Master in Nature Management

Master in Nature Management is one of 8 English-taught Agriculture & Environment programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 4 institutions. 8 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, from EUR 2,400 to EUR 15,000; this programme lists EUR 8,700 a year. 6 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

Nature Management at the University of Copenhagen is a two-year master's programme taught in English. It is about managing and developing nature and landscapes sustainably, drawing on biology, ecology, human needs and legislation. The programme is being phased out: the last chance to apply is for study start in September 2027. From September 2028 a new one-year master's in Nature and Landscape Management is expected, taught in Danish with a stronger focus on Danish conditions.

What you study

The core is a compulsory thematic course, Ecology and Management of Nature and Semi-Nature Areas. You then build your own profile from a long list of restricted electives and free electives. The list includes Conservation Biology, Biodiversity in Managed Forests, Biodiversity in Urban Nature, Landscape and Restoration Ecology, Ecosystem Services from Forests and Nature, International Nature Conservation, Tropical Forest Restoration, GIS, Aerial and Near-Field Remote Sensing, Applied Statistics, Environmental and Planning Law, EU Law on Environment, Agriculture and Food, Global Environmental Governance, Conflict Management, Nature Perception, People, Nature and Recreation, and Strategic Planning for Urban Nature. You must also take one of the Thematic Course II options on rural landscape management and planning, and one law or governance course.

How the programme is organised

Teaching mixes lectures, exercises, excursions and project work. The thematic course and most electives include field work and excursions. You can choose a 30 ECTS thesis over four months or a 45 ECTS thesis over seven months, which changes how many electives you take. You can use elective space for a project in practice in Denmark or abroad with a company or institution, with a supervisor who approves the host and examines your written report orally. You can also study abroad for one or two semesters through the Faculty of Science's exchange agreements, or take a summer school, and transfer the credits.

Who it suits

It suits you if you want to work where ecology meets planning, law and people. You should be comfortable with field work and with courses from several disciplines. The programme prepares you for administration, management and planning in municipalities, private companies, NGOs, ministries and agencies, in Denmark and abroad.

Admission, language and next steps

You need a qualifying bachelor's degree or an equivalent. Several degrees meet the academic requirements automatically, including Natural Resources, Geography and Geoinformatics, Biology, Landscape Architecture and Forest and Landscape Engineering from UCPH, and Urban Landscape Engineering from Zealand Institute of Business and Technology. Other degrees need at least 7.5 ECTS in ecology and 7.5 ECTS in species knowledge (botany or zoology), plus English B. You apply through the application portal. The deadline for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland is 15 January; for Danish, EU, EEA and Swiss applicants it is 1 March. Applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland pay an application deposit and tuition fee; students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland study free of charge. If qualified applicants exceed the 40 places, priority goes to ECTS in relevant ecology and species knowledge courses, then to your grade point average. There is no pre-assessment.

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.