To apply for admission to this master's degree programme, you must have completed, or expect to complete, a qualifying bachelor鈥檚 degree or a similar Danish or international degree programme which is assessed to be relevant. Apply for admission via the application portal.
Below, you can read more about admission requirements and which documents to upload in the application portal.
Here you'll find the different academic requirements depending on which qualifying degree you hold.
With a Bachelor's degree in
you are granted legal right of admission and guaranteed a place on the Master鈥檚 programme in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics if you apply in time to begin within 3 years of the completion of your Bachelor鈥檚 degree.
You meet all academic requirements if you hold one of the degrees listed below. Learn about when and how to apply. Note, however, that you still need to document that you meet the programme's .
If you have a Bachelor鈥檚 degree other than those listed above, you must submit additional documentation along with your application so we can evaluate whether or not you meet the admission requirements. Learn about when and how to apply.
If you have a Bachelor鈥檚 degree, Professional Bachelor's degree or equivalent from Danish or international universities you are qualified for admission if your programme includes the following:
If you have a Bachelor鈥檚 degree in Natural Resources with a specialisation in Plant Science, Environmental Science or Nature Management from 妹团视频 you are qualified for admission if your programme includes:
We may also admit applicants who, after an individual academic assessment, are deemed to possess educational qualifications equivalent to those required above.
When we assess whether you meet the admission requirements for the Master's degree program, Danish legislation only allows us to assess your Bachelor's degree. Consequently, you cannot study supplementary courses between Bachelor's and Master's degree programs in order to meet the admission requirements.
If you have passed courses/projects before you complete the qualifying Bachelor's degree, these can be included in the assessment, even though they are not part of the Bachelor's degree program.
If you only need the necessary ECTS credits in the field of econometrics to meet the admission requirement, you can be granted conditional admission. If you have been granted conditional admission, you must pass an approved econometrics course of at least 7.5 ECTS credits prior to your studies begin. The summer course has been approved. .
You can apply to have another econometrics course approved by writing to studentservices@science.ku.dk. In the email, you write the name of the Master's programme you want to apply for and write that you wish to apply to have another econometrics course approved in addition to an application for the Master's programme. Also, state when you plan on taking the course, and attach a course description.
You can only get an answer to whether or not your degree meets the admission requirement by applying for admission to the MSc Programme. Only the admission committee can evaluate whether you are qualified or not and they only do this once they have received your application.
You are entitled to 1 pre-assessment for 1 study programme, where, based on an assessment of the documentation you have submitted, we will inform you whether you meet the admission requirements.
This is a service offered by SCIENCE, but it is not a service you have to make use of in order for you to apply for admission.
Unless you have a legal right of admission to the programme you are applying for, you are required to document proficiency in English.
There are two application deadlines for Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
The application portal opens on 16 January. You will receive a reply by 10 June.
The application portal opens on 15 August. You will receive a reply by 10 December.
There are two application deadlines for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
The application portal opens on 15 November. You will receive a reply by 1 May.
The application portal opens on 1 July. You will receive a reply by 1 December.
Second application round is open from 1 - 15 May for applicants who automatically fulfil the admission requirements (UCPH students only) or has legal right of admission. Study start in September 2025
Choose the category below that fits you and read more about how to apply for admission. You will also find information about application deadlines and documentation on the websites.
Second application round is open from 1 - 15 May for applicants who automatically fulfil the admission requirements (UCPH students only) or has legal right of admission.
Bachelor with legal right of admission
Bachelor鈥檚 degree from Denmark
Bachelor鈥檚 degree from Denmark
If the number of qualified applicants to the programme exceeds the number of places available, applicants will be prioritised according to the following criteria:
If you have already completed a Master's degree, please check out the rules concerning a second degree.
| Admission statistics Environmental and Natural Resource Economics 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Admitted | 44 |
| Admission distribution (legal right/other) | 9% / 91% |
| Applicants | 114 |
| Age average | 25 |
| Legal gender distribution (cpr. - m/f) | 34% / 66% |
| Nationality (dk/international) | 21% / 79% |
| Available spots | No |
Teaching is in the form of lectures, seminars, practical and theoretical exercises, and there will be a good deal of project work. You will be working both independently and in project groups. The programme has an international outlook with many international students.
During your first year of study, you follow the thematic course "Ecology and Ecosystems Science in relation to Environmental Economics" as well as five compulsory courses:
The thematic course in "Ecology and Ecosystems Science in relation to Environmental Economics" is placed in blocks 1 and 2 of the first year. It is based on lectures, classroom discussions, theoretical and practical exercises, excursions, and project work involving written assignments.
The course will give you a basic understanding of natural science, specifically in relation to ecosystems and their value to society. You will also get an understanding of how our use and management of natural resources impacts on these ecosystems.
The focus is on ecosystem structures, functions, and processes that are of special importance to the practical application of economic theories, methods, and instruments taught in subsequent economics courses. The thematic course will thus give you a basic foundation in natural science which is necessary to work with a large part of the practical cases that are used in the subsequent courses.
The elective and restricted elective courses offer you the opportunity to personalise your study programme with courses within, for example, biology, management, law, or economics. This may be courses offered at the Faculty of Science or from other faculties at the 妹团视频, as well as from Copenhagen Business School. Some students also take courses at the University of Southern Denmark or at universities abroad.
You can use some of your elective courses to do a Project in Practice in collaboration with a company or an organisation. You can also choose to study abroad as part of your programme. Read more here:
The programme is concluded with a thesis that gives you the title Master of Science (MSc) in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (in Danish: cand.scient.oecon.).
In your thesis, you will be working independently on a theoretical or empirical project. As you can see from some of the thesis subjects from the last few years, the issues range widely from Danish agriculture to tropical rainforest and climate change:
The programme can be structured in different ways, depending on whether you write a thesis worth 30 or 45 ECTS and whether you start in September or February. Below, you will find course tables showing the study structure if you start in September or February with a thesis worth 45 ECTS.
See the full programme overview in the
Compulsory courses: 52.5 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 7.5 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 ECTS
One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. The table is primarily for guidance and may be subject to revision.
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted elective course | |||
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted elective course | Thesis | ||
| Restricted elective course | |||
Study start in February is only for students with legal right of admission to the programme. Read about legal right of admission here >>
Compulsory courses: 52.5 ECTS
Restricted elective courses: 7.5 ECTS
Elective courses: 15 ECTS
Master's thesis: 45 ECTS
One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. The table is primarily for guidance and may be subject to revision.
| Block 3 | Block 4 | Block 1 | Block 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elective course | Restricted elective course | ||
| Block 3 | Block 4 | Block 1 | Block 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thesis | |||
| Elective course | |||
Choose your restricted elective courses from the list below. Click on each course for a detailed description.
Learn more about the programme in the:
Upon completion of the master鈥檚 programme, you will obtain the title Master of Science in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics.
The MSc programme in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics is a social science programme where you study economics, the environment, and natural resources in both a national and global context.
The recurring theme of the programme is how we make the most of the available resources in a sustainable way.
Graduates from the programme use economic theory and methodology on, for example, the sustainable management of a country's fossil fuel energy reserves and its involvement in international environmental agreements.
Upon graduation, you will 鈥� among other things 鈥� be able to:
With the increasing global focus on sustainability, you will have excellent career opportunities. You will typically work with environmental and natural resource economic analyses, project and policy assessments, as well as management and development assignments.
Graduates often work in a multidisciplinary setting and with some degree of leadership or management. With your knowledge of both social and natural science, you become the link between different disciplines e.g., between economists and biologists, or developers and conservationists.
You may work in private companies, public institutions, or NGOs, both in Denmark and internationally; often in the green sector where the strong growth creates more and more interesting job opportunities for environmental and natural resource economists.
Recent graduates from the programme have for example found jobs in:
Furthermore, many graduates have successfully pursued a career in research in Denmark or in other countries.
High quality education in English, a flexible study structure, excellent facilities, an international study environment, attractive and green campus areas, and the opportunity to experience life in Copenhagen, the cool capital of Denmark. These are some of the qualities about studying at Faculty of Science (SCIENCE) at 妹团视频 that you can expect.
Throughout the year, various social activities are arranged for all SCIENCE students and for international students specifically. These activities include:
Students live in residence halls outside campus or share a flat in the Copenhagen area. You will find that the relatively small size of Copenhagen makes it easy to get around, even by bike.
The Environmental and Natural Resource Economics programme is primarily based at Frederiksberg Campus.
The Frederiksberg Campus hosts part of the Faculty of Science and the veterinary area of Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. It is located a few kilometres west of the city centre in beautiful green surroundings, and Frederiksberg is a popular residential area. The Gardens, which are part of the Frederiksberg Campus, are popular with both students and locals. In the summer months, you can drop by Caf茅 V忙ksthuset, which is located in an old greenhouse, for a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a delicious sandwich.
At campus, you can join student clubs and societies of a more or less academic nature. Regardless of whether you are interested in choral singing, sports, the theatre or a special academic subject, there is a club for you.
Here you will find some useful links and videos about student life and housing in Copenhagen, and the welcome programme for international students at Faculty of Science.
Meet Elizabeth and Alex who study at the 妹团视频 in Denmark. See what it is like to live and study in Denmark.
The SCIENCE Welcome Programme is a great way for international students to be introduced to the Faculty of Science at the 妹团视频.
Read interviews with students and graduates from the Master of Science programme (MSc) in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics:
Jan Graversen was doing a master鈥檚 degree in Environmental and Resource Management at the University of Southern Denmark in Esbjerg. But a girlfriend and the chance to study Environmental and Natural Resource Economics lured him to Copenhagen.
In upper secondary school, I was fascinated by both the natural and social sciences, and I was very interested in the links between the two. In relation to my studies, I found the economics courses really interesting 鈥� especially the link to the ecological perspective.
Environmental issues have interested me ever since my time in upper secondary school. It鈥檚 interesting because they affect all parts of society, and many disciplines work with it.
So I decided to do Environmental and Natural Resource Economics because it combines the natural and social sciences, even though the main focus is on economics.
I wanted to move from Esbjerg, and my former girlfriend, an American, was due to come to Copenhagen to study for a semester at that time.
And, of course, 妹团视频 had the degree programme that I was interested in. It was either Aarhus or Copenhagen 鈥� but Aarhus University鈥檚 profile was a bit too agricultural for me. I wanted more of a focus on economics.
Absolutely. It was a little more theoretical than I expected. But I really liked it. I just had to get used to all the mathematics. We looked at financial regulation and analysis in much greater depth than on the bachelor鈥檚 programme.
I studied for six months in Florida during my bachelor鈥檚 programme, so that worked wonders for my proficiency in English. You just have to get used to expressing yourself in English, and not being afraid to make mistakes. For many people, this takes some getting used to.
A lot of international students do not have English as their first language either. It鈥檚 important not to switch to Danish all the time, because that excludes the foreign students and stops them being integrated into the social life.
It鈥檚 possible to do a semester abroad. I spent six months at Cornell University in Ithaca, in New York state, and loved it.
Yes. Many students on the programme have a job alongside their studies. It鈥檚 fairly easy to find one. I had a job with WWF as a student assistant. There are also lots of opportunities to get involved in social and academic activities. That sort of thing looks good on your CV later.
Environmental economics gives you a better analytical toolset in relation to analysing the economic effects of projects and environmental regulation, and to drafting proposals for how to best implement regulation.
I dream of working with environmental issues for an NGO. But other typical jobs are in government ministries, consultancy firms and special interest organisations. Some of my friends from the degree programme have taken a completely different direction and specialised in financing. I don鈥檛 know much about that, but it鈥檚 great that you can specialise.
One of the international students has a job at the French embassy, where she works with agricultural policy. And some of my fellow students have also had student jobs with 脴谤蝉迟别诲, Ramboll or COWI, and have now landed full-time jobs there. The job prospects are generally good.
Overall, it has been really good. Copenhagen is a great city for students, and there are a lot of wonderful people. It has a lot of great things to offer, but is not so large that you feel lost. You can easily find your way around. I love Copenhagen and especially the district of Vesterbro.
The profile and idea behind the degree programme are really interesting. There鈥檚 a lot of heavy-duty theory and mathematics on the first semester, which can make you feel slightly 鈥榙isconnected from the real world鈥�. But you soon come to appreciate the practical applicability of everything you鈥檝e learned.
Frederik M酶ller Laugesen works with transport and energy solutions for COWI Consult in Lyngby.鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting and challenging. The pace is faster than it was at the university, and the work is very varied, compared to being a research assistant,鈥� he notes.
I had a BSc degree in Natural Resources, so it was an obvious choice for me. What appealed to me about the programme was the combination of environment and economics. I like the careful argumentation of economics, and the environmental dimension makes it very meaningful. You also work with international issues, making it even more interesting.
Yes, definitely. The programme has been really good and informative. I did not do a semester abroad, but I did attend a summer course in Sussex in the UK. I did my master鈥檚 thesis on economics in relation to biogas production.
I worked as a student assistant at the Department of Food and Resource Economics for three years 鈥� and also as a student assistant at Ramboll. This was definitely a good thing to have in my CV when I started applying for jobs. It has been all-important.
Not really. Right after finishing my studies, I was employed as a research assistant for six months 鈥� and then I joined COWI. I wanted to get out into the private sector and try something new. As a consultant, you are faced with many new challenges. I work with socio-economic analyses in the areas of climate, transport and energy.
We usually work in public institutions, financial institutions or consultancy firms. The salary is very similar to what you get in the public sector. We might be paid a bit more, but our breaks are unpaid. And my working week is 45 hours. This is quite normal in the industry.
It鈥檚 very exciting and challenging. I have to bring new customers on board and also sell myself to my colleagues 鈥� in other words, I have to make myself attractive in relation to the projects they are working on.
The pace is faster than it was at the university, and the work is very varied, compared to being a research assistant. Since we are involved in international projects, the job is very varied. If the opportunity arises, it would be fun to work abroad.
Egle Zukauskaite comes from Lithuania. After studying economics for four years at the Vilnius University, she decided to go abroad to study for her master鈥檚 degree. 鈥淚 found it a very liberal environment here, very equal and democratic,鈥� says Egle.
Back in Lithuania I worked for a year in a electricity company, and we focused very much on Lithuania becoming more sustainable in energy production and so on. So I thought I would like to relate my studies to this.
I wanted to take my masters abroad, and I didn鈥檛 want just a master in economics. I wanted more specific energy economics, environmental or resource economics.
That was because of my network and friends. They were either in Holland or in Denmark. And I knew that education here is for free for EU citizens, and that is a big advantage.
I鈥檇 heard about this programme in Denmark that was a bit more into science, and I thought, oh, it might be interesting to get more of a science perspective as well 鈥� not just the economic perspective. In Holland I couldn鈥檛 really find a master鈥檚 programme like that.
We don鈥檛 really specialise 鈥� only when we are taking electives or core courses. I have been focusing on management and entrepreneurship. I have all these compulsory courses in cost benefit analysis, economic relations, environmental policies 鈥� and in my electives I went more in the direction of business development, innovation, technology assessment and entrepreneurship courses. Focussing on how to innovate in this field.
Not yet. But I really want to relate it to innovation. . I would like to do the thesis with a start-up company or a growing company which is innovating something and sort of help them. It would be very good if it could be as practical as possible, and at the same time benefit a company which is innovative in this area and is developing at the moment. I don鈥檛 want to go to Maersk or Dong Energy and get some routine task. I want to be more involved.
When I came here, I found it a very liberal environment, very equal and democratic, I would say. The teachers are at the same level as the students, and you just call each other by name.
You have lots of opportunities to study here 鈥� either here at the university library or at the central library 鈥� and maybe that makes me want to study more. Because it feels like it鈥檚 your job, it鈥檚 your profession.
In terms of studies, it was pretty demanding at first. We had econometrics of which I knew very little from my background 鈥� quite complicated stuff. And that鈥檚 the first thing you meet when you come!
So I studied very hard and finally got a good grade, and I think I got the idea about econometrics 鈥� haha. So 鈥� one should be prepared that it鈥檚 quite a tough start on this programme.
When we moved here, we were a bit challenged to find a place, because the prices are so high compared to what we are used to.
Now we have an apartment that we actually got through a class mate 鈥� we were very lucky. It鈥檚 a very good place in Vanl酶se and it鈥檚 very cheap. For a lot of students it鈥檚 not very easy 鈥� they have to change apartment every 6 months because they are subletting.
It鈥檚 very expensive here, especially when you come from Lithuania and don鈥檛 have any savings. You just have to find a job straight away. I found work in a clothes store. It鈥檚 very well paid, actually. Now I鈥檓 only working weekends but in the beginning I was working 3-4 evenings a week.
I want to be an entrepreneur, initiating projects with starting companies. Maybe as an independent consultant, maybe as an employee. I鈥檓 not that much into theoretical models and calculating things 鈥� I鈥檓 more like having the vision, understanding the concept, the situation etc. I鈥檓 interested in waste management 鈥� food waste and recycling, that鈥檚 my main interests.
Haein Lee took a chance when she pulled up her stakes and moved to Copenhagen to study Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. In Denmark, she has found the perfect combination of happiness, ambition, high academic standards and job-related courses which all bring her closer to her dream career: Working with environmental politics at the Danish government.
In the heart of Copenhagen鈥檚 city center, surrounded by parked bikes in a rainbow of colours, we meet Haein Lee for a morning coffee at the local library. A ray of sun has found its way through the large windows illuminating the spot where she is sitting: "Denmark has changed my life" she says with a smile.
Although moving to a new country was challenging to begin with, Haein Lee does not regret for one moment that she chose Denmark and the Faculty of Science as her destination. She lived in Denmark two years before entering the MSc programme, and her learning experience has been quite different from what she was used to back home in Korea:
"It has been a great experience studying in Denmark, but it was tough to begin with. I had to get used to the Scandinavian block structure, the long hours in class and the vast amount of reading material."
Haein Lee always had a great interest in environmental issues and a strong wish to pursue a career within environmental sciences. The MSc programme at 妹团视频 was unique because she could combine her degree in Economics from Korea with her interest in Natural Resources and Sustainability:
"I was interested in environment, and wanted it to be related to economics. So in that sense, it was the perfect programme for me. I was ready to try something new."
One of the things that Haein Lee likes most is the close connection between the programme and the job market which is reflected through the many exercise hours incorporated in the courses. These practical elements give her the opportunity to apply her knowledge to real life cases 鈥� something she has been searching for as a student. At 妹团视频, there is a lot of emphasis on working with different companies鈥� environmental cases and policies throughout the programme:
"In Korea, we learn advanced mathematics, but students do not really know how to utilize this knowledge in real life. Here, it sometimes feels simple, but that is important as well 鈥� knowing how to use your knowledge in a simple matter. It is really nice to learn that there can be a different approach to teaching and learning鈥�.
Moreover, her experience is that the Danish teaching environment gives her a realistic picture of her future work-life as the students are encouraged to use their competencies early on in their studies:
"During the programme, we will, among other things, have the course "Introduction to Consultancy". Here, we will work on environmental and economic case studies with either companies, organizations, research institutes or the government. When dealing with these cases, we have to understand how to assess the different policies and regulations on environment, and how we can create policies which will bring us closer to our environmental goals." she tells us enthusiastically.
鈥淚t is really nice to learn that there can be a different approach to teaching and learning鈥� says Haein Lee.
Danish universities are often known for their flat structure and small distance between students and professors.
鈥淚 am not afraid of asking questions anymore. If there is anything I am in doubt about, I can simply ask the professor. In Korea, I would have gone home and tried to figure it out myself. But by asking questions immediately during class, I can check up on what I am curious about, and sometimes, these questions lead me to some extra information which is really important in order for me to truly connect with what I have read in the material.鈥� 鈥淭he students here are very focused on their studies. But instead of competing against each other, they cooperate. It creates an atmosphere where people can be ambitious without feeling hyper tensioned.鈥�
Often, international students worry that Danes might seem too cold and difficult to get to know. Haein Lee recognizes the thought, but explains that northern Europeans can be compared with coconuts 鈥� they are difficult to get through at first, but once you get to know them, you have a friend for life:
"Someone told me about the Coconut Theory where he compared northern Europeans, specifically Danes, with coconuts, and southern European people with peaches.
With peaches, you can get through the flesh very easily, but once you get to the core, you cannot go inside of it. It is a hard core which is only allowed for very close people. They easily become friends with strangers, they are very friendly, warm, and welcoming to other people, but once you get to that core, you are not allowed to go any further.
Coconuts on the other hand have a very hard shell, but if you knock on it many times with the right tools, you can get through. And once you get through, you can just go all the way through 鈥� even to the core."
For Haein Lee, several things have made her want to stay in Denmark after her graduation, including the Danish work-life balance, the job opportunities within environmental sciences, and the content atmosphere:
"My dream at the moment would be to work at the government with their environmental policies. I am interested in the regulation side of it: to create good regulations for the market failure, and choose the environmental and economic goals at the same time. It may sound idealistic, but that is what I want to do."
However, Haein Lee鈥檚 motivation for studying and learning more has also increased during her MSc programme. This has made her consider applying for a PhD at the faculty:
"So far, I have enjoyed studying, which I did not expect. I worked for 12 years before I entered the MSc programme. When you have a job, you use your knowledge. With education, you use dedicated hours to add up new knowledge. I really enjoy this learning experience I have had during my MSc programme, and therefore, I am considering applying for a PhD."
Finally, it is not only the career opportunities that make Haein Lee want to stay in Denmark. She is also attracted to the Danish view on life:
"People here are content. They find happiness from small things. If the sun is shining and the weather is beautiful, they go for a walk in the nature, and that makes them happy. And I actually enjoy that very much."
Haein Lee is not in doubt when it comes to recommending the 妹团视频 to other international students:
鈥淭he teachers are enthusiastic, they care about the students, we have a very close connection with the professors, and the programme is well structured. I also really like the facilities鈥�.
Although it can be difficult to move to a new country, and get used to a different way of studying, Haein Lee feels it all pays off in the end:
鈥淚n the beginning it was stressful, but now, I feel like my courses are all closely related, and when combined, they make sense. The knowledge I have gained here is not isolated, it is applicable. I feel that the MSc programme has widened my opportunities. 鈥漈he teachers are enthusiastic, they care about the students, we have a very close connection with the professors, and the programme is well structured." - Haein Lee, MSc student in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
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