Since its establishment in 2005, the MEG program has been training academics in the broader field of Environmental Governance, understood as new modes of social co-ordination among market, state and civil society actors.
MEG is exceptional in its highly interdisciplinary approach: at its core it is social-scientific, but it provides students with basic ‘scientific literacy’ in the more technical aspects of pressing environmental challenges.
The program has been developed with a clear ambition to be ranked among the top 10 international study programs in the field of sustainability, society and environment worldwide.
About 35 students are selected each year based on criteria of excellence and geographical representation (industrialised countries, countries in transition, developing countries as well as geographic regions). The program targets future leaders with grand, innovative ideas about environmental governance arrangements beyond the traditional functional, structural and territorial boundaries (‘sustainability designers’). The ideal MEGie embraces and understands the complexities of sustainable development, but is also capable of finding ways to implement solutions in organisations, enterprises and administrations in a context-sensitive manner (‘sustainability facilitators’).
MEG is accredited in accordance with international standards for higher education. In 2006, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) acknowledged the program as a Development-Related Postgraduate Course and thus offers a limited number of DAAD/EPOS scholarships.
