Qualifications
UNU-IAS welcomes applicants with outstanding academic records and strong interest or experience in environmental policy, management of biodiversity issues or policy-related research in sustainable development.
In order to apply to the Master of Science in Environmental Governance programme, a Bachelor's degree in the natural sciences, social sciences, environmental studies, engineering, law, public policy or public administration is a prerequisite. However, exceptions are made for outstanding applicants who wish to make career changes, such as in the following cases:
- Applicants with an undergraduate degree in a different area but with an outstanding academic record.
- Applicants with a master’s degree in an unrelated area willing to learn more about biodiversity and environmental issues.
- Applicants with extensive work experience in another area who want to learn more about biodiversity and environmental issues.
English Requirements
All courses in the Environmental Governance programme are taught in English. Applicants must have excellent written and verbal English skills. Applicants whose first language is not English and whose undergraduate studies were not in English must take a standardized English exam (TOEFL iBT or Academic Reading/Writing IELTS). A minimum score of 100 is required for the TOEFL iBT Test and an overall score of 7 for the IELTS.
Application Procedure
Application Procedure
Interested applicants should carefully read the instructions for applying online and complete the Online Application System. Submitted applications are reviewed as they arrive, and offers of admissions are granted according to the order applications are received. Potential applicants are therefore encouraged to send their applications earlier than later, as once all places for the academic year are filled, applications will no longer be reviewed. However, if programme placement is still available, late applications may be considered. From the time of submission, it will take 4 to 6 weeks for decisions to be made.
If an applicant is accepted to the programme, he or she will have one month after receiving the acceptance notification to send in the following documents:
- Original application form with photo and signature
- Official original copies of all academic transcripts from his/her university courses (an English translation must accompany non-English transcripts)
- Official degree certificates from all previous institutions of higher education, or a certificate from the applicant’s current university stating the expected date of completion of all requirements necessary for the applicant's degree (an English translation must accompany non-English documents)
- Original proof of English language proficiency exam (TOEFL or IELTS)
- Proof of payment of the university fees, if applicable
- Photocopy of passport, or copy of an identification card if the candidate is Japanese (submit page with photo, name, passport number and date of expiration. For those who have previously visited Japan, submit pages showing the arrival and departure dates of each prior visit)
After careful review, the admissions committee will make its final decision within one month upon receipt of all documents.
