European MSc GloFor - Global Forestry

Co-funded by the European Union
Global Forestry (GloFor) is a two-year English-language Erasmus Mundus MSc programme that prepares graduates to address the major contemporary challenges and opportunities of forestry in low- and middle-income countries.

For a more detailed presentation of GloFor, please visit globalforestry.eu.


Global Forestry field landscape
Background and objectives
Deforestation and forest degradation account for 10 to 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, contribute substantially to biodiversity loss worldwide, and threaten the livelihoods of millions of people who depend heavily on forests and uncultivated environments for their subsistence.
These processes occur mainly in low- and middle-income countries of the Global South. However, the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation are complex and are linked to climate change, poverty and profit-driven agricultural expansion, unsustainable logging, inequitable forest and land tenure rights, and the lack of effective mechanisms to conserve nature without undermining rural livelihoods.
At the same time, forest resources hold considerable potential. A global transition towards an equitable and green economy will only be possible if forests in low- and middle-income countries are managed through sustainable forms of use and protection.
Skills and professional profile

Developing professional skills

Through an outstanding research-based programme, graduates acquire the skills required to work on global forestry issues:
  • a strong theoretical foundation
  • practical and international experience
  • openness to other cultures.
These skills are essential for careers as researchers or practitioners in international forestry, for example in development agencies, consultancy firms, NGOs, international organisations, ministries or government agencies. Successful students may also apply to high-level international PhD programmes.

Studying in an international, cutting-edge programme

The programme's innovative features include:
  • joint teaching for all students during the first semester through teacher mobility
  • a combination of theory and fieldwork, including in low- and middle-income countries
  • the use of technology in teaching, including fully online and blended learning across a wide range of modules, as well as the involvement of associated partners as internship hosts during thesis work
  • support for achieving all specified learning outcomes through a broad range of teaching and assessment methods designed to accommodate different working and learning styles
  • the mobilisation of teaching resources from across the consortium through jointly delivered courses.
Course organisation
In the first year, students receive an in-depth introduction to the local and global role of forestry in countries of the Global South. All students spend their first semester in Copenhagen, where teachers from all GloFor academic partners contribute to teaching activities. In February of the first year, all students and one teacher from each GloFor university take part in a joint field course in a country of the Global South. Students then continue their second semester in Dresden or Padua.
In the second year, students follow a specialisation at one of the five GloFor academic partner institutions:
Partners
The programme is delivered by a consortium of five European academic institutions with extensive experience in global forestry:
The GloFor consortium also includes associated partners, including the following universities in the Global South:
The GloFor academic institutions all have substantial experience in research-based global forestry education. GloFor therefore provides a unique gateway to high-level, up-to-date teaching in the field.

globalforestry.eu

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Short-term training

A certain number of teaching modules linked to the GEEFT MSc and FNS-MI SpM curricula are open as short continuing education programmes. Two types of certificates recognised by the institution are also offered.

The continuing education catalogue is currently available in French only.

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Become an expert in analysis and management of strategic environmental action

The environment is a field where public action is structuring, whether it is through the framework of standards, the obligation to prevent damage, the study of effects or the associated public services (water or waste for example). The SpM PPSE provides expertise in the world of the environment and the strategic skills needed to become expert in analysis and management of strategic environmental action.


panorama Myanmar FNS-MI
Practical informations


Applications for the SpM PPSE 2023-2024 are closed



Registration fees and charges

The registration fees for 2023/2024 are divided as follows according to the financing status

- Employee or self-employed with training costs covered by a public or private funder: 10 000 euros
- Jobseeker with full coverage of training costs by a third party: 9 000 euros
- Other statuses: 8 000 euros

They include travel expenses during the training (field trips, modules and projects) and the cost of the training as a whole.

 

Teaching languages

French almost exclusively.

 

Selection process

The selection process begins with an examination of the application by the eligibility panel.

A Master's degree, or an engineering degree, or a degree from a business school is required, or, failing that, an M1 followed by three years of professional experience.
If the candidate is declared eligible, he/she is invited to an admission interview with a jury composed of members of the SpM PPSE teaching team. This interview takes place in Paris or, if the candidate is far away, by audiovisual means. Final admissions are decided by the jury on several occasions between April and July.

Applicants for external funding must submit their application to the SpM PPSE early enough to allow the jury to make a decision within a timeframe compatible with the deadlines of their application for external funding.

 

Logistics

All the teaching modules take place in Paris, at the AgroParisTech Campus, 19 avenue du Maine, corresponding to approximately 100 days of training at the centre and 33 days of projects and field studies.
 

To find out about other AgroParisTech Specialized Masters courses

Background and aims
The Specialized Master in Public Policies and Strategies for the Environment - SpM PPSE - was created in 2010. The content of the course has since been adapted to the changing context of environmental action.

This training aims to meet the need for high-level professionals to strengthen the environmental effectiveness of policies, plans and projects carried out by public and private actors for the ecological transition.

Due to the importance of legislation and regulation, the environmental fields are structured, for a large part, by public policies. Developing the skills to know and understand the making of public action and the stakes of its implementation is therefore necessary to act for the environment.

The SpM PPSE has been connected since its inception to the training of senior civil servants (Ingénieurs des Ponts des Eaux et des Forêts) within the SpM "Policies and Public Action for Sustainable Development" (SpM PAPDD). Some training modules are shared (those that enable the acquisition of skills in the field of negotiation for the environment and the design and use of prospective approaches for the environment). The SpM PPSE also occasionally welcomes students who are civil servants and territorial civil servants and who may ask to be integrated into the SM PPSE in view of their needs in terms of skills.

Beyond the technical skills of the "sustainable development" or environmental professions, being able to respond to the challenges of the ecological transition implies acquiring or reinforcing strategic skills (analysis and strategic management of complex situations, negotiation, consultation, analysis of the games and strategies of actors, ability to untangle controversies, coordination between professions and between sectors, change management). Moreover, behind an apparent diversity of themes structured into distinct professional fields, the subjects dealt with (biodiversity, water, agriculture, energy, food, climate, air, transport, urban planning, waste, etc.) are highly interdependent. Explicitly managing this interdependence is a prerequisite for effective environmental action. Being able to move away from sectoral logics is indeed necessary to lead the ecological transition and integrate the challenges of adaptation to global changes.

The objective of the SpM PPSE is to provide professionals with diverse backgrounds (engineers, doctors and holders of a Master's degree in the field of environmental sciences such as ecology, physics or biology and social sciences, in particular political science) with a dual skill set as an expert in the analysis, management and evaluation of strategic action for the environment. In further study, it allows students to strengthen their employability in the environment, sustainable development and ecological transition professions.
The SpM PPSE welcomes both people involved in a professional reconversion project and those continuing their studies.
The course focuses on the ecological transition and addresses environmental issues such as
  • The preservation of biodiversity (terrestrial and marine)
  • Energy transition
  • Mitigation and adaptation to climate change;
  • Environmental public services (circular economy and sobriety, drinking water supply/sanitation, agro-ecological and food transition, sustainable mobility, urban planning and ecological transition, air quality...)
  • Use of natural resources and territorial ecological transition.
Core training and skills
In addition to an in-depth knowledge of environmental issues, associated public policies, stakeholders and their logic of action, SpM PPSE auditors acquire the skills to :

  • Conduct a strategic analysis to act for the ecological transition
  • Carry out studies and diagnoses for the implementation of projects, plans, programmes or policies for the ecological transition
  • Evaluate the implementation of public action for the ecological transition in order to understand and anticipate its evolution at national and international levels
  • Manage consultation mechanisms and unravel environmental controversies.

The active pedagogy makes a large place for fieldwork and study trips. It aims to promote learning. Professional skills are thus acquired and put into practice throughout the so-called "academic" phase of the training (from September to March) and the professional mission (lasting at least 5 months). They are used in the various strategic functions that the auditors are required to occupy after their graduation to design, negotiate, plead, consult, lead and evaluate actions, projects, plans or policies for the ecological transition in complex situations.
Target groups
The SpM PPSE is accessible to holders of a master's degree (graduates of an engineering school, a university master's degree, a management school) who are continuing their studies or returning to school after having worked. The vast majority of courses are taught in French.

The diversity of the auditors is favoured, in particular by :

  • the recruitment of graduates from various engineering, management or master's degree courses, and of professionals wishing to improve and broaden their skills;
  • opening up to students from countries where environmental issues are important or to international students attracted by French skills in the sector;
  • the reciprocal valorisation of acquired knowledge and the encouragement of the exchange of knowledge and know-how.
Course organisation
The programme is composed of :

1- Teaching modules that combine theoretical contributions, knowledge acquisition, analysis of concrete cases, and the implementation of projects that promote learning. More than 30% of the SpM PPSE lecturers are professionals working in the professions covered by the course. These modules take place from the beginning of September to mid-March.

2- A project conducted throughout the first semester, from the Field to the Environmental File (TDE). Beyond the disciplinary and academic teachings anchored in professional practice, the SpM PPSE is based on more interactive exercises: field trips, study tours, local surveys, case studies. For example, in 2020-2021, the TDE focused on 4 case studies around the implementation of the ecological transition and adaptation to climate change in the Deux-Sèvres department. The following four topics were addressed: (1) the implementation of the energy transition in the department of Deux-Sèvres; (2) the maintenance of the bocage for the agro-ecological transition; (3) the recovery of water quality through the management of pollution, particularly of agricultural origin in the department of Deux-Sèvres; (4) the environmental added value provided by the creation of the PNR de Gâtine Poitevine

3- A professional mission in a structure that supports environmental projects or objectives, during the second semester (from mid-March to mid-September). This will lead to the oral defense of a professional thesis. Within the host organisation, the auditor carries out an operational mission. By mobilising the theoretical and methodological frameworks acquired during the academic period, he/she structures an environmental issue through his/her professional thesis and develops elements of strategy enabling the host organisation to progress in the implementation of its environmental objectives.

4 - From personalised support to a professional project
 


The teaching team and partners

Researchers and trainers from different disciplines, from AgroParisTech and other institutions, as well as young associate researchers are involved throughout the training programme.
The SpM PPSE also relies on professional partners associated with this training, through their interventions in the modules, through the files that they will propose to the students and through their interest in the orientations of this training.
Employment opportunities
The holder of the Specialized Master in "Public Policies and Strategies for the Environment" is an expert in the analysis and management of strategic action for the environment. As a high-level professional, he or she is responsible for the design, negotiation, consultation, implementation and strategic evaluation of policies, plans or projects for the ecological transition in various professions and functions.
The progression of his or her career path leads him or her to occupy, initially, the following functions

- Project manager or junior or senior consultant (in environment, evaluation, climate and energy, bio-waste, polluted soils, sustainable development, ecological transition, consultation) in a consultancy firm or a specialised research office
- Project manager (in energy, biodiversity, climate, energy, land strategy, etc.) in the departments of a local authority, a ministry or a public institution.
- Environmental officer in a company.
- Environmental lobbyist in an organisation or professional union
- Employee in the social economy sector in charge of developing environmental projects (waste prevention, circular economy, fight against waste...)

Two years or more after obtaining the diploma, as a senior manager, he/she carries out the functions of manager which precede or correspond to the senior functions of :

- Project manager, mission director, in a consulting firm or a design office
- Founding member of a consultancy or specialised consultancy firm.
- Senior consultant or expert on an environmental theme, independent or in a consultancy firm
- Public policy officer in a foundation for scientific cooperation.
- Prefigurator of a biodiversity agency within a local authority
- Head of department in the decentralised services of a ministry
- Environmental manager in a large company
- Head of department in a professional organisation
- Partnership officer in an environmental NGO

Graduates of the SpM PPSE work almost equally in the public and voluntary sectors and in private organisations.
Since its creation, the course has facilitated access to jobs in the fields of advocacy and pro-environmental lobbying (within environmental non-governmental organisations).

Specialized Master FNS-MI

Preservation and management of natural and forest ecosystems at the international level

In a context of ecological, social and economic tensions, the course specialises in the management of natural environments and ecosystems, with an accent on social and management sciences, and leads to the title of expert in strategy and negotiation for international ecosystem management.


panorama Myanmar FNS-MI
River landscape in the tropics, Myanmar. Photo : J. Vendé
Practical informations


Applications for the SpM are opened



See the box "Application" on the right

Fees and charges

Registration fees for 2023/2024 are distributed as follows according to the financing status :

- Employee or self-employed with training costs covered by a public or private funder: 11 700 euros
- Jobseeker with full coverage of training costs by a third party: 10 700 euros
- Other statuts : 9 700 euros

These registration fees include the return air ticket to French Guiana and participation in the Tropical Rainforest module (FTH).
In addition, there are travel expenses during the course (tours, modules and projects) and the final professional mission (either in France or abroad).

Teaching languages

The French and English.

Selection process

The selection process begins with an examination of the application by the recruitment panel.
A Master's degree, or an engineering degree, or a degree from a business school or university is required, or alternatively, an M1 followed by three years of professional experience.
It is also necessary to include in the file an official certificate of a level at least equal to B2 in English.
If the candidate is declared eligible, he/she is invited to an admission interview with a commission composed of teacher-researchers from the SpM FNS-MI. This interview takes place in Montpellier or, if the candidate is far away, by audiovisual means. Part of the interview is conducted in English.

Applicants for external funding must submit their application to the SpM FNS-MI early enough to allow the jury to make a decision within a timeframe compatible with the deadlines of their application for external funding.

Accomodation

In Kourou, accommodation is provided by AgroParisTech.
For the other training sites (Nancy, Palaiseau, Montpellier), AgroParisTech offers accommodation depending on the situation.



To find out more about other AgroParisTech Specialized Masters courses

Background and aims
Natural areas, and particularly forest ecosystems, present major environmental and sustainable development challenges: climate change, biodiversity, combat against desertification, soil protection, regulation of hydro-systems, which are the central challenges that modern day society is tentatively trying to overcome. Tropical forest ecosystems are under previously unrivalled pressures for the mobilisation of their resources and for the appropriation of their territories: 80% of tropical forests have disappeared due to agriculture, in particular because of the major industrial and export crops (soya beans, cattle, oil palms, cocoa,...), but also for their underground mineral reserves. On the other hand, in Europe, woodlands are increasing, due to a context of decreasing rural demographic pressure and the emergence of new social demands: fuelwood and biomass, sport and leisure, health and well-being, landscape...

It is necessary today both to understand and know how to act upon three very closely linked levels of intervention: local, national and international.

In order to address the pressures that weigh upon natural spaces, the Specialized Master "Forest, Nature and Society – International Management" (SpM FNS-MI) is a one year post master course with a deliberate emphasis on humanities (economic, social and management sciences) as applied to natural resources, rather than biotechnical disciplines.

The ability to regulate, through public action, the social and environmental responsibility of companies in relation to ecosystems (environmental entrepreneurship) is central to the careers that this SM prepares its auditors for, in order to ensure the control and preservation of environmental services that ecosystems and biodiversity generate. This training caters to the needs of employers in the public and parapublic sectors, as well as to private companies (large, medium and small companies, consultancies etc.) and organisations (international organisations, NGOs, foundations, associations, etc...) who are faced with these new challenges and are looking to develop, in particular globally, by meeting the environmental requirements of their actions and developing innovative environmental strategies

Preview of the FNS-MI Specialized Master presentation video

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General course description
The post-master degree course "Forest, Nature and Society – International Management" is proposed as a Specialized Master accredited by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles (CGE) since 2002. It is partially based on the former specialised master in forestry sciences (taught initially by AgroParisTech in Nancy from 1988 to 2002), as well as on the Gestion environnementale des écosystèmes et forêts tropicales (GEEFT) team of AgroParisTech centre in Montpellier. It has since strengthened its bonds with the international network: Agropolis in Montpellier, AgroParisTech in Kourou (French Guyana) and with certain management schools, in particular HEC in Paris.

The SpM FNS-MI is open to those who hold a master’s degree (graduates of engineering schools, universities and management schools) either as a continuation of their studies or in order to resume education after having carried out a professional activity. The lessons are held in French and English (75% and 25% respectively).
 
Since 2018, the training has been registered in the National Directory of Professional Certifications (RNCP) with the title of Expert in strategy and negotiation for international ecosystem management, conferred upon obtaining the SpM FNS-MI. This opens up the possibility of acquiring this professional certification by means of validation of acquired experience (VAE).
 
The SM FNS-MI is a twelve to fourteen month course structured around educational progression which allows the learning of thematic and academic subject areas based in four different teaching sites:
 
  • Ecological issues surrounding topical forest ecosystems at the AgroParisTech centre of Kourou, (French Guyana);
  • Discovery of sustainable management of forests and the key figures in the forestry sector at the AgroParisTech centre of Nancy, historically one of the key French sites of higher education in forestry;
  • The strategic vision needed to implement changes in business, innovation and human resources management at HEC Paris, within the framework of the Master of Sciences “Sustainability and Social Innovation” (MSc SASI);
  • The foundations of the theoretical and practical frameworks in social and management sciences for the governance of ecosystems at the international level, with a practical application in the context of an environmental management intervention abroad during the courses at the AgroParisTech centre of Montpellier.
Thus, one of the important issues of this specialized master is to allow auditors not only to broaden their knowledge and to implement critical analysis capabilities, but also to carry out collective skills projects in environmental management. Therefore they have, throughout the course, the possibility to undertake several group workshops, culminating in a collective field-study in an international context. Over the course of five weeks, including three weeks of overseas assignment, the auditors will participate (i) in the implementation of the theories and analytical methods of environmental management; (ii) in the development of a critical capacity to analyse existing management devices; (iii) in reflection on concrete intervention strategies and (iv) in a return of feedback on the position of intervention in a multicultural context.
The course ends with the preparation of an individual project, namely the completion of a professional internship, lasting between four and six months, to be undertaken either in France or overseas, during which each auditor is required to apply his academic achievements and practices in a professional environment (firm, company, design office, research institute, association, NGO, international organisation, administrative organisation, public institution, local authority...) and finally the writing and presentation of a professional thesis.
Multidisciplinarity, core training and skills
The SpM FNS-MI programme is based on an active network of international partners in France and overseas (Europe, Africa, America, Asia). This is made possible through (1) a firm base in Montpellier which is the primary French pole of excellence for research in ecology and biodiversity, (2) a structural connection with the centres in Kourou and Nancy, (3) collaboration with the MSc SASI of HEC Paris.

The programme is rooted in multidisciplinarity by its double inscription in two departments of AgroParisTech: the Department of Social Economics and Management (SESG) through its Training and Research Unit in Environmental Management (UFR G-ENV), and the department of Agronomy, Forestry, Water and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Department (SIAFEE) through its Training and Research Unit in Forest, Tree and Natural Environments (FAM).
 
The learning methods and theoretical frameworks taught, rooted in social and management sciences, provide auditors with diagnostic and assessment tools for environmental management, in particular for the management of forests and other ecosystems, and high level responsibility on conceptual and intervention tools. During the programme, three collective field modules are organized, in Guyana, in France and overseas (in recent years: the Balkans, Morocco, India). The auditors therefore work in a multidisciplinary team and, by virtue of their previous education, will develop managerial skills and build up a network of relations with the stakeholders involved in the projects, all in a multicultural context.
 
Individual tutoring is provided throughout the course and an academic and methodological framework is set up during the fieldwork. Auditors are encouraged to develop their language skills (both oral and written) in French and English and are urged to become fluent in at least two languages.
 
The specialised master's programme allows the acquisition of four target skill sets:
  • Improving the management of international ecosystems;
  • Conduct a strategic analysis and manage negotiation processes to improve the performance of international ecosystem management players;
  • Develop expertise in international ecosystem management with a focus on environmental performance;
  • Implement, manage and evaluate a program (conservation or environmental protection, ecosystem management or social economy linked to natural resources).
Target groups
The SpM FNS-MI is accessible to holders of a master's degree (graduates of an engineering school, a university master's degree, a management school) who are continuing their studies or returning to school after having worked in a professional capacity. The courses are taught in French and English (75% and 25% of the hours respectively).

The diversity of the students is privileged, notably by
- the recruitment of graduates from various engineering courses, management schools or masters, and young professionals wishing to improve and broaden their skills;
- opening up to foreign students from countries where the challenges of tropical ecosystems are significant or to international students attracted by French skills in the sector;
- the reciprocal valorisation of acquired knowledge and the encouragement of the exchange of knowledge and know-how.
Educational strategy and course programme

Duration and distribution of courses

The course consists of 760 hours of teaching from September to April, plus four to six months of professional mission and is worth 77 ECTS. The number of hours and the way ECTS are awarded are subject to change over the years.
The course is divided into teaching units (UE) as follows:
• Tropical rainforest (Kourou, French Guyana) : 100 h (5 ECTS) including 2 weeks of field project.
• Forest policy (Nancy) : 40 h (4 ECTS).
• Forest and Environmental law (Nancy) : 20 h (1 ECTS).
• Economic calculation applied to forest (Nancy) : 40 h (4 ECTS).
• Basics of forest management (Nancy): 70 h (2 ECTS) including a week-long forest field mission in France Region.
• Geomatics (Nancy) : 40 h (2 ECTS).
• Professional project support : 20 h (pas d’ECTS).
• Sustainability and Social Innovation (Paris) : 36 h (9 ECTS).
• Governance and ecosystems management strategies in an international context (Montpellier) : 189 h (14 ECTS).
• International strategic environmental evaluation (Montpellier) : 180 h (6 ECTS) including 3 weeks of overseas fieldwork.
• Environmental evaluation in an international context: Principles and methods : 25 h (2 ECTS)
• Professional internship : between 616 h and 910 h (30 ECTS).

The total duration of the course is between 12 and 14 months: 8 months of academic teaching and projects, plus 4 to 6 months of professional internship.


Educational strategy

The general principle of the programme is to provide education centred on the social and management sciences (complemented by political sciences and economics) as applied to the management of ecosystems. The training also proposes an in-depth study of environmental management within the field of competence of engineering and life sciences graduates, and a dual competence for graduates of management or engineering schools. The detailed objectives are:
  • To provide frameworks for analysis and evaluation in the field of environmental management in the context of globalisation, in particular for the management of wilderness and forests. This allows auditors to acquire high-responsibility conceptual and interventional tools ;
  • Acquisition and understanding of knowledge-based social sciences methods, the ability to analyse the different mainstream schools of thought and controversies in order to be able to intervene in processes of governance and organisational changes for the management of these environments;
  • An understanding of the processes of globalisation of enterprises and production streams (global value chains), the strategies of companies and organisations (states, international organisations and NGOs), in particular strategies of competition, cooperation and coopetition that are established both between firms and public and private actors in globalised sectors, as well as the phenomena of the emergence, structuring and diffusion of the standards that guide their actions, in particular regarding sustainable development and corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSR);
  • The ability to diagnose a situation from a global analytical viewpoint (multi-scalar and multidisciplinary) and then formulate advice and proposals for problem solving;
  • The development of the skills of analysis and synthesis in a team situation as well as the ability to produce and submit work to stakeholders, particularly in a multicultural context, by adapting its production to the target audience;
  • The testing of management tools and methodologies in order to strengthen their managerial capabilities whilst also being introspective on their capacity to respond; the ability to understand and analyse negotiation situations and to improve their own negotiation skills particularly in multicultural situations and when faced with complex intervention contexts.
Diversity of auditors is privileged, in particular by:
  • The recruitment of graduates from different engineering courses, major management schools, or university masters, and young professionals wishing to develop and broaden their skills;
  • The welcoming of foreign auditors from countries where the issues of tropical ecosystems are pressing or international auditors attracted by French expertise in the sector;
  • The reciprocal valorisation of the qualifications and the encouraging of exchanges of knowledge and skills.
The educational methods used are:
  • Responsibility towards real-life situations and small group exercises in complex areas, in response to operational commands (generally from the public sector) followed by written and oral presentations which will serve to strengthen the reputation and the expertise of AgroParisTech and its graduates;
  • The collective training module of strategic environmental evaluation is very closely supervised (in terms tutoring and professionals involvement and the time spent on analysis, before departure in the field and upon return) in order to fast track the acquisition of skills which are normally can only be learnt in a professional environment;
  • The use of diverse evaluation methods, adapted to the context of the module: completion of mini-projects, role-playing games, public dissemination to stakeholders, environmental impact assessment exercises supervised by consultancy professionals, analysis of scientific articles , skills acquisition assessments, foreign language presentations, etc...;
  • Case studies conducted throughout the course ;
  • The organisation of seminars of researchers and professionals, sometimes in English, often open to a wider audience than just the auditors,
The development of significant individual professional experience (several months) through the professional internship mission and the presentation of the final thesis; preparation of a project of professional internship, in order to ensure the quality of the analysis and the methodology of the mission before departure in the field.
Employment opportunities
The course and certificate of expertise in strategy and negotiation for international ecosystems management opens avenues to a wide variety of mainly internationally-oriented sectors of activity and functions. Annual employability surveys are carried out regarding the employment success rate of graduates of the different specialized master’s awarded by AgroParisTech. Moreover, specific employability surveys of the SpM FNS-MI graduates have been carried out since 2006.

Alumni testimonials

Marianne Martinet - TFT - Promotion 2007-2008

Marianne Martinet - TFT - Promotion 2007-2008

As soon as I graduated, I was recruited by The Forest Trust, an international organisation whose mission is to transform the value chains of forestry and agribusiness companies towards more responsible environmental and social practices. This transformation is possible thanks to strong policies (such as Zero Deforestation and Zero Exploitation of Communities) but also through the effective collaboration of the different actors of these chains. Today, I manage the Rurality programme, dedicated to independent producers in these value chains. The training has given me both the necessary hindsight for a strategic understanding of the interplay of actors when it comes to negotiating around natural resources, but it also equips students with the pragmatism and realities of the field, which are essential for achieving concrete results.
Frédérique Fardin - project manager within the organisation CANARI - Promotion 2014-2015

Frédérique Fardin - project manager within the organisation CANARI - Promotion 2014-2015

I am currently a project officer at CANARI (Caribbean Natural Resources Institute), where I participate in the development of biodiversity conservation strategies for the territories of the Caribbean region, and more generally in the integration of civil society actors, especially the most vulnerable, in the management of natural resources, on which they depend in some cases (fisheries resources, forestry, etc.). The training allowed me to add to my scientific expertise the necessary understanding of the socio-cultural and political context and to apply it to each situation in order to develop the best possible integrated and participatory approach.
Marion Cassu - DAAF - Promotion 2015-2016

Marion Cassu - DAAF - Promotion 2015-2016

After completing my internship in the FNS-MI specialised master's programme, I joined the forestry and agriculture division of the Guadeloupe Department of Food, Agriculture and Forestry (DAAF), which is a decentralised department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The DAAF's mission is to implement the national policy on food, agriculture and forestry at the regional level. Today, my job is to support the emergence of two agroforestry sectors in Guadeloupe (coffee, cocoa) while respecting responsible environmental and social practices. The FNS-MI training course, by applying knowledge to concrete projects such as the one we carried out in the Balkans during the group course, enabled me to obtain this position. I was also able to acquire a new foundation in social sciences and management, which now allows me to evolve more easily in the field as well as in meetings.
Clément Rigal - Initiative Développement - Promotion 2010-2011

Clément Rigal - Initiative Développement - Promotion 2010-2011

I have been passionate about environmental issues since I was a teenager and easily fell into the mould of studying environmental engineering. Energy management? Waste recycling ? Land use planning ? How difficult it is to embrace one career and abandon the others! It was finally during a university exchange in Canada that I discovered the appeal of wide open spaces and forestry management. This is the field that brings together global environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity management with the more local issues of energy access, soil erosion and water quality. So here it is, this field that indiscriminately mixes environment and social issues. It was love at first sight. All that remained was to make the engagement official, which was done thanks to the specialised master's degree in Forest, Nature and Society, with the option of Management, Nature and Society at International Level.
In addition to the basics in forest management, this training mainly opened up the social sciences (which are not the forte of engineers...). A very good point: the theory was immediately put into practice through the many projects in Europe or in more tropical countries. And thanks to the AgroParisTech network, I was able to do my end-of-studies internship in the NGO that still employs me today. I am working on the implementation of a forestry project with small farmers in a poor region of China. An extraordinary job, between office and field trips, in a beautiful region (with extra food), which combines all the aspects that motivate me. The honeymoon continues...

MSc in tropical forestry - GEEFT

WARNING: The GEEFT track of the ST2AE Master's programme will not be open in the 2026 academic year. It will reopen in 2027, but only for entry to the first year.


The Environmental Management of Tropical Ecosystems and Forests (GEEFT) track of the International Master's Degree in Science and Technology for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (ST2AE) prepares students to take up the challenges of managing forests in tropical countries by giving them the means to confront forestry knowledge and the ecological specificities of these environments with the socio-economic and political issues of the intertropical zone.

The ST2AE international Master's degree offers a systemic approach to agriculture, the environment and food, and develops a teaching method that is directly linked to the professional sectors. This Master's degree is co-accredited by AgroParisTech, Institut Agro Montpellier and Institut Agro Rennes-Angers.

This course is supported by the GEEFT engineering major at AgroParisTech. More information HERE (in French).


Background and aims
These courses prepare students to meet the challenges of ecosystem management, in particular tropical forest ecosystem management, and enable them to apply their theoretical ecological knowledge to the socioeconomic and political challenges of the intertropical zone. The role currently played by tropical ecosystems in sustainable development processes raises complex issues. Tropical ecosystems are now subject to greater pressure than ever before from the exploitation of their resources and the appropriation of the land. These ecosystems are of local, national and international importance for the environmental services they provide (preservation of biodiversity, regulation of the mechanisms that govern climate change, fight against desertification and regulation of hydrosystems). They are often essential for the survival of the local populations and the fight against poverty and have to meet many conflicting demands that are sometimes difficult to reconcile in situations where state control is often weak.

Managing these ecosystems, therefore, requires, on the one hand, an understanding of the ecological and technical challenges for controlling deforestation and preserving environments, species and ecosystem functions and, on the other hand, an understanding of the major changes in public and private management practices, occurring in an increasingly globalised economy.

Professionals who are confronted by these issues must have a sound educational grounding providing them with knowledge and skills in ecological, forest and agro-forestry sciences as well as in social, economic and management sciences. They need to take account of the many different stakeholders involved in the management of these environments, including local, often underprivileged, populations, the emergence of new forums for discussing management methods which go beyond national and local decision-making scales and the weakening of state control. In order to evaluate the options available for managing these environments, students must develop a critical approach and the ability to innovate in multi-cultural situations.
Admission requirements

For initial training

  • For the M1, students with a bachelor's degree in the fields of biological, forestry or agronomic sciences.
  • For the M2 programme, students with a 1st year MSc degree in the same fields.

Lifelong learning:

Validation of prior experience and the organisation of the course into credit units make it possible to offer individualised courses, adapted to each situation. The training can be spread out if necessary.

Selection

Selection is made on the basis of applications, depending on the places available. The application form is filled in online from January to March.
Internship and thesis
The individual end-of-training internship, which lasts five to six months, gives rise to the writing of a thesis and an oral presentation before a jury. Its objective is to implement academic knowledge and to help the student find a job. It allows the student to carry out work individually, with the benefit of individualised supervision.
The subject can be either a research subject or an operational subject, on one or other of the themes of the course, in response to an order formulated by the hosting organisation. The internship leads to the writing of a thesis and a public defense in front of a jury composed of at least the supervisor of the host organisation, the AgroParisTech academic supervisor and a external examiner.
In order to guarantee the best chances of success, a preparation phase for the internship is planned during the stay in Montpellier. The quality of this preparation is evaluated by a jury and gives rise to the attribution of ECTS credits.
Careers
This GEEFT specialty is designed for students who wish to work abroad in sustainable development dealing with the social management of ecosystems and tropical forests. However, a major part of the course and subjects applies equally to areas outside the tropics.
Potential employers include international organisms, government agencies, local authorities, public establishments, research establishments, forest-environment consultants, audit offices (environmental assessments, environmental certification, carbon trading, etc), natural space management consultants, forestry companies and development or environmental non-government organisations.
The jobs targeted are:
  • Project Manager in international organisations
  • Forest and Environment Officer
  • Forest ecosystem Manager
  • Forestry Planner
  • Academic (Lecturer/Professor) (usually following PhD completion)
  • Researcher (usually following PhD completion)
  • Forest-biodiversity conservation Officer
  • Research and development project Manager
  • Public forest-environment Engineer
Target skills
The objective of this course is to prepare students to meet the challenges of managing forest areas in tropical countries by giving them the means to confront forestry knowledge and the ecological specificities of these environments with the socio-economic and political issues of the inter-tropical zone.
The role of forests in sustainable development processes raises complex issues that are the subject of controversy, debate and international commitments: biodiversity conservation, regulation of climate change mechanisms, control of deforestation, forest-agriculture and agro-forestry interactions, valorisation of wood and non-wood forest products, forest management and regulation of forest exploitation, etc. Professionals who are confronted with these issues need to have a solid training that provides them with knowledge and skills in the fields of biological, ecological and forestry sciences and in the fields of social, economic and management sciences.
The plurality of actors involved in the management of rural and forest areas, the emergence of new arenas of discussion on management methods that go beyond the sole scales of national and local decision making, the irruption of the notion of global common goods, are changing the jobs of forest specialists. They are now at the interface with development sectors and increasingly complex social demands, the role of these professions generally being to clarify possible management choices, taking into account multiple and sometimes contradictory issues.
Target group
  • Initial training: Foreign students with a minimum of a four-year degree in the biological, forestry or agronomic sciences.
  • Lifelong learning: Employees in the research, agricultural production, consulting and environmental sectors as part of their company's training plan or on individual training leave. The validation of acquired experience and the organisation of the training in capitalisable units make it possible to offer individualised courses, adapted to each situation. The training can be spread out if necessary.

Selection: Selection is made on the basis of applications, depending on the places available. Applications are made online, on the Institut Agro Montpellier website.

MSc in tropical plant biodiversity and ecosystem management - BioGET


Training in plant biodiversity and tropical ecosystem management

 
A distinctive programme
See the BioGET page of the Montpellier MSc in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution.
Academic and professional objectives
See the BioGET page of the Montpellier MSc in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution.
Course unit descriptions
See the BioGET page of the Montpellier MSc in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution.
Applying to the BioGET track
See the BioGET page of the Montpellier MSc in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution.
Training in plant biodiversity and tropical ecosystem management
See the BioGET page of the Montpellier MSc in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution.
Target audience
See the BioGET page of the Montpellier MSc in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution.
Career prospects
See the BioGET page of the Montpellier MSc in Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution.

PhD studies

The G-ENV team supervises and co-supervises doctoral students registered at AgroParisTech (ABIES and GAIA doctoral schools) and elsewhere. Since its inception, it has trained many PhD students in the research themes of its academic staff: agroecology, development anthropology, ecology, management sciences, environmental sciences, social sciences, etc.

Finally, the UFR offers or co-organises doctoral modules based on certain courses offered in the training programmes.

DOCTORAL MODULES

PhD supervision at G-ENV

G-ENV faculty members supervise and co-supervise PhD research across the Unit's main fields of expertise. Discover current PhD students as well as former PhD students whose research was supervised or co-supervised by G-ENV members.

CURRENT

Current PhD students

PhD research currently being conducted within the G-ENV Unit.

No current PhD student profile is published at present.

COMPLETED PHDs

Former PhD students

Completed PhD theses and research previously supervised or co-supervised by members of the G-ENV Department.

VIEW FORMER PHD STUDENTS

Financing your training

Financing your Master's degree

Master's students may be eligible for certain financial aid managed by the institution or by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. CampusFrance provides a permanent listing of training aid schemes.

This is the case for scholarships based on social criteria (BCS), CROUS scholarships, scholarships for internships abroad, including the CIERA internship scholarship and the Fondation Ledoux scholarships, CNOUS international mobility aid, and Erasmus + mobility scholarships.

It is also advisable to find out about the funding schemes provided by the Occitanie Region.

AgroParisTech encourages students to apply for support from other institutions that have their own scholarship programmes.

These may include, among others

  • the secretariat of the GloFor consortium (GloFor Erasmus+ MSc programme only) as part of the Erasmus+ programme.
  • Master's scholarships from the Martine Aublet Foundation to finance exclusively field research of approximately one month in Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, the Indian Ocean and the Amerindian, Latin and Caribbean Americas. The disciplines concerned in connection with G-ENV programs are anthropology and sociology.

For international students

There are several ways to finance your studies. The CampusBourse platform offers a catalogue of all the possible schemes.

Financing your specialised Master (in French)
When applying for a Specialized Master's degree, it is possible to finance all or part of the training costs.

Find all the information you need to finance your MS course
Financing your PhD

Essential tools for seeking doctoral funding

Before looking for doctoral funding, check whether the doctoral school you are interested in requires a minimum funding rate in order to enrol. This is especially the case if you are studying in the exact sciences. This amount is indicated on the school's page in the directory of doctoral schools.
Consult the list of possible funding for your doctorate in the Campus Bourses catalogue. Depending on the case, your doctorate may be financed by your host institution, by a company or by your country or university of origin.
Finally, the French National Association of Doctors (ANDès) publishes an annual guide to doctoral funding in which you can find more information about funding your doctorate.

Doctoral contract

The doctoral contract is funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. It is awarded following a selection process specific to each doctoral school (for schools linked to the G-ENV group, see the GAIA, Abies and EDEG procedures for example).

Doctorates funded by your home country

Some countries have PhD funding programmes such as the Conacyt scholarships in Mexico, the ProFas B+ programme in Algeria and the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. To find the one that suits you, consult the list of doctoral funding programmes or contact the Campus France office in your country of origin and your government.
The amount of the scholarships varies according to the country that grants them. They range from 900 to 1,500 euros per month. In any case, check with your doctoral school that the proposed funding is sufficient. If not, the host laboratory will have to find additional funding for your position.
In addition, some French institutions have 50% of the funding for a PhD and are looking for partners willing to pay the remaining 50%.

PhDs funded by your company

In partnership with the National Association for Research and Technology (ANRT), the CIFRE scheme (Industrial agreements for training through research) allows young researchers to be hired by a company or public authority to conduct their research in conjunction with a university team.
The company or public authority then finances your doctorate via a private law employment contract. It pays you a minimum salary of about 1,800 euros net per month for three years. This is a good opportunity to gain research experience in a company.

EU-funded PhDs

Set up under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, the joint European doctorate provides 36 months of funding. It is aimed at foreign students who are enrolled in a PhD programme at a European higher education institution that is a member of a consortium of at least three institutions from three different countries. The application for funding should be addressed to the coordinating institution.

Martine Aublet Foundation doctoral scholarships

The Martine Aublet Foundation offers doctoral research grants to students enrolled in postgraduate studies in a French higher education institution or in co-tutorship with a foreign university.

Eiffel scholarships

The Eiffel scholarship programme is a tool developed by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs to enable French higher education institutions to attract the best foreign students to master's and doctoral degree programmes.
It is designed to train future foreign decision-makers in the private and public sectors in priority fields of study and to stimulate applications from students from emerging countries aged 30 or less for the master's level and from emerging and industrialised countries aged 35 or less for the doctorate level.

Financing your Master
Head of Studies of the Graduate school
depmontpellier @ agroparistech.fr

Financing your Specialised Master
Head of Studies Executive
executive @ agroparistech.fr

Financing your PhD
Head of doctoral studies
ABIES contacts

Postgraduate Programs

Study with G-ENV

Postgraduate Programs

The G-ENV team offers several training programmes at the Master of Science (MSc) and Specialised Master levels. The team also supervises doctoral students registered at AgroParisTech (ABIES and GAIA doctoral schools) and elsewhere, and organises or co-organises a series of doctoral modules. G-ENV also offers a number of modules open to short continuing education and two institutional certificates.
Study pathways

From MSc programmes to PhD studies

MSc level

Master of Science

  • Tropical Forestry — GEEFT
  • BioGET
  • Global Forestry — GloFor
Post-MSc

Specialized Masters

  • FNS-MI
  • PPSE
PhD

Doctoral studies

  • Doctoral supervision
  • Doctoral modules
Lifelong learning

Short formats

  • Open modules
  • Institutional certificates

Educational guidelines

The pedagogical orientations are explicitly based on :
  • training through research, even for students with a non academic professional project,
  • a strong field orientation, mainly in the international arena (Africa, Latin America, Asia).
The curricula organized by the G-ENV team deal with environmental management:
  • through interdisciplinary approaches that combine environmental sciences skills with management science skills
  • within the management sciences through different aspects of the discipline: strategy and strategic management, international management, management systems and instruments, critical approaches to management and altermanagement, accounting, negotiation, evaluation of management systems and public policies, analysis of environmental management doctrines.
In addition to the courses, programs mobilise teaching methods that make extensive use of project approaches, including various interdisciplinary approaches to the environment (collective field diagnoses, role-playing), and management approaches (strategic cases, development of prospective scenarios).

MSc programmes

GEEFT MSc (and MIng) 'Environmental Management of Tropical Ecosystems and Forests', with the Erasmus + European excellence label, open to students from :
  • the international MSc  in Science and technology of agriculture, food and the environment (3A/ST2AE) co-accredited with Montpellier Institu Agro,
  • the European MSc 'Global forestry' (Glofor),
  • AgroParisTech (engineer curriculum),
  • other French Schools of agronomy,
  • the Higher National School of Wood Technologies and Industry (ENSTIB).
BioGET MSc 'Plant biodiversity and management of tropical ecosystems', co-accredited with the University of Montpellier.

Specialized Masters (post-MSc)

  • Specialized Master 'Forest, Nature and Society - International Management' (FNS-MI SpM), in collaboration with HEC Paris
  • Specialized Master "Public Policies and Strategies for the Environment" (PPSE_SpM).

PhD

Doctoral training is carried out in two ways:
  • supervision (co-supervision, scientific supervision, administrative supervision) by a member of the G-ENV team who is a member of the thesis committee or not. Doctoral students are generally registered at AgroParisTech (ABIES and GAIA doctoral schools)
  • enrolment in the doctoral modules run by the G-ENV team. Registration: GAIA.

Lifelong learning

A certain number of teaching modules linked to the GEEFT MSc and FNS-MI SpM curricula are open as short continuing education programmes. Two types of certificates recognised by the institution are also offered. More information here
(in French only).
Programmes

Explore our programmes

Find detailed information on each programme, admissions and course content.