Master's Program in Integrated Climate System Sciences

Master's Program in Integrated Climate System Sciences

The analysis and assessment of our climate and earth system increasingly require interdisciplinary competencies. The MSc ICSS program teaches across all subjects involved in climate research in order to provide a holistic picture of the climate system. Our interdisciplinary claim challenges the traditional subject-related teaching.

Through this approach and the imparting of interdisciplinary competencies, the M.Sc. ICSS program has a unique selling proposition. The location in Hamburg with access to Germany's hub for Climate research offers ideal study conditions.

This research-oriented program was re-accredited by ASIIN in 2018.

School of Integrated Climate and Earth System Sciences

SICSS was founded in 2008 as a graduate school of the Cluster of Excellence ‘Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction (CliSAP)’, running from 2007-2018. Our first doctoral candidates started their projects as SICSS-members in 2008 and our first MSc students enrolled in October 2009. Since then SICSS grew very fast!

Today, we host permanently about 75 doctoral candidates and about 45 MSc students. Since summer 2019, SICSS takes care for all early career stages. Besides the MSc and the doctoral program we are also responsible for a Post-Doc program and all gender issues, related to early career support.

Interdisciplinary Education and Research in SICSS

SICSS stands for interdisciplinary and research-oriented education in Earth and Climate System Science. SICSS links students and candidates of different scientific background and expertise and enables an integrated, innovative education. SICSS prepares you for working as an expert in various fields of climate change: as a researcher in the fields of natural, social and economic sciences, as a consultant or as an expert in national and international organizations. The high level of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, the individual support and supervision and the international atmosphere at SICSS is the inspiring background of our program.

All our programs start with an introduction course that gives an expert-based overview on the disciplines dealing with climate sciences. The interdisciplinary knowledge gained in theses courses is complemented with courses on specific research skills needed for a career in Earth and Climate System sciences. This encompasses skills in scientific writing, presentation or leadership. Other research skill courses are dedicated to programming, computer languages, modeling tools or visualization. The research skills courses are completed with courses on good scientific practice and intercultural training.