Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest university and one of the world's oldest surviving universities. SEMPER APERTUS (Always open) has been Ruperto Carola's motto since its founding in 1386. Numerous great minds have studied, researched and taught here. Reflecting this spirit of openness, Germany's oldest university has significantly shaped knowledge and society since 1386.

With a long tradition of shaping the future, Heidelberg University sees itself as an internationally oriented research and teaching institution that offers a rich range of subjects and disciplines. It acknowledges its responsibility to humanity, society, and nature and is committed to broadening and harnessing its knowledge and skills, in a spirit of open-mindedness and tolerance toward individuals and ideas, for the benefit of future generations.

The program is divided into a compulsory component and a compulsory elective component, and concludes with a Master's thesis:

Compulsory component
The following courses of the first two semesters are obligatory for all students and convey the basic knowledge, central theoretical issues, and methodological skills in the three subject areas of Governance; Risk; Resources:

Governance of human-environment relations in theory and practice (Students receive an introduction to theories of governance research, an overview of current theoretical perspectives on human-environment relations and related policy areas)
Resource governance (The module teaches the basic theoretical concepts for assessing and evaluating natural and economic resources. Political-economic approaches to resource management are contrasted with political-ecological approaches to resource justice).
Risk governance (The module teaches the basic theoretical concepts of risk research and imparts knowledge of scientific methods for assessing and modeling natural, social, and economic risks and their social and environmental consequences).
Research Methods (The module introduces questions of scientific theory, network analysis, geoinformatics and statistics, and practices the application of related research methods and evaluation techniques on the basis of selected topics).
Student Research Project (The module follows the course of a scientific research project in its individual phases and imparts the competence for independent and project-related research).
Compulsory elective component
All students must also complete the modules of the elective course. Within the modules, however, students have the choice between different courses. Each module is composed of lectures and exercises and aims to deepen students' understanding of conceptual debates in the natural and social sciences and to evaluate existing governance practices through case-based analysis. The courses in the elective modules address topics such as the sustainable use of natural resources, the management of environmental and social crises, energy and water management, climatic and seismic risks, etc.

Master’s thesis
In the Master's thesis, students deal with an independently selected scientific problem. The thesis must be presented and discussed in a subsequent colloquium.

The case-based topics of the modules are related to one of the following areas:

Sustainable use of natural resources, environment and society, energy and water resources, climatic and seismic risks.

Master’s thesis

In the Master's thesis, students deal with an independently selected, scientific problem. The thesis must be presented and discussed in a subsequent colloquium.

Since its establishment in 1386, Heidelberg University has produced a wealth of prominent and influential personalities – researchers, teachers and graduates alike. Heidelberg University is Germany’s oldest university and one of the strongest research universities in all of Europe. The successes in both rounds of the Excellence Initiative and in internationally recognised rankings prove that Heidelberg’s excellent reputation and leading role in the scientific community are well deserved. In terms of educating students and promoting promising early-career academics, Heidelberg relies on research-based teaching and an outstanding, well-structured training for doctoral candidates.

Heidelberg University is a comprehensive university, offering the full spectrum of disciplines in the humanities, law and the social sciences alongside the natural and life sciences, including medicine. As a comprehensive university, Heidelberg aims to continue to strengthen the individual disciplines and to further interdisciplinary cooperation, as well as to carry research results over into society and industry.

With its aspiration of connecting traditional academic values with future-oriented scientific concepts in research and teaching, the university is building bridges to the future – Zukunft. Seit 1386.

Mission

Firmly rooted in its history, the University is committed to expanding and disseminating our knowledge about all aspects of humanity and nature through research and education. The University upholds the principle of freedom of research and education, acknowledging its responsibility to humanity, society, and nature.

You will need to book the accommodation after you have been accepted.

You can choose to live on campus or off campus in private accommodation.

• Make a booking online after you have been accepted (in this case please let us know your choice when you apply).
• Register when you arrive - its not possible to reserve a room before arriving. You can arrive a few days before and book it