The Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) are now working even more closely together. From the winter semester 2021/2022, students from both universities will be able to complete a double degree in the Master's programmes Organic Agriculture and Food Systems (OLE) and Environment and Natural Resources (ENR).
Research and practice go hand in hand even better in the new double degree programme at HNEE and ZHAW. While student exchanges were previously only possible via programmes such as Erasmus or others, this is now implemented in the degree programme and can therefore be implemented with less bureaucracy. "The exchange is voluntary and can be arranged in the first semester if you are interested. The exchange then takes place for six months in the third of a total of four regular semesters," explains Dr Christina Bantle, Internationalisation Officer at the HNEE Faculty of Landscape Management and Nature Conservation.
While the Swiss university works directly with partners from research, the focus at HNEE is on practical experience in companies in the agriculture and food sector as part of an internship semester. "Thanks to the double degree, students can now choose a focus that they would otherwise not be able to set at their own university," says Dr Christina Bantle. After completing the third semester at the partner university, students then have to write their Master's thesis, which is supervised jointly by HNEE and ZHAW. Ultimately, graduates receive two degrees, the Master of Science (M. Sc.) OLE and the M. Sc. ENR. In addition, the double degree enables Swiss participants to pursue a doctorate following their studies. This option was not previously available.
Unlike other double degree programmes, a direct exchange between students from both countries is also planned. This summer, the first joint summer school "Agroforestry & Regenerative Agriculture" will take place as part of the exchange programme. "Here, new cultivation systems and methods in the context of 'regenerative agriculture' (e.g. agroforestry systems, keyline design, permaculture) will be taught in their complex mode of action in cross-university and cross-national teams and developed in planning terms on the basis of practical examples. The new course is not only aimed at participants of the double degree programme, but also at students of all HNEE and ZHAW environmental degree programmes," explains Prof. Dr. Ralf Bloch, head of the new M. Sc. OLE course.
You can find more information about the degree programme at the ZHAW here!
Information about the partner institute IUNR (ZHAW):
At the Institute of Natural Resource Sciences (IUNR) of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in Wädenswil, 210 employees teach and conduct research. It offers a Bachelor's and a Master's degree programme as well as a diverse continuing education programme. There are five specialisations to choose from in the Bachelor's degree in Natural Resource Sciences; the consecutive Master's degree in Environment and Natural Resources offers a specialisation in one of three areas: Agroecology and Food Systems, Biodiversity and Ecosystems or Ecological Engineering and Renewable Energy. It combines natural and social science as well as technological expertise. The degree programme thus teaches the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary skills needed to answer complex questions in the environmental field.
About the ZHAW
The ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences is one of the leading universities of applied sciences in Switzerland with over 13,400 students and 3,300 employees. In research and development, the ZHAW focuses on key societal challenges - with an emphasis on energy and social integration. With expertise in sustainable development and digital transformation, future-oriented knowledge is imparted and digital and ecological change is actively shaped. With its locations in Winterthur, Zurich and Wädenswil, the ZHAW has regional roots and cooperates with international partners. The university comprises eight departments: Applied Linguistics, Applied Psychology, Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering, Health, Life Sciences and Facility Management, School of Engineering, School of Management and Law, and Social Work.