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.
Post-Graduation Opportunities
PhD Eligibility
Upon successful completion of the programme, graduates are eligible to pursue PhD degrees globally. The interdisciplinary training and research experience gained during the GLOBE programme provide a strong foundation for doctoral studies in fields such as:
- Ecology and Biodiversity
- Environmental Science and Management
- Climate Change and Sustainability
- Conservation Biology
- Environmental Policy and Governance
The programme’s emphasis on independent research, particularly during the Master’s thesis, prepares students for the rigors of doctoral research.
Access to the Job Market
The GLOBE programme’s comprehensive curriculum and international exposure position graduates for successful careers across various sectors:
- Public Sector and Policy-Making: Roles in environmental ministries, governmental agencies, and international organizations focusing on sustainability and biodiversity conservation.
- Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): Positions in NGOs dedicated to environmental protection, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development.
- Private Sector: Opportunities in environmental consulting firms, sustainability departments of corporations, and eco-innovation enterprises.
- Research and Academia: Research assistantships, project coordination roles, and teaching positions in universities and research institutions.
- Education and Outreach: Engagements in environmental education, public awareness campaigns, and community-based conservation projects.
Support for Students with Special Needs
The GLOBE Erasmus Mundus Joint Master is fully committed to providing an inclusive and supportive academic environment for all students, including those with disabilities or specific needs. The programme also counts with dedicated funding to cover special needs support. Students will be given the opportunity to provide the necessary information and comments regarding their specific needs during the enrolment process, so that appropriate support measures can be arranged in collaboration with the partner institutions.
What kind of support is available?
- Academic and exam accommodations (e.g., extended time, alternative formats)
- Physical accessibility on campus and in housing
- Mental health and psychological counseling services
- Support services for students with learning difficulties
- Mobility assistance and campus navigation support
project.globe@urjc.es
Collection and processing of personal data
The European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), in the context of managing the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, collects and processes the personal data of some of the candidates. In particular, certain data of the scholarship holders and non-scholarship holders is shared with the Agency and treated according to this privacy statement
Degrees awarded
Successful GLOBE graduates will be awarded multiple Master’s degrees from the three main partner institutions: Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Bangor University, and Universidade de Lisboa. The exact degrees to be awarded are currently under negotiation within the Consortium and remain subject to approval by each partner institution.
Students who complete their Master’s thesis at Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala may also be eligible to receive an additional degree from this institution, pending final confirmation.
The coordinating institution, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, will issue a European Diploma Supplement including the transcript of records, grades, and credits earned throughout the programme.
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.