Master in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

Master in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics is one of 6 English-taught Economics programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 3 institutions. 6 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 5,000 to EUR 16,300; this programme lists EUR 8,700 a year. 6 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

The MSc in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at the University of Copenhagen trains you to use economic thinking and quantitative methods on environmental and resource problems. You work with models grounded in mathematics and statistics, and you shape your study track to match your interests. The programme is taught in English and leads to the title Master of Science (MSc) in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (cand.scient.oecon i miljø- og ressourceøkonomi).

What you study

In your first year you take a thematic course, "Ecology and Ecosystems Science in relation to Environmental Economics", alongside five compulsory courses:

• Applied Econometrics, where you learn how to carry out empirical studies.
• Natural Resource Economics, on optimal use of limited natural resources such as oil compared with renewable resources such as forests.
• Incentives and Regulation, on economic regulation of environmental problems.
• Economic Valuation Methods and Cost Benefit Analysis, on methods for evaluating benefits and costs of environmental initiatives.
• Applied Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, a practical project based on the earlier courses, done in groups or individually.

Past project topics include economic valuation of ecosystem services, international environmental agreements in relation to contract theory, pollution mitigation by means of organic farming, and externalities from windmills. The thematic course runs in blocks 1 and 2 and covers ecosystem structures, functions and processes that matter for applying economic theories and instruments later in the programme.

Elective and restricted elective courses let you personalise the degree with courses in biology, management, law or economics, at the Faculty of Science, other UCPH faculties, Copenhagen Business School, the University of Southern Denmark or universities abroad. You finish with a thesis on a theoretical or empirical project. Recent thesis subjects range from a cost effectiveness analysis of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and nitrogen contracts to willingness to pay for certified timber and economic assessment of ecosystem services in a tropical rainforest.

How the programme is organised

Teaching combines lectures, seminars, practical and theoretical exercises, and a good deal of project work. You work both independently and in project groups, in an international environment with students from many countries. The two-year degree is built around the compulsory first-year courses, then electives, then the thesis.

You can use elective courses for a project in practice in Denmark or abroad, for example with a company or institution. You need a supervisor who approves your host company and guides you through the project and the oral examination. You can also study abroad for one or two semesters, or take a summer school, through the Faculty of Science's exchange agreements, and pass the courses for credit at UCPH.

Who it suits

This programme suits you if you want to turn complex environmental analysis into decisions and policy solutions in the public or private sector. You should be comfortable with mathematics, statistics and microeconomics, and curious about ecology and natural science. It helps if you like project work and group work, and want to study in an international classroom.

Admission, language and next steps

You apply through the application portal. The admission board assesses whether your bachelor's degree meets the academic requirements, and the university does not offer pre-assessment. Certain UCPH degrees automatically meet the academic requirements if you also meet English B: Natural Resources with the specialisation in Environmental Economics, Agricultural Economics / Environmental and Food Economics, Economics, Mathematics-Economics, and Computer Science and Economics.

Other Danish or international degrees qualify if they include microeconomics (at least 22.5 ECTS), statistics (at least 7.5 ECTS), econometrics (at least 7.5 ECTS) and mathematics (at least 7.5 ECTS). Applicants with a UCPH Natural Resources degree in Plant Science, Environmental Science or Nature Management qualify if they have passed Statistical Data Analysis 1, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Econometrics, Micro Economics and Principles of Economics, and meet English B.

If there are more qualified applicants than places, priority goes to total ECTS in microeconomics, statistics, econometrics and mathematics (with special weight on microeconomics), then grades in those subjects. The intake is capped. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland study free of charge; other students pay a fee set by the institution. Applications from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland are due 15 January; Danish and EU/EEA/Swiss applicants have until 1 March. The programme starts in September.

Master’s applications go straight to University of Copenhagen, not through optagelse.dk, and the institution sets its own deadline. The register shows 15 January 2027 as the next deadline for this programme. Intake, as the register states it: Starts 1 September 2027 (apply by 15 January 2027). Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, residence permits and housing.