Master in Forest and Nature Management

The MSc in Forest and Nature Management at the University of Copenhagen is a two-year master's taught in English. It focuses on sustainable use and management of forest and nature areas, and it pulls together ecology, economics, quantitative modelling and social science. The degree title in Danish is cand.silv.

What you study

The first year opens with the thematic course Ecology and Management of Forests and Other Semi-Natural Ecosystems (15 ECTS). You look at how forests and nature function, then use that to work through real-life cases. In block 2 you take Conflict Management (7.5 ECTS) and Applied Economics of Forest and Nature (7.5 ECTS). Block 3 brings Natural Resource Sampling and Modelling (7.5 ECTS) plus a restricted elective. At the end of the first year comes the thematic course Forest and Nature Management Planning (15 ECTS), where you combine what you have learned into a long-term general plan for managing a given area.

Part of the programme is set aside for restricted elective and elective courses, so you can aim your degree at what interests you. The page names economics, tropical forestry, management and communication as examples. The thesis closes the programme. You can write it on your own or in a group, on a specific area, a company, a theory or a current issue.

How the programme is organised

Teaching comes as lectures, seminars, practical and theoretical exercises, with a good deal of project work. You work both independently and in project groups. Excursions and field work are major elements, and the point is that you learn to solve problems in places like private companies or organisations.

The programme adds up to 52.5 ECTS of compulsory courses, 7.5 ECTS of restricted electives (22.5 ECTS if you take a 30 ECTS thesis), 15 ECTS of electives and a 45 ECTS thesis, or alternatively a 30 ECTS thesis. Each block is nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. You can start in September or February; February starters begin in blocks three and four.

You can use elective courses for a project in practice in Denmark or abroad, for example with a company or an institution. You need a supervisor to approve the host company and guide you, and the project ends with a written take-home report and an oral examination. Study abroad is also possible, for one or two semesters or a shorter period such as a summer school, with passed courses credited back.

Who it suits

It suits someone who wants to work with forests and nature as managed systems, not only as biology. You should be comfortable with economics and numbers as well as ecology, since the programme mixes all three. Field work and group projects take up real time, so it helps to like being outdoors and working with others. The page describes graduates moving into research, private companies, public authorities, NGOs or international organisations.

Admission, language and next steps

You apply through the application portal, and you must be enrolled in or have completed a qualifying bachelor's programme or another relevant Danish or foreign degree that the admission board judges to meet the academic requirements. No pre-assessment is offered.

Some degrees meet the academic requirements automatically: from UCPH, Natural Resources with the specialisation in Nature Management, in Environmental Science or in Environmental Economics, and the professional bachelor's degree in Forest and Landscape Engineering. Other degrees qualify if they include at least 7.5 ECTS within at least two of three dimensions: ecology/biology; economics/statistics; and social science/law/planning. You also need English B.

Deadlines are 1 March for Danish applicants and those from the EU, EEA and Switzerland, and 15 January for applicants from outside. Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland study free of charge; other students pay a fee the institution sets, and an application deposit applies. If there are more qualified applicants than places, priority goes to total ECTS in relevant courses and then grade-point average. The page lists 40 available places.

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.