Search "Erasmus Mundus environmental" and you'll find dozens of programmes on climate, water, forests, coasts, energy, and policy. They all sound excellent, and the brochures blur together.
Rather than ranking programmes (which change every year), here's the framework I used to compare them, with MESPOM as the worked example.
Step 1: Place each programme on two axes
Draw two axes:
- Science ←→ Policy: are you learning to measure the environment, or to govern it?
- Broad ←→ Specialised: environmental management in general, or one domain like water or forests?
| Broad | Specialised | |
|---|---|---|
| Policy-leaning | Environmental policy and management (e.g. MESPOM) | Climate policy, water governance |
| Science-leaning | Environmental science, earth observation | Hydrology, forestry, marine science |
Then be honest about where you want to be. I want to sit near the policy side with enough technical depth to judge data. That's why policy-and-management programmes topped my list.
Step 2: Score what actually matters
For each programme, score 1–5 on:
| Factor | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Course fit | Are there 3+ courses I'd pick even without the scholarship? |
| Mobility path | Do the countries and cities help my career, or just look nice? |
| Thesis options | Can I do a thesis with an external partner (agency, NGO, company)? |
| Methods | Will I leave with usable quantitative or GIS skills? |
| Network | Where do graduates work? Is there an alumni association? |
| Degree type | Joint degree or multiple degrees? Recognised where I want to work? |
| Eligibility fit | Do I clearly meet the entry requirements? |
A spreadsheet with these columns took me an evening and saved weeks of indecision.
Step 3: Check outcomes
Brochures promise careers. LinkedIn shows them. Search the programme name on LinkedIn and look at graduates two to five years out. Ask:
- Are they doing work I want to do?
- Which sectors: government, NGO, consulting, academia, private sector?
- Which countries?
Where MESPOM fits
MESPOM is a broad, policy-and-management programme with a strong science component. It suits people who want to bridge disciplines. It suits less well if you want deep specialisation in a single technical field. I covered it in detail in MESPOM: Programme Guide for the 2027 Intake.
The scholarship cap changes the strategy
Erasmus Mundus rules limit how many programmes you can apply to for a scholarship in a single year. That makes your shortlist decision more important than for normal applications. Read the current Programme Guide before finalising.