Master in Sustainable Transition - Germany (No Tuition Fee, English, Online Program)

[kumamon]

Hello, everyone.
I would like to share my experience being enrolled as one of the students at a fully digital master's program at Justus Liebig University (JLU) Giessen, Germany. Master in Sustainable Transition at JLU Giessen. The program is offered by one of the oldest university in Germany, the program also recognized and accredited. This program is use English as the language of instruction.

First, I would like to share about the program.



The program is affordable; they did not charge any tuition fee, but they do charge something called a "semester fee," which costs approximately 100 Euros, or around 110 USD. The semester fee is used for administrative fees, etc.
The program itself is the "first fully online degree program of Justus Liebig University Giessen, offered by the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Nutritional Sciences, and Environmental Management (Faculty 09), a faculty with acknowledged expertise in the scientific analysis of agricultural and food systems." This program focuses on a transdisciplinary approach where students learn from various fields including economics, political sciences, and natural environmental sciences.
For the master's program, students can finish it in four semesters. Each semester, students take around five courses/modules. I have also attached the semester plan and course/module directory if you want to have a further look at this program.
I started the program last year and have already finished the first semester. I really enjoy the program; the lecturers are great, and the courses are well-prepared and insightful. Although the program is fully digital, there are synchronous weekly sessions for each course where we can interact live with the professor and fellow students. We also have some group work depending on the courses/modules; you need full commitment to perform well in the program. The students in my batch come from many countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, which brings a lot of perspectives to our modules, a plus point for this program.
To be able to apply to this program, here are some of the admission requirements:

• Applicants must hold a Bachelor's degree with at least 180 ECTS-points and the grade good or very good (Minimum Grade of 2.6 German grading system) in one of the following scientific fields:
  

1. Agriculture
   
2. Nutrition
   
3. Natural or environmental sciences
   
4. Economics
   
5. Political science
   

• Proof of sufficient knowledge in economics, and/or the social sciences, i.e. at least 60 ECTS points in at least one of these subjects.
  
• The application includes a letter of motivation with 500 words (+/- 10%) outlining the candidate’s personal motivation and his or her subject-specific knowledge.
  
• As the entire degree course is taught in English, applicants must provide proof of sufficient knowledge of written and spoken English.
  

If you have any questions that you have about this program, do let me know, I will try to answer it. This program is really good if you want to explore and learn more about sustainability. This is a golden opportunity for everyone searching for an online affordable master's degree that is accredited from Europe (Germany).

[bjcheung77]

Awesome stuff, even with the semester fees, this is a very interesting option for those who want to go into Environmental or Sustainability Studies. If I had the energy, time, I would apply for this in a heart beat... Thanks for sharing!

[armado]

Great info. Thanks so much

[klemens.amy]

Hi, I've just sent you an email. Please kindly check. Thank you.

[bjcheung77]

Hi, I've just sent you an email. Please kindly check. Thank you.

You might want to indicate who you've sent that email to...

[cahyo_adi]

Where is the link that I can get information about fee (semester fee)?

[bjcheung77]

You'll have to search for it, the link on the first post no longer works. I wonder if it's still available or not...

[Messdiener]

The degree still exists, but it looks like they've simply moved the program to another address:

https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/study/cour...nsition/st

On the Application tab, you'll see that the fees are 120 EUR per semester. Based on the proposed study plan, that comes out to 480 EUR in semester fees. From what I can see, no other fees are mentioned. Even if you end up with some miscellaneous costs (textbooks, graduation fees, etc.), this degree is a total steal if you're interested in this field!

[bjcheung77]

Actually, for the Master in Sustainable Transition, it's different... In greater detail, https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/org/admin/...anguage=en

[Maltus]

Applications with a Bachelor’s degree in another scientific field or with a Bachelor’s degree from abroad will be examined individually as to whether the study requirements are fulfilled. For the Master’s programme Sustainable Transition sufficient knowledge in the fields of economics, law and/or social sciences must be demonstrated, at least 60 CP in one of these fields.

They seem to have changed the entrancerequirements a bit. in 2024 you needed 6ß ECTS in economics, now it can be from economics, law and/or social sciences. This makes this Master realy interesting! And at only about 125 € Semsterfees it is a very good deal - even if you only take some classes to transfer the credits.
Unfortunately the deadline for international students was August 15th.