International Master's Programme in Environmental Social Science
The International Master's Programme in Environmental Social Science (SEEKO) explores how human behaviour, power relations, institutions, and governance shape climate action, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development. Specialize in Political Science, Human Geography, or Social Anthropology while gaining skills to design policies and sustainability solutions.
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PARIS, DECEMBER 12, 2015. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (2nd left); Christiana Figueres (left), Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC; Laurent Fabius (2nd right), President of the COP21 climate summit and French president François Hollande (right), celebrate after the adoption of Paris Agreement. Photo: UN Photo/Mark Garten © December 12, 2015/Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Why choose this programme?
Focus on the political drivers of environmental and sustainability problems
Understand how politics, institutions, economic systems, and collective action shape environmental outcomes and sustainability transformations.
Combine disciplinary depth with interdisciplinary expertise
Graduate with a master’s degree in Political Science, Human Geography, or Social Anthropology, while specializing in Environmental Social Science.
Tackle interlinked global environmental challenges
Study the governance of climate change, biodiversity, natural resource management, environmental security, and sustainable development in a rapidly changing geopolitical context.
Learn to design sustainability solutions that work in practice
Develop skills to design and evaluate environmental policies, institutions, and governance strategies across local, national, EU, and global levels.
Study in a global hub for sustainability and environmental governance
Stockholm hosts world leading institutions working on environmental policy, international climate governance, and sustainability research.
The program in social environmental studies deals with how science, policy formulations and everyday practices interact with power relations. How are environmental problems and their solutions defined and understood? How do unequal conditions lead to vulnerability?
During the first semester of the program, two multidisciplinary mandatory courses are taken that provide an introduction to social environmental research. At the end of semester 1, students choose a major, political science or human geography, and during semesters 2-4, courses within each major are studied, including a methodology course and independent work. There are also opportunities for internships.
The program has close collaboration with relevant stakeholders outside the university, such as authorities, research institutes and think tanks. Through a number of career preparation activities, students have the opportunity to meet professionals in the field, build valuable contacts and gain insight into how the knowledge from the education content is applied in practice.
Year 1
All courses in the program are at advanced level and are taught in English:
Semester 1:
- Ideas, Governance and Global Political Economy for the Environment and Sustainable Development, 15 credits (area Political Science)
- Power, Justice and the Environment, 15 credits (area Human Geography)
At the end of the first semester, students choose which area to focus on, Political Science or Human Geopraphy. This will also be the area in which the degree is given.
Semester 2:
Political Science Degree specialization:
- Global Climate and Environmental Policy, 7.5 credits
- Political Economy, 7.5 credits
- Methods in Political Science with a specialization in Environmental Social Science, 15 credits
Human Geography Degree specialization:
Semester 2:
- Advanced methods in human geography with a focus on social science environmental studies, 15 credits
- Elective courses at advanced level in human geography of 15 credits.
Year 2
Political Science Degree specialization:
Semester 3:
- Independent work in political science with a focus on social science environmental studies for a master's degree, 30 credits
Semester 4:
Elective studies, internship or exchange studies, 30 credits. The semester is designed in consultation with the program manager and may consist of one or more of the following:
- Courses with a social science major.
- Internship through one of the courses Pre-professional internship in political science, 15 credits, Pre-professional internship in political science, 22.5 credits, or Pre-professional internship in political science, 30 credits.
- Exchange studies within the social science major via the Department of Political Science or Stockholm University's exchange agreement.
Human Geography Degree specialization:
Semester 3:
Elective studies, internship or exchange studies, 30 credits. The semester is designed in consultation with the director of studies and may consist of one or more of the following:
- Courses within the social sciences major.
- Internship through one of the courses Internship in Human Geography, 15 credits, or Assignment Project in Human Geography, 15 credits.
- Exchange studies within the social sciences major via the Department of Human Geography, Department of Political Science or Stockholm University's exchange agreement.
Semester 4:
- Degree project in human geography with a focus on social science environmental studies, 30 credits
In addition to the general entry requirements, the programme and the master's level courses have specific entry requirements.
Applications are open during both the international admissions round from October to January, as well as in the national admissions round from March to April.
All applications are to be submitted electronically through universityadmissions.se (English) or antagning.se (Swedish).
If the university where you gained your Bachelor’s degree does not implement the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), alongside your academic transcript you will need to submit a statement detailing how the credit system from the university in question corresponds to the ECTS. The statement should contain the following information:
- Your personal information
- The name of your degree
- How many credits within your university’s system equals 1, 10 and 30 ECTS
- If applicable, how many credits a semester of full-time studies entail at the university which issued your Bachelor’s degree, stated both in credits of the original system, and in ECTS
The statement should be signed and stamped by an official person at your degree issuing university, such as a study counsellor, administrator, Director of Studies etc.
The entry requirenments are A bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits in one of the subjects: economic history, global development, international relations, human geography, economics, social planning, social anthropology, sociology, statistics, political science or equivalent.
A degree in geography with a focus on human geography or environmental science with a focus on social science also provides eligibility.
All applicants should have English proficiency equivalent to English Course B or English 6.
Selection process
We make a selection among the eligible applicants. The selection of students is based on grades of academic courses and the relevance of previous studies in relation to the programme.
As we also base the selection on the applicants bachelor thesis we kindly ask that applicants send in their bachelor thesis along with your application on University Admissions, or the Admissions Office at Stockholm University.
If your bachelor’s degree did not include a thesis you can share a paper you have written for one of your courses. This should be a research paper of at least 15 pages containing the following components:
- A research question
- A theory section
- Clearly specified method(s) and research design
- Analysis of an empirical case or material/a data section
If you have questions about the admissions process or the general eligability, please contact University Admissions, or the Admissions Office at Stockholm University.
If you have questions about the specific requirements, the selection process or the programme, please contact impress@statsvet.su.se.
The program is offered in collaboration with the Department of Human Geography.
The program leads to a Master of Science degree. The main field of study for the degree is human geography or political science. The specialization is environmental social science.
Meet our teachers
Our graduates are highly sought after on the job market. According to a 2025 alumni survey, the vast majority found employment within a few months of graduation
Alumni consistently describe the programme as highly relevant to their careers and have gone on to work in government agencies, international and non-governmental organizations, private companies, and academia. Graduates hold positions such as Environmental Policy Manager, Sustainability Controller, Researcher, and Sustainability Implementation Manager.
The programme equips students with advanced analytical, research, and policy skills that are directly applicable to professional roles addressing sustainability, climate, and environmental challenges. Many alumni work with investigations, policy development, and strategic analysis, helping organizations navigate the transition towards a more sustainable future.
