Master in Environmental Science

Master in Environmental Science is one of 3 English-taught Environmental Science programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 3 institutions. 3 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 7,455 to EUR 8,700; this programme lists EUR 8,700 a year. 3 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students. The same programme title is offered at 2 institutions, so compare the content, campus and requirements before you choose.

The MSc in Environmental Science at the University of Copenhagen focuses on human and environmental health. You study how agriculture, industrial pollution and consumption affect the environment and people, and you learn to create sustainable solutions to those problems.

What you study

The programme has two specialisations. Chemistry, Toxicology and Health (ChemTox) looks at how harmful chemicals move and break down in the environment, what is toxic to humans and ecosystems, and how to assess and manage risk. Its subject areas are atmospheric, terrestrial and aquatic environmental chemistry, ecotoxicology, human toxicology, epidemiology and risk assessment. The other specialisation is Soil and Water.

Compulsory courses in the ChemTox track include Toxicology and Ecotoxicology, Air Pollution and Health, Environmental Epidemiology, Environmental and Human Health Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Soil and Water Pollution, Concepts and Theory, and Soil and Water Pollution, Experimental Assessment. You also choose restricted electives such as Advanced Analytical Chemistry: Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry, plus free electives.

For the thesis you can work on subjects like hormone-disrupting substances, the effect of air pollution on health, degradation of oil and pesticides in soil, toxicity of heavy metals, risk assessment of harmful substances, or the cocktail effect of multiple substances together.

How the programme is organised

Teaching takes the form of lectures, seminars, practical and theoretical exercises, with a good deal of project work. You work both independently and in project groups. One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS.

The ChemTox specialisation can be structured in four ways, depending on whether your thesis is 30 or 45 ECTS and whether you start in September or February. With a 45 ECTS thesis you take 45 ECTS of compulsory courses, 15 ECTS of restricted electives, 15 ECTS of free electives and the 45 ECTS thesis. February start is only for students with a legal right of admission.

You can use elective courses for a project in practice in Denmark or abroad, with a company or institution, or to study abroad for one or two semesters. A project in practice requires a supervisor who approves the host and examines you; you finish with a written project report and an oral exam.

Who it suits

It suits you if you want to work at the point where chemistry, pollution and health meet, and you are comfortable with lab work, data and risk assessment. The programme expects a strong chemistry background. It is for someone who wants to understand what makes a substance harmful and what can be done about it.

Admission, language and next steps

You need a qualifying bachelor's degree or another relevant Danish or foreign degree that the admission board assesses as meeting the academic requirements. Several degrees automatically meet the requirements, including UCPH's Natural Resources with the Environmental Science specialisation, Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Molecular Biomedicine and Pharmacy, plus named degrees from the University of Southern Denmark, Aarhus University, Aalborg University, the Technical University of Denmark and Roskilde University.

If your degree is not on that list, you are eligible if it includes three of these five areas, each 7.5 ECTS: biology or ecology, natural resources, geochemistry, environmental chemistry, chemistry. You must also meet the English B language requirement. The programme is taught in English.

Apply through the application portal. The deadline is 1 March for Danish applicants and applicants from the EU, EEA and Switzerland, and 15 January for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland study free of charge; other students pay a fee set by the institution. The university does not offer pre-assessment of your background. If there are more qualified applicants than places, applicants are ranked by total ECTS in relevant chemistry, environmental chemistry, natural resources or ecology courses, then by grade point average.

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.