Master in Ecology and Environmental Management

Master in Ecology and Environmental Management is one of 5 English-taught Ecology programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 5 institutions. 5 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

This is a two year master's at the University of South-Eastern Norway, taught in English on the Kongsberg campus. It mixes ecology with environmental management, and the programme page describes it as multidisciplinary: you get professional science training alongside management skills. Many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals sit at the centre of the study.

What you study

You build an understanding of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, their key components and processes, and how humans interact with the environment. Two courses are mandatory: Climate Change, and Study Design and Statistics. Beyond those you choose from a set of elective courses the page names: Ecotoxicology, Landscape ecology and remote sensing, Habitat Ecology, Applied Molecular Genetics, Applied Conservation Biology, and Individual Project.

Method courses are part of the package, including statistics, sensorics, molecular methods and genetics. The teaching is research and management oriented, and the page states you get thorough experience of laboratory and/or fieldwork. You work both individually and in groups, with theory, practical competence and general skills emphasised throughout.

How the programme is organised

The degree is 120 ECTS over two years. In the third and fourth semesters you take the Master Thesis course, working independently under supervision on a project tied to terrestrial or aquatic ecology or to environmental management. A study plan and study model set out which courses run in each term.

The programme keeps close contact with working life. Through a network of regional and national companies in the private and public sector, most courses include guest lectures and/or visits to relevant companies and organisations. Master theses can also be done with external partners.

You can take parts of the programme abroad through exchange agreements with foreign universities, colleges and internships. As an alternative, you can spend a semester at UNIS in Svalbard.

Who it suits

The programme is aimed specifically at applicants with a background in natural sciences who want to work where ecology meets management and policy. If you like fieldwork and lab work, and you want statistics and methods to be a real part of your degree rather than an afterthought, this fits. It also suits someone who wants a thesis project connected to an outside organisation.

Admission, language and next steps

You need a completed and passed bachelor's degree with at least 80 ECTS in relevant natural science courses, and you must meet the English language requirement. The page notes that USN does not have capacity to pre-approve courses or previous education; your qualifications are assessed only after you apply.

Application windows differ by applicant group. Non-EU/EEA applicants may apply from 1 October to 15 November. EU/EEA applicants may apply from 1 February to 15 April. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland are normally exempt from tuition fees at state institutions; other degree students normally pay a fee set by the institution. Check the programme page for the exact process before you apply.

Master’s applications go straight to University of South-Eastern Norway, not through the national admission service (NUCAS). Study in Norway states that you need a bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), including courses equal to at least one and a half years of full-time study relevant to the programme. The institution lists its deadline as: Non-EU/EEA applicants may apply from 1 October to 15 November. EU/EEA applicants may apply from 1 February to 15 April. The register shows 15 November 2026 as a deadline date for this programme. Deadlines are set by each institution for each programme, so confirm yours. Entry requirements and language tests are also set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, study permits and housing.