MSc Planetary Health
The Master’s program “Planetary Health” is offered by the Faculty of Agricultural, Nutritional and Engineering Sciences, in a close collaboration with the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences as well as the Faculty of Medicine. The students are trained in subjects and methods necessary to gain an inter- and transdisciplnary understanding of the complex interactions between humans, the environment and society, in order to contribute to a sustainable and resilient shaping of the future of the planet and humanity.
Issues such as climate change, food production, biodiversity loss, environmental pollutants, gobal pandemics, and their interconnections—against the backdrop of human and societal behavior—play central roles in our program.
Application deadline
The Master Application deadlines is July 15th.
We encourage international applicants who need a visa to apply as early as possible, i order to maximize their chances of gaining entry in Germaqny and starting the program in time for the start of the academic year (October).
Our three Specialisations
There are the three specialisations in Planetary Health, and students must choose one of the three, starting in their second semester and based on their academic background and interests:
- Environmental Health: students learn how to systematically analyze and assess the impacts of human activities on environmental factors such as air and water quality, climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution levels.
- Human Health: students acquire the ability to recognize interactions between environmental changes and both individual and population health, and to evaluate their influence on diseases.
- 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.
Our goal is to train students as experts who understand the complex interactions between humans, the environment, and society, and who can use the skills they acquire to contribute to a sustainable and resilient shaping of the future of the planet and humanity.
Students first gain an in-depth understanding of the complex challenges involved in achieving healthy global development of human–environment relationships, and the importance of an interdisciplinary perspective in this context. With its explicitly interdisciplinary approach, the program first broadens and the deepens the students' knowledge in the natural sciences, medical sciences, social sciences, and economics. Advanced knowledge in methods and subject areas enables them to critically assess the impacts of anthropogenic activities on planetary health and to identify the associated challenges. A particular focus lies on the application of scientific methods, especially in research at the interfaces between environment, health, and society.
Potential fields of employment are clearly identifiable in science-related and application-oriented professional sectors such as agriculture, the food industry, and other areas of the bioeconomy, healthcare, environmental and nature conservation, geography and geoecology, as well as international cooperation. The competencies gained in the program qualify graduates in all these fields for careers in academia, the private sector, politics, and civil society.
Dr. Nicolas Gerber
Institute for Food and Resource Economics (ILR)
University of Bonn
Nußallee 19
E-Mail: planetary-health@uni-bonn.de
Phone: +49 228 73-3036
Office hours:
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 9.30 – 11.30
Appointments by e-mail ngerber@uni-bonn.de