In the second year of the program (M2) your learning journey will focus on real-world impact on planetary health. The M2 curriculum combines theoretical courses in Critical Research Analysis, Research Methodology, and Social Entrepreneurship with practical experiences in co-designing interdisciplinary research projects for sustainable solutions alongside PhD students and peers. Central to this experience is the 2 to 3 internships, each lasting 3 to 5 months, which offer a unique opportunity to explore diverse fields, acquire new skills, and define your professional path. Whether you aspire to pursue a PhD, build a career in the public or private sector, or launch your initiative to address pressing global challenges, the M2 programme prepares you to shape your future and make a meaningful global impact.
Mind Opening and Collaborative Learning
CIRP is about expanding the minds of participants, whether students or mentors, by discovering new ways of thinking, interacting and exploring the world. To think out of the box, you must begin by opening the box.
Building projects collectively through diverse perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches to planetary health challenges and meeting the needs of our time.
Overview
Through this exercise, the students will be exposed to large spectra of interdisciplinary research domains and methodologies. Students are expected to choose, analyse and present a research article within the topic of Planetary Health, each prepared by two/three students from different backgrounds. The underlying hypothesis, background and results are discussed in detail and the different techniques are explained. In addition, the students are asked to integrate pros, cons and questions raised by the other students and suggest further experimental/modelling approaches concerning their conclusions from the paper at stake. Emphasis will be given to the talk’s scientific communication structure, slides and interaction with the public.
Overview
During the course, students will learn how to do a review of scientific literature concerning a controversy in groups of 3 people. You will develop skills to evaluate scientific literature which allows you to deepen your knowledge regarding one subject of research. You will learn how to write a synthesized review highlighting the important breakthroughs and the controversy around this subject. In this learning process, you will be empowered to participate in a scientific roundtable discussion on the selected topics.
Overview
The elective course offers master’s students a comprehensive exploration of a field/thematic chosen by the student, in alignment with his/her professional goals.
Students can choose between UE libre, UE tranverse or UE d'ouverture (MOOC, Circle-U courses, University courses, open course outside of the University)
M2 students are required to undertake two internships with a total duration of 9 months. The first internship must be performed in the Parisian area as it is mandatory to follow first semester courses at the Learning Planet Institute on Fridays. It is an internship of 4 or 5 months in the organization of your choice upon pedagogical validation, and you will defend it with an oral presentation.
This internship represents an important opportunity for students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during their academic career. It also allows them to explore and expand into their areas of interest, gain invaluable experience, and understand the dynamics of executing interdisciplinary projects in various real-world settings, including:
Important: All internships/projects are expected to align with the LPI's values, mission, and the objectives of the AIRE program. They are subject to pedagagocial validation by the AIRE team. The objectives should support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promote planetary health, foster interdisciplinarity, and be tailored to students’ backgrounds and future aspirations.
This is the second mandatory internship that you will have to perform in M2. It can be done abroad, upon pedagogical validation. It is an internship of 4 or 5 months in the organization of your choice, and you will defend it at the end of the year in June with an oral presentation.
Overview
As part of the Master program, students attend masterclasses which allow them to interact with high-level scientists from all over the world and to participate in co-design workshops aiming to tackle social and environmental challenges. It is a moment of open interaction and inspiration.
Overview
The Thematic Workshops is a one week-long event, where students organize a scientific conference. It is a great opportunity to meet other students and to network with scientists of your field.
FIRE PhD 2nd year students and AIRE M2 students work together to create the thematic workshops week at the LPI. The students decide on themes and then have the opportunity to organize each component of the thematic workshop, including format, guest speakers, scheduling, advertising, etc. A budget is available for invitations of external scientists to participate in the workshop and interact with the students.
FIRE PhD students mentoring Master AIRE students
The objective of the mentoring program is to guide Master AIRE students in their practical experience and academic life. The mentor role will be to:
In return, PhD students will enhance their mentorship skills, including constructive feedback, reflective practice, critical thinking, clear communication, active listening, and the ability to build strong relationships and networks.
Overview
How do we choose what to teach? How do we decide how to teach? Who, indeed, decides what is taught? This course explores how teaching and learning programmes are conceptualised, structured, evaluated, and improved over time. Using the AIRE pathway structure of the Learning Planet Institute as a “living lab,” students examine how programmes emerge from identifying educational gaps and societal needs, and how these translate into curriculum architecture, learning objectives, learning outcomes, and syllabus design.
Overview
Through this course, students will be exposed to a range of funding opportunities, proposal structures, and pitching strategies across interdisciplinary research. Students are expected to select a relevant funding call, design and write a complete project proposal, prepare a concise oral pitch, and defend it in front of a jury. They will learn to clearly articulate objectives, methodology, impact, and budget while aligning their project with funders’ expectations.
Overview
This course introduces the design of social enterprises as a way of solving environmental and societal challenges. Using a problem-based learning approach, students will explore how to identify systemic social and environmental issues, develop innovative solutions, and create sustainable business models that address these challenges. Students will develop the skills needed to design and launch successful social enterprises that contribute to positive societal and environmental change.
Overview
Students will concretise their Social Entrepreneurship projects into a prototyped solution for Planetary Health in the Makerlab.
During the second year, you will gain substantial and meaningful research experience through our research-led courses and internship-rich programme. Our programme empowers future innovators for sustainable development while fostering teamwork and collaboration, helping you build lasting ties with researchers and fellow students from around the world.
