Semester 4 (thesis research)

In Semester 4 (February-June of the 2nd academic year), MESPOM students conduct their Masters thesis research projects. Thesis research can be hosted by any of the four MESPOM Consortium partners and often involves internships with academic, government or industrial organizations.

Javier Espárrago Llorca '14 (Spain) conducting his thesis research on prairie ecosystems at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. 

Semester 4 dates

MESPOM has a unified thesis semester period of February 1-June 30, but the semester periods at partner institutions may differ from this:

Lund: 20th January - 8th June in 2025
Manchester: 29th January - 7th June in 2024

Thesis defenses take place in Vienna on the week preceeding CEU Graduation Ceremony:

June 20-21 in 2023 (CEU Graduation June 23)

Nine Master candidates in batch 9 blogged about their adventures during semester 4, February to June 2015. You can view their adventures here.

To view or download the full-text versions of MESPOM master theses click the links below according to the graduation year: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019201820172016201520142013201220112010200920082007

 

MESPOM Theses: news and stories

My year in a nutshell: by Malek al Jebaie

In 2019, I discovered a MOOC course offered by Lund University on Greening Cities that introduced me to the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) and MESPOM.

Su-Mae Chua's thesis rethinking climate change adaptation research, MESPOM Batch 16

Su-Mae Chua (MESPOM Batch 16) shares a summary report of her thesis, “Re-centering subjectivity in knowledge practices in climate change adaptation research".

The role of natural organic matter in controlling the behavior of iron in natural waters at Manchester – thesis topic of Kollie, batch 15 Manchester track student

Hello, can you introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Kollie Tokpah, and I am from Liberia. I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry from Cuttington University. I had the opportunity to work in quality management, but also environmental-related issues that arise in the manufacturing industry.

The role of social media sustainability influencers - thesis topic of Gara, batch 15 Lund track student

During this second semester, 2nd year MESPOM students are working on their thesis research. This week, Gara, batch 15 Lund-track, told us about her extremely relevant and novel thesis topic!

Hi! My name is Gara and this is my MESPOM story.

Noreen and Isna on life as a student in Manchester in 2020

Moving to Manchester and the beginning of the semester…

Interning at the Global Resilience Partnership Program in Stockholm, Tabby Njung'e (Kenya)

MESPOM students have to do a mandatory summer internship component between the 1st and 2nd years, which is aimed at enhancing their professional development. Current 2nd year student Tabby Njung’e from Kenya reflects on her MESPOM internship experience

Faculty features: Lyuba Zarsky of MIIS, Monterey, USA

MESPOM is jointly operated by a consortium of 4 European and 2 North American Universities. In the final semester, MESPOMers can choose to do their thesis research in North America*.

MESPOM thesis on solar power in Kenya published

Savannah Carr-Wilson (Canada '17) has published the findings of her thesis Lighting the Lives of Millions: Overcoming barriers to the diffusion of off-grid solar lighting produ

Thesis on rural livelihoods in Namibia

Gina D'Alesandro (USA '17) conducted her thesis research in Namibia with the aito understand the livelihood options and limitations for the two tribes of the Kavango East region around Bwabwata National Park, one a farming Bantu tribe, the Hambukushu, and the other an indigenous bushman tribe called the Khwe, a people who only a generation ago subsided entirely off of the bush foods and animals of the area.

Ecology and sustainable tourism in Ecuador to water chemistry and management in the U.K.

Dany Avalos '17 (Ecuador) received a Bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Sustainable Tourism and wrote a Bachelor's thesis on the Impacts of Tourism in Indigenous Communities located on the south-east bank of the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador at the Kapawi Reserve and Ecolodge.

Updated: April 25, 2023