Third Semester

You do not have any mandatory courses in the third semester, therefore you could either participate in the Climate Study Project and some elective courses from our three program tracks, or use this opportunity to spend time abroad in one of our partner programs. In this case, you will participate in the Climate Study Project and the electives e.g. in your fourth semester.

The Climate Study Project is an individual research project in preparation for your master’s thesis. During the lecture period, you will work on a supervised project of your choice in one of the research groups within the Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability. You will document your findings in a report. In addition, all students present their projects in a seminar.

Overview of the modules offered in the third semester:

Advancement in Climate System Sciences

Module Number: ESW-CLIADVANCE

Qualification Objectives:

Students acquire advanced disciplinary and methodological knowledge in at least two of the following areas: Physical Earth System Sciences (P), Biogeochemistry (B), and Economic and Social Sciences (S).

Contents:

Courses are offered on specialized disciplinary knowledge in the fields of Physical Earth System Sciences (P), Biogeochemistry (B), and Economic and Social Sciences (S).

Teaching Formats (Indicated in Semester Hours per Week - SWS):

Students select courses from the areas of Physical Earth System Sciences (P), Biogeochemistry (B), and Economic and Social Sciences (S) from a comprehensive and varying catalog. Common teaching formats include:

Lecture + Exercise (2 / 4 SWS)
Lecture (2 / 4 SWS)
Seminar (2 SWS)
Practical Training (2 SWS)

Module Completion:

Module Examination: Partial module examinations, completion of exercises, oral examination, or written exam. A maximum of 9 CP from each of the areas of Physical Earth System Sciences (P), Biogeochemistry (B), and Economic and Social Sciences (S) may be counted towards the module.

Workload in Individual Module Components (Indicated in Credit Points - CP):

3 CP for courses with 2 SWS
6 CP for courses with 4 SWS

Total Workload of the Module: 12 Credit Points

Duration: One semester

Frequency of Offering: Annually in the winter semester

Module Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Christian Beer

Climate Study Project

Module Number: ESW-CLISTUDY

Qualification Objectives:

Students are capable of developing and documenting a concept for their first major independent research project (Master’s thesis) in coordination with their supervisors. They can present and defend their research in front of an audience. Additionally, they can gather essential background information through literature research and discussions with experts.

Contents:

Climate Study Project Preparation: The structure of a scientific paper is introduced, and key components of an abstract—"What," "Why," and "How"—are explained. Students draft their own abstract, which is discussed in class and subsequently revised.
Climate Study Project: An independent research project in the field of Integrated Climate System Sciences is conducted. Individual research is carried out under the guidance of a supervisor in preparation for a potential Master's thesis.
Climate System Science Seminar: Presentation and discussion of the individual Climate Study Project.

Teaching Formats (Indicated in Semester Hours per Week - SWS):

Exercise Climate Study Project Preparation: 2 SWS
Project Climate Study Project: 8 SWS
Seminar Climate System Science Seminar: 2 SWS

Module Examination: Project completion, consisting of:

Term paper on the Climate Study Project (80%)
Presentation with discussion in the Climate Study Project Seminar (20%)

Course Requirements: Successful completion of the Climate Study Project Preparation exercise.

Workload in Individual Module Components (Indicated in Credit Points - CP):

Exercise Climate Study Project Preparation: 3 CP
Seminar Climate System Science Seminar: 3 CP
Project Climate Study Project: 12 CP

Total Workload of the Module: 18 Credit Points