Governance of Risk & Resources

Subjects: Social Sciences

M.Sc. | Master of Science

Course description

Natural disasters often catch societies off guard, and conflicts over scarce resources are on the rise globally. Students who focus on the governance of risks and resources learn why nation-states struggle to manage human-environment issues and where alternative, more participatory forms of collective action coordination can be effective, especially at subnational, regional, and local levels. The Master's degree course in Governance of Risk and Resources, offered at the Heidelberg Center for Latin America (HCLA) in Santiago de Chile, is interdisciplinary. It bridges natural sciences, economics, and social sciences. This fee-based continuing education program admits up to 25 students annually. The course emphasizes analyzing, designing, and monitoring governance processes. These processes coordinate distributed interests and resources to achieve common goals. Governance involves various forms of collective decision-making, with participatory coordination playing a crucial role. This approach enables society to collaboratively find solutions to human-environment problems, support these solutions collectively, and guide itself through the process. Students in this Master's program are trained to recognize the diverse, context-specific challenges and opportunities in governance. They learn to navigate the complexities of coordinating collective action, ensuring that solutions are inclusive and sustainable. The program equips them with the skills to analyze governance processes critically, design effective

Application Requirements

Qualification Requirements

1) the general university entrance qualification, a relevant subject-specific university entrance qualification, a foreign university entrance qualification or a university entrance qualification recognized as equivalent by the responsible state authority, (2) a degree obtained with above-average success* in the (bachelor's) degree program in geography, economics, agronomy or in courses with content related to the MSc GovRR at a Chilean, German or foreign university. (3) It is important that the (Bachelor's) degree program included a standard period of study of at least three years. A total of at least 210 ECTS credit points must be proven. A maximum of 30 ECTS points can be credited from professional experience (see info box below for the crediting of professional experience or other study achievements). (4) If a (bachelor's) degree was obtained more than three years ago at the time of application, proof of at least one year of relevant professional experience with content related to the MSc GovRR must be provided. When enrolling, the applicant must also either certify that they are completing the course as a full-time course or provide proof of a flexible arrangement with the employer that enables part-time study. * This corresponds to a university degree grade of at least 2.5 according to the German nomenclature or 5.5 according to the Chilean grading scale (=ECTS Grade B good ).

Document Requirements

Proof of general university entrance qualification University certificate of (Bachelor) degree * Additional certification of study achievements at least two academic letters of recommendation CV Short letter of motivation (approx. 1,000 words) explaining your general interest in the course of study. Of particular interest is how the course of study is consistent with the applicant's professional goals. If applicable, proof of professional activity (employment certificate)