Lund University International Master's Programme in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science

LUMES is an interdisciplinary international master's programme on Environment and Sustainability conducted entirely in English. The programme is open to qualified students from around the globe. Its overarching objective is to furnish students with the knowledge and skills they need, whatever their future occupations, for creating a more sustainable world.

LUMES was created in 1997 in the post-Rio era to train talented students, preparing them to contribute to sustainability in the 21st century.

Since then 294 students from around 74 countries have graduated from LUMES, Lund University Master's Programme in International Environmental Science after having spent roughly 16 months studying for the degree.

In August 2005 LUMES was extended to a 2-year programme.
The new full name of the programme is LUMES, Lund University International Master's Programme in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science. It is still a truly interdisciplinary programme open for students from all over the world and will lead to the Swedish equivalent of a Master's degree (Magisterexamen).

The changes in the LUMES Programme, from a one and a half year (60 credit) programme to a two year (80 credit) programme are due in part to the Bologna Process.

The Bologna Process is a European initiative to reform higher education within Europe. The ultimate aim of the Process is to establish a European Higher Education Area, by the year 2010, in which staff and students can move with ease and have fair recognition of their qualifications.

Interdisciplinary and International

LUMES programme participants are from countries all around the world and from a variety of academic disciplines. Furthermore, teachers from seven faculties at Lund University come together and create multidisciplinary teachers' teams in order to make the respective courses at LUMES more integrated in nature. The result is a distinctive combination of students and teaching staff that provides a unique setting for interdisciplinary studies, where knowledge from a variety of disciplines is used to examine the concepts surrounding the environment and sustainability. 

Target Groups

Admission to the LUMES programme requires at least a Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline, e.g. natural and social sciences, law, economics, engineering, agronomy, or medicine.

A Unique Programme

The multitude of academic backgrounds in conjunction with the diverse cultural backgrounds makes this programme very unique. At LUMES, young people from all around the globe learn to work together on a broad array of environmentally-focused topics. With this sometimes intense interaction students acquire invaluable insights into other culture prospectives as well as other academic disciplines. At the same time the programme challenges participants to broaden their perspectives and vitalize their critical thinking skills while encouraging them to seek new ways of learning and problem solving.

The Overall Objective

The overall objective of the LUMES programme is to furnish students with knowledge, competence and preparedness to take action in contributing positively to long-term ecological, economic and social sustainable development through a critical- and systems thinking approach. The programme is designed to build on the previous knowledge, skills and experiences of students with the ultimate intention of producing graduates having the capacity to become creators of change, locally as well as globally.

There are themes running through the programme to create continuity between courses. Thinking holistically requires seeing things as systems; system thinking is used as the principal methodological approach of the programme. Through this approach students learn to grasp and understand the human and ecological interactions of complex environmental problems, and to see solutions to problems that could not be realized with more conventional problem-solving approaches. A second theme is the continuous training of how to communicate in an academically acceptable way. This academic communication is especially relevant for the LUMES programme due to its inter-disciplinary nature and the subject matter of sustainability, which is not a simple concept to communicate stringently.

Upon completion LUMES graduates are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills that make them an attractive choice for leadership positions in both in the public and private sectors, or as doctoral researchers.

The global network of LUMES graduates now encompasses almost 300 participants from over 70 nations working in a diverse range of professions and subjects.

Entry Requirements and Selection Criteria

Admission to LUMES requires at least a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in a discipline relevant to the programme, which includes for example natural sciences, social sciences, economics, law, engineering, agriculture, forestry, or medicine. Since the programme is conducted entirely in English candidates must demonstrate their proficiency in English by submitting appropriate documents as directed in the instructions for the application form. For non-Nordic applicants whose first language is other than English, this should be done by an internationally recognized test, e. g. TOEFL (at least 550/213), IELTS (at least 6.0) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency. 

Approximately 36 students will be admitted yearly. The final selection among the applicants fulfilling the basic requirements is based on academic grades and other relevant merits in addition to the statement of purpose written by the applicants and recommendations given. Successful candidates will be notified in April.

The Credit System

In Sweden, the normal academic year is divided into two terms of 20 weeks each, giving in total 40 credits. One Swedish credit equals 1.5 credits in the European Credit Transfer System.

Academic achievements at Lund University (the student workload) are measured according to the Swedish credit system. One Swedish credit equals one week of full-time studies. Thus, after one semester of successful full-time studies (passing the examinations) the student obtains 20 Swedish credits, equivalent to 30 ECTS credits (European Credit Transfer System).

The extended LUMES programme covers 4 terms. To graduate, the student must acquire 80 Swedish credits (120 ECTS credits): 60 Swedish credits from course work, and 20 Swedish credits from thesis work.

Academic Calendar

The normal academic year is divided into two semesters of 20 weeks each. The autumn semester runs from late August to late January with a short vacation at Christmas, immediately followed by the spring terms. The spring terms end in early June and there is only a short break at Easter.

The final seminars and graduation will take place in late May or early June.

Cost of Participation

There are no tuition fees at Swedish universities, but the expenses for course literature etc. must be covered by the student. The cost of living is approx.
7,500 SEK (US$ 1000) per month. Students requiring a visa/residence permit must present documents substantiating financial support at approximately that level when submitting the visa application to a Swedish Embassy or Consulate.

If you will need a scholarship to finance your studies at LUMES, you are primarily advised to secure funding from sources outside Sweden. In Sweden a limited number of scholarships are available through the Swedish Institute (www.si.se) for candidates from all countries in the world except the Nordic countries. You can apply for a scholarship from the Swedish Institute through LUMES, but the competition for such a scholarship is extremely tough; much tougher than the competition to be admitted to the programme.