Profile

The international Master’s program "Biogeosciences of the Anthropocene" is the scientific response to the most pressing global challenges of our time. The program focuses on investigating how climate change, biodiversity loss, and the crossing of planetary boundaries affect terrestrial ecosystems, above and below-ground, their surface-subsurface couplings, and their essential services. Positioned at the interface of biosciences, geosciences, metaomics and data sciences, students analyze the dynamics of ecosystem functions under anthropogenic pressure.

The curriculum goes far beyond descriptive analysis: a core objective is to develop active, transformative competence. Students are empowered not only to diagnose complex environmental problems with precision but also to design intelligent solutions actively. This includes nature-based solutions and the foundations for innovative technological approaches to strengthen the resilience of the Earth system.

By accessing the excellent research infrastructure of Friedrich Schiller University Jena, and in close cooperation with the Max Planck Institutes for Biogeochemistry and Geoanthropology, students are familiarized to work with complex, short-and long-term datasets and state-of-the-art methodologies.

A unique feature of this program is the intensive integration of advanced fieldwork within Jena’s world-class long-term research sites. Students gain hands-on experience by working in "open-air laboratories," students master modern monitoring techniques—from sampling the unsaturated zone to analyzing flux dynamics between soil, aeration zone and groundwater—to understand the Critical Zone under real-world conditions.

The program offers applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in geosciences, biosciences, environmental sciences, or related fields a flexible, interdisciplinary structure. Our goal is to train experts who can translate systemic knowledge into proactive action to sustainably secure the vital functions of our planet in the Anthropocene.