Master's Degree Programme in
Environmental Humanities
Environmental Humanities
Degree-seeking students: apply
Department of Asian and North African Studies, Palazzo Vendramin dei Carmini, Dorsoduro 3462, 30123 Venice.
For further information please contact the Linguistic Campus, campus.linguistico@unive.it.
Teaching regulations for this Programme cover the following aspects: educational goals, access methods, study plan, exams, final exam, and job opportunities. Throughout their university career, students must refer to the teaching regulations enforced in place at the time of their matriculation.
Limited to 70 positions. Out of the 70 available positions, 15 are reserved for non-EU students, of which 3 are reserved for Chinese nationals enrolled in the Marco Polo Project.
In order to be accepted onto the master's degree course, students must hold a degree or another equivalent accepted qualification awarded abroad. Students must also have an adequate level of personal preparation.
A minimum proficiency level of B2 in English is required. You can find more details about admission requirements and procedures on the Admission webpage.
Applicants with international qualifications must have obtained a bachelor’s degree with a duration of at least three years. Procedures and deadlines are available on the dedicated online platform. International qualification will be evaluated by the teaching committee, after the pre-evaluation procedure carried out on the online platform.
Further details in the webpage dedicated to Degree-seeking students.
The master's degree explores the role humanities are called to play in times of environmental crisis, generating socio-ecological awareness and inspiring sustainability transformations. It embraces the emergent paradigm of Environmental Humanities, aimed at sustaining cultural and ethical change to protect and nourish life on our planet. The programme is based on a careful analysis of interactions between cultural, social, and natural systems at local and global level. It is informed by a multidisciplinary approach, bridging the gap between the natural sciences, social sciences, and a variety of fields across the humanities. The course nurtures the skills of future practitioners in the fields of culture, education, arts, science, and policy making, to make them capable of envisioning together a sustainable and just future for the biosphere, inclusive of humans and more-than-human entities. To fulfil this mission in an era characterised by complex multi-ethnic societies and climate-induced migrations, the course tackles environmental issues from a global history and intercultural perspective. Teachings embed cultural and social sensitivity as a tool to comprehend and regenerate the relationship between humans and natural environments. This entails also the exploration of traditional knowledge and practices that contribute to nature conservation across the globe.
Being located in Venice, Ca’ Foscari University is a special place for students and researchers of environmental humanities. A historic crossroads of civilisations, today’s Venice is at the forefront of the climate crisis, while its socio-ecological balance is threatened by global tourism. This combination makes of Venice a place vibrant with critical reflections and novel creative responses to the environmental challenges of our times. These endeavours unfold on different scales: locally, they relate to the on-going quest to preserve and regenerate the unique ecosystem of the Venetian lagoon, shaped by centuries of human-nature interaction. At the same time, the city is an echo chamber for the cultural, artistic, and scientific debate unfolding internationally on the Anthropocene. The course will also provide students with the possibility to experience first-hand the lagoon’s socio-ecological challenges and to engage with world-level intellectuals, artists, practitioners, and leaders who care and work for the wellbeing of the planet and its peoples.
The project will be able to make use of the resources related to the interdisciplinary research carried out at NICHE – The New Institute Centre for Environmental Humanities at Ca' Foscari, whose international collaborations with institutions at the forefront of the Environmental Humanities include the Rachel Carson Centre at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin and the UNESCO Chair on Water, Heritage and Sustainable Development.
Course activities include frontal teaching, laboratories, collaborative workshops, and experiential learning. The final internship is compulsory and aimed at transferring skills useful for future employment. Skills acquired by students are assessed periodically by means of written and oral tests.
The final examination consists in a written thesis, to be defended by the student before an evaluation committee. The thesis must be an interdisciplinary work of scientific value, focused on a topic agreed upon with a supervisor. The latter must be a lecturer or professor of the master’s programme. A co-supervisor with a complementary disciplinary background is assigned to the student prior to dissertation defence. The thesis is drafted and defended in English language and may be informed by the student’s internship experience.
A total of 21 credits (CFUs) are attributed upon positive completion of the final examination.
Professional Master’s Programmes and PhD programmes.
Environmental educator
Graduates may work as environmental educators in:
Environmental and sustainability consultant
Graduates may work as environmental researchers and consultants for public and private bodies , companies, think-tanks, and NGOs committed to sustainability transformation.
Creator and curator of cultural activities regarding the environment
Graduates may work as creators and curators of cultural activities regarding the environment, on behalf of cultural associations and organisations, local authorities and national and international bodies.
Expert in cultural mediation and communication
Graduates may work as experts in cultural mediation and communication for:
