Universität Fribourg Université de Fribourg Suisse | Universität Freiburg Schweiz Course offerings

Environmental Sciences and Humanities

Abstract

Anthropogenic climate change, natural degradation, and loss of biodiversity but also sustainable energy production, resource depletion, and waste disposal demand immediate action and governance. The management of these environmental challenges has already caused and will increasingly engender ethical concerns, dilemmas, and conflicts. The bachelor minor study programmes in Environmental Sciences complements the competences acquired in the main studies with special knowledge in the environmental sciences and humanities as well as in environmental ethics. It equips students with the competences for resolving governance challenges in the fields of the environment, sustainability and climate change. The unique knowledge accomplished in these bachelor minor programmes is an integrative and comprehensive sensibilisation on how to analyse environmental conflicts and to propose ethically sound solutions to environmental challenges.

Show the study programme profile

Profile of the study programme

The bachelor minor study programmes in environmental sciences are offered with three options: environmental sciences, environmental law, and applied environmental management. All minors comprise four basic courses introducing the different fields of environmental sciences, a compulsory elective programme in the environmental humanities and ethics, excursions and an interfaculty elective programme from all five Faculties of the University of Fribourg.

Environmental Sciences (30 ECTS credits): Students acquire basic knowledge in all fields of the environmental sciences with a special focus on the environmental humanities and ethics.

Environmental Law (60 ECTS credits): Students dive into environmental law while gaining basic knowledge in all fields of the environmental sciences and especially in the environmental humanities and ethics.

Applied Environmental Management (60 ECTS credits): Beyond basic knowledge in all fields of the environmental sciences and a special focus on the environmental humanities and ethics, students acquire practical experiences in an internship.

Structure of classes and lectures
All bachelor minor programmes in environmental sciences have the following structure in common. The basic courses introduce the problems and approaches of the different disciplines relevant to the environmental sciences. They cover selected disciplines in natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities. Students successfully completing the basic courses deepen their competences within an elective programme of compulsory courses in the environmental humanities and an elective programme in all other disciplines relevant to the environmental sciences.
The elective programme in the environmental humanities consists of compulsory courses in the environmental humanities as well as in teaching units relevant to the environmental sciences, provided by the existing course programme of the Universities of Fribourg and Bern. In all three minor study programmes students participate in excursions attached to the seminar «Focal Points of Sustainable Development». Students attend courses from at least two different Faculties of the University of Fribourg, at least 6 ECTS credits per Faculty. Students choose their electives depending on their interests and specialisations.

Skills acquired
In these bachelor minor study programmes students complement their main studies with competences for detecting the ethical implications in environmental practice. In addition, students acquire introductory scientific, economic and legal knowledge concerning the environmental challenges of today. Studying at the multi-lingual University of Fribourg allows students to gain language competences in French and German.

Studies organisation

Structure of studies

60 ECTS credits as a minor study programme

Curriculum

http://studies.unifr.ch/go/NW1tn (French)
http://studies.unifr.ch/go/DVvZG (German)

Alternatives

Also offered as a minor study programme for 30 ECTS credits.