Programme Overview

Programme rationale

Join EMJM GLOBE and become a leader in Global Change and Biodiversity Management, trained by top international scholars and practitioners in these fields.

Education and awareness are crucial for managing global change and reducing biodiversity vulnerability, with higher education linking research, education, and innovation. There is an urgent need for professionals with integrative skills and the ability to communicate across fields. The rise in green jobs, driven by international actions, could create up to 500,000 jobs, but a skills imbalance exists due to a lack of integrative higher education programs that transition students from fundamental ecology to practical solutions.

Programme structure

The GLOBE EMJM Programme is scheduled over two academic years (120 ECTS).  All courses will be taught in English.

Programme Mobility

Mobility is key to the GLOBE master programme. It enriches the academic contents and provides transversal skills and diverse cultural experience to prepare highly versatile students. Students embark on their GLOBE journey and stay together for all study periods expect for the master thesis, maintaining a sense of community throughout the entire course.

The EMJM initiative requires that students spend two mobility periods (30 ECTS minimum in each mobility) in countries different to their country of residence at the time of enrolment. In the GLOBE EMJM, the first, second and third semesters are independent mobility periods, as their duration is in all cases at least 30 ECTS. This mobility scheme guarantees the minimum of two mobility periods for each student, regardless of the country of residence of the student.

Learning outcomes

The GLOBE programme provides opportunities for students to achieve and demonstrate specific learning outcomes:

  • Understand the magnitude of human impact on the biosphere, the drivers of global change, and the current biodiversity crisis.
  • Gain advanced knowledge on how global change influences evolutionary responses, affecting extinction, migration, and adaptation.
  • Be familiar with advanced statistical analyses and modelling techniques applied to studies of biodiversity and conservation.
  • Acquire a comprehensive understanding of practical techniques in wildlife conservation and mechanisms for influencing human behaviour towards conservation goals.
  • Understand strategies for assessing and conserving groups of organisms, communities, ecosystems, and ecosystem services impacted by global change.
  • Be familiar with the principles of conservation genetics and genetic approaches to real-world conservation problems.
  • Attain a comprehensive understanding of ecological sustainability, sustainable development, and the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
  • Comprehend the global transition from a carbon-based economy to a bioeconomy, including environmental economy, circular bioeconomy, and natural capital.
  • Acquire foundational knowledge of risk analysis, environmental assessment processes, and the technical knowledge required for strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment.
  • Gain an understanding of environmental governance mechanisms at different spatial scales, including global, regional, and local contexts.
  • Ability to synthesize and integrate knowledge from diverse areas such as global change, biodiversity conservation, evolutionary responses, and environmental governance, integrating concepts to form a comprehensive understanding.
  • Proficiency in communicating complex ecological and environmental concepts through various channels, including scientific documentation, technical reports, policy briefings, and presentations to different audiences.
  • Ability to apply advanced analyses and modelling techniques to real-world studies in biodiversity and conservation management, integrating data analysis with ecological understanding.
  • Capacity to apply practical techniques in wildlife conservation, incorporating the principles of conservation genetics to address complex and multifaceted conservation challenges and the application of evolution as a management tool.
  • Ability to develop sustainable practices by integrating knowledge of ecological sustainability, environmental assessment processes, and environmental governance mechanisms.
  • Capacity to develop problem-solving in conservation and environmental management contexts, integrating diverse perspectives and considering the long-term implications of proposed solutions.
  • The graduates will be able to effectively address complex ecological challenges by synthesizing and integrating knowledge across diverse disciplines, including global change, biodiversity conservation, environmental management and governance.
  • The graduates will be capable of critically contextualizing knowledge, establishing interconnections with social, economic, and environmental issues, at both local and/or global levels.
  • The graduates will be able to apply synthesized knowledge to develop innovative and sustainable solutions, demonstrating an ability to navigate and solve real-world problems in a transdisciplinary context.
  • The graduates will be able to implement sustainable solutions by applying expertise in ecological sustainability, environmental assessment, and governance mechanisms, ensuring effective and lasting positive impacts on environmental challenges.
  • The graduates will be able to strategically engage diverse stakeholders and decision-makers by proficiently communicating complex ecological and environmental concepts through various channels.

Degrees awarded

Successful GLOBE graduates will obtain multiple master degrees from the three institutions from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Bangor University and Universidade de Lisboa. Students who carry out their master thesis at Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala will also receive a degree from this institution. The coordinating institution (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos) will provide a European Diploma Supplement with the transcript of records, grades and credits.

The degrees awarded are:

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Global Change Ecology and Biodiversity Management
Degree name pending institutional approval.
Degree name pending institutional approval.
Degree name pending institutional approval.

Master thesis and post-graduation prospects

During the last semester of the programme the students will carry a master thesis, covering 25 ECTS. This master thesis will be carried at any of the institutions where the students have received training during the previous stages of the programme, at the choice of the students, or they can perform their final theses in any of the multiple Associated Partners of the GLOBE Consortium, always under the coordination with an academic tutor enrolled at any of the four Universities leading the Consortium. As we move on with the first edition of the programme, we will publish here guidelines and examples of master theses offered by the different partners.

Graduates of the GLOBE program will be eligible to pursue PhD degrees globally. Additionally, the program’s comprehensive profile equips graduates to build successful careers across a wide range of sectors, including industry, administration, and education.