The United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and the University of Bonn are accepting applications for their Joint MSc in Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security, a two-year, fully residential master’s program in Bonn that has a good chance of receiving full DAAD funding through the EPOS scholarship scheme. The application deadline for the October 2027 intake is October 31, 2026.
What the Program Offers:
- A joint, UN-affiliated degree: delivered equally by the University of Bonn’s Department of Geography and UNU-EHS, with close ties to the UN system and international organizations.
- Track record: since launching in 2013, the program has trained 279 students from 46 countries.
- Structure: 12 modules across the first three semesters, followed by a compulsory 8-week minimum internship and an independent master’s thesis.
- Focus areas: vulnerability assessment, disaster management, climate change adaptation, GIS and remote sensing, socio-hydrology, development geography, and risk governance, with a deliberate emphasis on developing countries and the Global South.
- Career paths: disaster risk reduction, humanitarian response, climate policy, food security, spatial planning, and international relations roles, with genuine exposure to UN agencies and international organizations through the program’s affiliations.
Who Can Apply for UNU Bonn Scholarship
- A bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) where the majority of your coursework relates to human geography/social sciences, research methodology, or physical geography/earth system science.
- Not for everyone: UNU-EHS’s own page is explicit that the program “is not targeted at graduates in Engineering-related subjects,” and International Relations graduates are only considered if their academic profile has a strong connection to environmental risk.
- Current PhD students or PhD holders cannot be considered.
- All non-native speakers from a short list of exempt countries must provide proof of English proficiency, with Indian applicants needing a qualifying score of IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 79, or an equivalent, regardless of whether they have studied in English previously.
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The Fully Funded Route: DAAD EPOS
This program is one of a select group of postgraduate degrees eligible for DAAD's EPOS scholarship, and India is explicitly named on DAAD's own list of EPOS-eligible developing countries. To qualify for the scholarship specifically, on top of the general admission criteria, you need:
- At least 2 years of relevant work experience since your bachelor's degree by the application deadline.
- Your most recent degree was completed no more than 6 years before applying.
- No other master's degree has already been completed in a similar field.
- A genuine intention to work as a development practitioner afterward, not to pursue an academic career or a PhD.
Getting admitted to the MSc doesn't automatically get you the scholarship; the EPOS selection among shortlisted candidates happens separately, between February and April.
Documents to Prepare for UNU Bonn Scholarship
Applications go directly to UNU-EHS by email as a single PDF, submitted in a strict required order, get this wrong, and it risks being disqualified as incomplete. Indian applicants specifically need an APS Certificate (via APS India), which is a mandatory document alongside the standard set: motivation letter, Europass-format CV, degree certificates, transcripts, English proficiency proof, and passport copy. EPOS applicants additionally need the DAAD EPOS checklist and application form (hand-signed, not digital), a separate scholarship motivation letter, and professional/work certificates. A 1,000-word academic writing sample in English, with APA references, is required from everyone.
Why It Matters for Indian Students
This is a genuinely rare combination for Indian applicants: a fully funded route (tuition plus living stipend under standard DAAD EPOS terms) to a UN-affiliated master's degree in a growing field climate and disaster risk work where India itself faces an acute domestic need for trained practitioners. The program's own emphasis on the Global South and development practice, rather than pure academia, also means the profile it's looking for (practical experience, a clear post-degree development career goal) rewards candidates who've already spent time working in a relevant field, not fresh graduates straight out of a bachelor's.
The exclusions are worth taking seriously before applying: the program isn't a fit for engineering graduates or general International Relations graduates without a demonstrated environmental-risk connection, and PhD holders or current PhD students are excluded outright. Given the APS certificate requirement adds real lead time for Indian applicants specifically, the application process is worth starting well before the October 31 deadline, not in the final weeks.
Have questions about whether your background fits this program's specific eligibility bar? Book a free session with a LeapScholar counselor.
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