University of Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences
Master of Arts Communication and Journalism Research for a Sustainable Society (ComSustain)
Hamburg, Germany
MA
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
31 Mar 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
Oct 2026
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* semester contribution of €334
Are you interested in digital media? Do you care about the environment and making our way of life more sustainable? Would you like to prepare for a job that connects both in communication research, journalism, media organizations, NGOs or the public sector? Welcome to ComSustain: Communication Research for a Sustainable Society.
Study digital media, journalism and their role in socio-ecological transformations
Our program offers you a rigorous introduction into communication research and how public communication shapes and is shaped by the twin transformations of society towards digitalization and sustainability. The program combines a focus on research with the idea that communication can contribute to help society become more sustainable.
ComSustain: the perfect environment to study sustainability
Just as important as the subjects covered by the program are the people you’ll learn alongside: leading professors and motivated classmates from around the world. Professors don't just lecture – all classes will call for your active engagement. Hamburg is also an ideal city for studying sustainability and the media and launching your career, home to many media organizations and NGOs and close to further media outlets in Berlin.
If you’re interested in things like:
- How journalism and digital media communicate climate change
- How political and economic actors try to shape this process
- How artificial intelligence and digitalization are changing journalism, political communication, and organizational communication
- How audiences are impacted by both technological changes and how our digital media system works
- How changes in political communication shape our democracies
- How social change is related to media change
then you’re in the right place.
The degree program consists of mandatory modules worth 106 ECTS and electives worth 14 ECTS.
In the electives, you are encouraged to enhance your expertise by selecting courses or modules outside your core program to deepen your knowledge and skills in areas that align with your individual interests and career goals. The elective area allows you to acquire interdisciplinary knowledge and competencies, helping to refine your academic and professional profile. You can choose from courses related to journalism and communication sciences, such as those offered in Module 6: Transforming Society – Transforming Communications, or from other relevant disciplines available within the program’s offerings. Specifically, for a specialization in sustainability, climate, or environmental topics, the interdisciplinary lecture "Global Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Societies" is recommended. This flexible coursework supports tailored skill development and broadens your understanding of societal and environmental transformations.
The following modules are mandatory and are recommended tobe taken as follows:
- Module 1: Twin Transformation: Sustainability and Digitalization as Challenges for Journalism and a Democratic Public Sphere
- Module 2: Methods of Empirical Communication Research
- Module 3: Research Seminar
- Module 4: From Research to Practice
- Module 5: Professional Practice in Sustainable and Digital Communication
- Module 6: Transforming Society – Transforming Communications
- Module 7: Graduation Module