What students say

I enjoyed learning about conservation from different global perspectives. Making connections with the professors and other students was valuable. Learning practical skills like mapping with GIS or population viability analysis were useful. I would have liked to learn more about coding and data analysis.
The logistics of moving to a new country each semester were challenging, from visas and bureaucracy to finding a place to live and setting up a bank account. The self-directed internship and thesis semesters provided their own challenges because of not having any structure and differing expectations of partner organizations. This was all part of learning how to work across different countries that each have their own set of rules and ways of operating.
I did my internship at the University of Vienna, Austria, although it was a remote data project on wallaby conservation in Australia! For my thesis I partnered with WWF to study human wildlife conflict between African forest elephants and farmers in the Republic of Congo.

I attended the M.I.N.C. from 2022 to 2025: I conducted my internship on lynx population monitoring in Croatia and I wrote my thesis about hunting pressure in Bolivia.
The programme is a unique chance to learn how to assess different threats to biodiversity from teachers directly involved in research in such contrasting biogeographical contexts like Eurasia and New Zealand. The use of all the fundamental analytical tools and software is illustrated very well, and students can practice these skills during an internship and thesis that can be chosen freely anywhere in the world and according to one’s interests! At the same time, solid personal organisation is very useful to arrange the various phases of the Master’s and the bureaucratic aspects. I definitely recommend spending an extra semester at either of the two universities if possible, to make the best of the vast number of possible courses to take!
Overall, the M.I.N.C. provides you with all the necessary knowledge to continue your career in any field and sector, and with opportunities to make connections with great people from diverse backgrounds which will remarkably enrich you.