Geographies of Global Change and Sustainability Transformations (Master)

Bildercollage aus vier Bildern zum Thema Geographie

© Gudrun Haindlmaier/Pamela Baur

The aim of the bilingual Master's programme Geographies of Global Change and Sustainability Transformations at the University of Vienna is to train graduates who are able to identify challenges, changes and complex problems in geography in the context of global change and current debates on sustainability transformations, to analyse them from the diverse spectrum of methods of social science and to develop inter- and transdisciplinary solutions. The programme focuses on a national and international perspective on current theory-based geographical research on the causes and consequences of global change, social, spatial and environmental challenges in the context of sustainability transformations and relevant application practices. A balance between thematic specialisation and regional embedding in the larger, holistic context of sustainability transformations is pursued. This enables the integration of socio-ecological-technical systems thinking, which offers links to scenario building, living lab and citizen science approaches as well as evidence-based political recommendations for action.

Graduates acquire comprehensive skills in relevant areas in an internationally oriented, bilingual curriculum (specialisations: Migration and Population Dynamics, Spatial Planning, Socioeconomic Transformations and Urban Studies). Scientific work as well as methodological and specialist skills are taught through the combination of cross-specialisation, multidisciplinary working and analysis techniques. These reflect geography with its scale-dependent, relational, spatio-temporally explicit approaches to the dynamics of global change and in the analysis and participatory co-design of sustainability transformations.

Facts & Figures

  • Students: n.a.
  • Graduates in the last academic year: n.a.
  • Number of semesters needed for graduation (median): n.a.

Data updated on: 03.12.2024

Information about presentation & calculation

Study Programme

The master's programme consists of the following modules:

  • Compulsory module Human Geography (10 ECTS)
  • Compulsory module Geography Pool (10 ECTS)
  • Alternative compulsory module group - Basics Specialisations (5 ECTS) and Specialisations (30 ECTS):
    • Migration and Population Dynamics
    • Spatial Planning
    • Socioeconomic Transformations
    • Urban Studies
  • Compulsory module Individual Specialisation (25 ECTS)
  • Compulsory module Master's Thesis seminars (5 ECTS)
  • Master's Thesis (23 ECTS) and
  • Defensio (2 ECTS)

Five Concepts

which you will deal with during your studies:

  • Earth Surface Dynamics
  • Global Change
  • Population Dynamics
  • Geomorphology
  • Assessment of natural hazards

... and many more.

After Graduation

The complexity of the spatiotemporal consideration of global change, sustainability and transformation in geography is also reflected in the range of professional activities of the graduates, from research and development as well as administration and public service (both international, national as well as regional and local ) ranges from international development work, protected area management and NGOs with sustainability agendas to engineering and planning offices, private-sector site assessments and process modeling. Accordingly, in the courses within the framework of the specialization modules, there is an additional, individually configurable focus on applied and research-led approaches.

Graduates' Perspective on the Degree Programme

Graduates ...

  • say that this degree programme receives the grade: 2.3 (good)
  • rate the level of difficulty as: 3.3 (appropriate)

→ These results are based on feedback from 20 graduates.

*You can find further assessments of the degree programme from its graduates’ perspective in the graduate survey of the master's programme in Geography (in German).

Graduates ...

  • find employment within 2 months after graduation on average.
  • earn an average of € 2,846 (women) and € 3,143 (men) gross per month within three years after graduation.
  • work full time at a percentage of 81% (women) and 84% (men) within three years after graduation.

*You can find further information on career entry and career paths in the tracking of graduates "MA Geography".

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