nachwachsende Rohstoffe und Bioressourcen (Crop Biomass and Bioresources)
• Ökotrophologie (Nutritional Sciences and Home Economics)
• Umwelt und globaler Wandel (Environment and Global Change)
• Umweltmanagement (Environmental Management)
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften (Economics)
• Rechtswissenschaften (Law)
• Sozial- und Politikwissenschaften (Political Science)

Applications with a Bachelor’s degree in another scientific field or with a Bachelor’s degree from abroad will be examined individually as to whether the study requirements are fulfilled. For the Sustainable Transition Master’s programme sufficient knowledge in the fields of economics, law and/or social sciences must be demonstrated, with at least 60 CP in one of these fields.

The application must also include a letter of motivation with 500 words (+/- 10%) outlining the candidate’s personal motivation and subject-specific knowledge. The criteria for the evaluation of the motivation letter are given in the examination regulations.

A specialist commission at JLU will then finally decide on the admission. Any information on the status of acceptance without having completed the application process is not possible.

Detailed information about the application process is provided here: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/faculties/f09/studies/general.

120 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.