Virtual Modules
Virtual Open Elective Modules
The SEA-EU Virtual Open Elective Modules promote virtual student mobility, international learning, and collaboration in interdisciplinary topics.
Currently, virtual open elective modules are offered in two fields; 1) Maritime and Marine Sciences in collaboration with the interdisciplinary Master School of Marine Sciences (iMSMS) at Kiel University, and 2) economics. Scroll down to find current courses.
We bring together master students and teaching scientists at our SEA-EU partner universities. Consequently, you will have the opportunity to connect and collaborate with others across Europe. This experience will broaden your horizon by exposing you to current issues from an international, multidisciplinary perspective.
Added value
- Enrich your studies with an international component at home.
- Benefit from the thematic diversity of our virtual open elective modules and identify your individual field of interest.
- Furthermore, get to know people and ocean-related research areas within our SEA-EU alliance. This will help you establish initial contacts for your next physical mobility, whether it be a study abroad semester, an international research internship, a Blended Intensive Program (BIP), or even a joint master thesis project.
- And last but not least, enjoy the open mindset and cultural diversity that global ocean science learning offers!
How does it work?
- Our virtual open elective modules operate on the principle of reciprocity. Each partner university opens its existing marine open elective modules, targeted at master students in marine sciences, to master students enrolled in marine study programs at the partner universities. Additionally, a few places are reserved for SEA-EU master students.
- For information on how to register for each module offered, please see the links below for the upcoming modules.
- Places for joining our modules are limited and distributed on a first-come-first-serve-basis.
- After successful completion of a module (regular attendance and pass in final examination) you will receive a certificate of participation incl. ECTS. These ECTS can be recognized in the electives section of your curriculum. For confirmation of this recognition please contact your study programme advisor beforehand! You can also take a module as an additional output. It will be listed in your official academic transcript of records.
Conditions of enrolment:
- The module offers are intended for SEA-EU Alliance Universities’ master students in marine sciences. Registration is only considered if made with a valid institutional email address.
- By applying to any of the modules, you agree that your data (name, affiliation, email) will be passed on to the module instructor and the corresponding university entity if your application is confirmed.
- A certificate of participation, including ECTS, will be issued upon successful completion of the module.
- Registration is binding. If you receive a place in a module and change your mind, please inform us as soon as possible about your cancellation so that other applicants can have the chance to participate.
- We strengthen our alliance by coordinating and maintaining an up-to-date list of our virtual open electives in marine sciences. This allows SEA-EU master students to access all the information needed for enrolment in these shared online courses centrally. The platform/list is updated regularly as new modules become available.
- We look forward to your registration!
Upcoming Modules
Climate Change Economics
The course introduces students to the main concept of climate change economics. Student learn about the basics of climate physics and climate change impacts. The main part of the course teaches decision making in climate change with optimal mitigation, cost-effective mitigation, and international incentives to provide the public good of climate change mitigation. Students also learn about policy instruments to implement decisions.
More info
After completing this course, students can explain how climate change emerges from greenhouse gas emissions. They know climate change impacts and understand how these lead to benefits of abatement. Students understand technological options to abate and how they lead to abatement costs. Based on these functions they can derive optimal climate change mitigation, also in an intertemporal context. Students can further determine cost-effective implementation of temperature targets. For both conceps, they derive how the abatement levels are implemented with different policy instruments. Lastly, students know what Nash-equilibria are and can apply this concept to different games, to derive free-riding incentives in public-good-like games.
- Application Deadline: 8th March 2026
- Partner/Lecturer: CAU/Prof. Ulrike Kornek
- ECTS: 5
- Mode: Hybrid
Course type: Semester-long module with two live sessions per week, consisting of a lecture and a tutorial.
Dates:
13th Apr to 8th Jul 2026, with lectures on Mondays from 10:15-11:45 CEST and Tutorials on Wednesdays from 16:15-17:45 CEST
Download the complete course description here.
Marine Topics: In collaboration with the interdisciplinary Master School of Marine Sciences (iMSMS) at Kiel University.
