Environmental Sciences Justus Liebig University Giessen

The course language is English. The Bachelor's thesis has to be submitted in English.

The Bachelor’s degree programme in Environmental Sciences offers an interdisciplinary education with a strong focus on the natural sciences. It provides in-depth training in core disciplines such as biology, chemistry, physics and ecology, forming a solid foundation for understanding environmental systems and processes. Students also acquire analytical, statistical and digital competencies required for scientific analysis and research.

The programme closely integrates theory and practice, with a strong emphasis on experimental and empirical methods, including fieldwork, laboratory training and application-oriented projects with innovative project work in the future lab. This combination prepares students to understand, analyse and address complex environmental challenges in a global context.

Graduates have a solid background in natural sciences with an international perspective. Their knowledge of ecology, soil science, environmental chemistry and climate sciences qualifies them for positions in the public sector, in government agencies and administrations, in corporate environmental and sustainability management, in quality assurance, and in national and international environmental organisations. The practical orientation enables direct entry into science-related professional fields or the transition to a further Master's degree programme.

15 August for applicants with a non-German entrance qualification

1 September for applicants with a German entrance qualification (Abitur)

Application at www.uni-assist.de for applicants with a non-German entrance qualification starts 1 May.

The JLU online portal for applicants with a German entrance qualification (Abitur) opens 1 June.

For further information, please visit: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/faculties/f09/studies/general/getting-started/application-bsc.

The study programme is organised in modules (courses). Each module comprises four semester hours per week and is completed with a final examination. The final grade of the study programme is calculated from the achieved module grades.

In the first four semesters, students build up their knowledge base in a total of 20 mandatory modules (core modules), which can be deepened or broadened in five optional modules (profile modules) in the fifth semester. Two profile modules can be replaced by a work placement in order to gain initial professional experience.

The final semester features the mandatory module Future Lab – Study Project, in which students independently plan, carry out and present projects. They also work on the Bachelor's thesis during this semester, which is structured and supported by an accompanying thesis module.

Having completed the core modules, the students are well equipped with a solid scientific education and ready to deepen their knowledge in specific research areas. By individually choosing their profile modules from a diverse range of study areas, students shape their individual competence profiles.

Core Modules (mandatory):

• Chemistry
• Biology
• Introduction to Agriculture and the Environment
• Land Use Systems
• Language Acquisition I
• Soil Sciences
• Ecology and Biodiversity
• Environmental Physics
• Microbiology
• Language Acquisition II
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Climate Science
• Hydrology
• GIS
• Intercultural Communication
• Agroecology
• Life Cycle Assessment
• Fauna and Ecosystem Function
• Environmental Monitoring
• Data Science
• Future Lab – Study Project
• Thesis Preparation and Guidance

Programme schedule:

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The programme offers a voluntary work placement that enables our students to gain an initial insight into the various areas of professional activity in which they hope to pursue in the future. The work placement also enables them to collect hands-on professional experience and establish contacts with potential employers. The variety of contacts that our faculty possesses allows us to provide expert support to students seeking a work placement.

No tuition fees

402 EUR (winter semester 2025/26, varies slightly with each semester)

The current semester contribution can be found here: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/org/admin/departments/b/5/studoffice/sc.

Applicants must have a general higher education entrance qualification ("Abitur" or comparable qualification), a technical college entrance qualification, a master craftsman's certificate or an university admission for professionally qualified individuals.

Proof of English language proficiency

As the entire degree course is taught in English, applicants must provide proof of very good knowledge of written and spoken English at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The required level of proficiency must be certified by one of the following:

1. TOEFL IBT test, IELTS test, Cambridge English Language Assessment, Pearson PTE Academic, TOEIC, telc, UNIcert, IGSCE
2. proof of university entrance qualification in one of the following countries: Australia, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, USA, United Kingdom, South Africa
3. proof of completion of an English-language Bachelor's degree programme in one of the following countries: Australia, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, USA, United Kingdom, South Africa.

Other language certificates may be recognised as equivalent by the examination board upon request.

Proof of German language proficiency

In addition to a sound knowledge of English, a basic knowledge of German at level A2 (CEFR) is required. This requirement ensures that students have the minimum language skills necessary to cope with administrative and everyday situations in university and social life immediately after starting their studies.

The required level of proficiency must be certified by one of the following:

• Goethe certificate
• telc certificate
• ÖSD certificate

Two mandatory German modules (6 CP each) are included in the course. In addition, further German modules can be incorporated into the programme as profile modules. This enables students to gradually improve their German language skills and reach CEFR level C1 by the end of their studies, thereby fulfilling the language requirements for German-language Master's programmes.

15 August for applicants with a non-German entrance qualification

1 September for applicants with a German entrance qualification (Abitur)

Application at www.uni-assist.de for applicants with a non-German entrance qualification starts 1 May.

The JLU online portal for applicants with a German entrance qualification (Abitur) opens 1 June.

For further information, please visit: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/faculties/f09/studies/general/getting-started/application-bsc.

• Financial Aid for International Students at JLU in the Closing Phase of Their Degree: partial scholarship for three to six months with 300-450 EUR per month (funding phase starting April or May every year); A Presidential Commission will decide on the awarding of the scholarships based on academic achievements, indigence, social or intercultural commitment, recommendations from academic staff and compliance with formal requirements. More information: www.uni-giessen.de/en/international-pages/study/grants/closingphase
• DAAD Scholarships for More Equity and Opportunity, for students with a disability, chronic illness, refugee status, parental or other care responsibilities: www.uni-giessen.de/en/international-pages/study/grants/equalopportunities

Students may apply for a room in a shared flat or a single room in the halls of residence or search for private accommodation. More information via www.uni-giessen.de/acc

Career Service and special opportunities for international students: www.uni-giessen.de/en/faculties/research-centers/zfbk/career_services/

Founded in 1607, Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), Germany, is a comprehensive university with a longstanding tradition which attracts around 26,000 students. JLU offers the full range of traditional and modern subjects with top-level teaching and research ‒ extending from classical natural sciences, law and economics, social and educational sciences, linguistics and cultural studies to a unique selection of life science subjects such as human and veterinary medicine, agricultural, environmental and nutritional sciences and food chemistry. The leading personae who carried out research and taught at JLU include a number of Nobel Prize winners, such as Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901) and Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize in 2004). Since 2006, research at JLU has received continuous funding from the Excellence Initiative schemes and the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal Republic and Federal States.

With around 94,000 inhabitants, Giessen has one of the highest student densities throughout Germany. Four higher education institutions with altogether 40,000 students provide a unique college-town atmosphere. The city offers plenty of leisure options for students, such as canoeing on the Lahn river, walks and picnics in its multiple green areas, cinemas with student concession tickets, the municipal theatre with a programme consisting of plays, opera and ballet as well as swimming pools and sports facilities, and a variety of pubs, restaurants and night life venues. The great thing about Giessen is that it's an easy place to navigate and, when the mood takes you, to escape into the picturesque surrounding countryside or the metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, which is about 60 kilometres away.