MSc in Climate Change: Environment, Science and Policy
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
09 Mar 2025*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 31,600 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* first application deadline
** International students | UK students: £14,500 per year
Introduction
Our China and Globalisation MSc provides an introduction to the causes and consequences of China’s rise from comparative and global perspectives. It will equip you with the conceptual and research tools necessary for the critical analysis of China’s social, political, and economic trends, and support your understanding of Chinese public policies, business strategies and modes of international cooperation.
Key benefits
- Bring your understanding of climate and environmental change issues up to date, focusing on the human influences and societal consequences of climate change
- Learn about how the potential future impacts and consequences of environmental change can be studied, including changes to the climate, carbon cycle, hydrology and land use
- Master your ability to address complex research and policy questions with newly developed multidisciplinary skills. Gain the skills to critically evaluate and analyse environmental change research, the implications of the science, and the range of possible policy responses
- Develop your understanding of what policymakers and society need from scientific research to respond to global and regional environmental changes
- Find out more about the nature of the uncertainties involved in future predictions
- An optional internship module helps students take their first steps towards employment in a relevant vocational field
Course essentials
This Climate Change: Environment, Science and Policy MSc is unique because it approaches the topic from both a science and policy perspective, which means you’ll learn more about applied physical science that's policy-relevant.
It’s also the only MSc where you can choose to study climate change with a focus on science or policy - or you can opt for a more comprehensive understanding of both disciplines. With over 30 modules to choose from, this Climate Change: Environment, Science and Policy MSc is a rare opportunity to get truly interdisciplinary teaching.
You’ll complete compulsory modules on the Fundamentals of Climate Change and Environmental Science and Policymaking, to develop your cross-disciplinary outlook. You’ll get the chance to learn from researchers who have, and are currently, contributing to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as well as staff providing expert advice to the UK Government on a wide range of pressing policy matters.
You’ll also have the freedom to pick from a large number of optional modules from across all our Geography programmes, including the Internship (Environment and Society) module, where students gain hands-on experience of formulating and implementing actions on behalf of an environmental actor.
Students can also take one module outside Geography such as the Global Law of Climate Change.
You’ll be taught by physical and social scientists, and gain an in-depth understanding of the scientific and policy basis of a series of global environmental change issues.
Duration: One year full-time, September to September, two years part-time
Admissions
Curriculum
Structure
Programmes are divided into modules. You will take modules totalling 180-190 credits as outlined below.
Required modules
Programmes are divided into modules. You will take modules totalling 180-190 credits as outlined below. You are required to take the following module:
- Dissertation (60 Credits)
- Science Pathway
If you choose the Science pathway, you are also required to take the following modules:
- Fundamentals of Climate Change (15 credits)
- Environmental Data Analysis (15 credits)
- Modelling Environmental Change (15 credits)
- Research Design and Project Management (15 credits)
Policy Pathway
If you choose the Policy pathway, you are also required to take the following modules:
- Environmental Science and Policymaking (15 credits)
- Fundamentals of Climate Change (15 credits)
- Practising Social Research (15 credits)
- Research Design and Project Management (15 credits)
Optional modules
In addition, for both the Science and Policy pathways, students are required to take 60-70 credits of optional modules, which may typically include:
- Climate: Science and Society (15 credits)
- Earth Observation and Remote Sensing for Sustainability (15 Credits)
- Environmental Dynamics in the Anthropocene (15 credits)
- Environmental Science and Policymaking (15 credits) (Compulsory for Policy pathway, Optional for Science pathway)
- Environmental Science for Sustainability (15 credits)
- Fundamentals of Environment, Politics and Development (15 credits)
- GIS and Spatial Data Science (15 Credits)
- Resilience, Adaptation and Development (15 Credits)
- Risk Analysis: Science and Applications (15 Credits)
Other Optional Modules Available to Students on this Programme:
- Internship (Environment and Society) (15 credits)
- Any Level 7 (Masters) modules offered in the Department of Geography, including those listed above.
- Global Law of Climate Change (15 credits) (King’s Dickson Poon School of Law) subject to approvals.
- Up to 20 credits of Level 7 (Master’s) modules from other King’s Departments or Institutes outside of Geography, subject to approvals.
Part-Time Students
Part-time students should contact the Programme Director to understand how the programme works. Part-time students on both pathways are advised to take 75-90 credits of taught modules in their first year. Students on the Science Pathway are advised to take Modelling Environmental Change, Environmental Data Analysis, and Fundamentals of Climate Change in their first year, and Research Design and Project Management in their second year.
Students on the Policy Pathway are advised to take Environmental Science and Policymaking and Fundamentals of Climate Change in their first year, and Practising Social Research and Research Design and Project Management in their second year. Should students have strong reasons to deviate from this schedule, they should consult with and have the agreement of their Programme Director.
Part-Time International Students and paid or unpaid work
Please note that for international students, UK Government guidelines are currently more restrictive for those holding part-time visas than full-time visas. If you hold a student visa for a part-time programme, you will not have the right to undertake any work, paid or unpaid, in the UK. Therefore, the Internship (Environment and Society) module is only available to full-time overseas students but not part-time overseas students, as the UK government considers it unpaid work. The Internship module is also available to full- or part-time home students.
King’s College London reviews the modules offered regularly to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, the modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.
Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place for all students who elect to study this module.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Climate Change: Environment, Science and Policy MSc graduates have secured careers in national and international consultancies and NGOs, governments, charities, research organisations, journalism and teaching. Many graduates have also gone on to undertake doctoral research at King’s and other universities in a broad range of Climate Science related topics.
Our ever-popular Internship module, which has been running for over 20 years, helps master students take their first steps towards employment, offering opportunities to undertake a period of work with an organisation broadly related to their programme of study. The internship not only provides valuable career-enhancing opportunities but also counts towards their degrees.
In 2021-22, over 150 students worked with 60 different organisations across a range of sectors including international agencies; local councils and national government departments; companies in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, research institutes and charities. As well as UK organisations, partners also included Belgium, Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, and the United States.
Program Admission Requirements
Show your commitment and readiness for Grad school by taking the GRE - the most broadly accepted exam for graduate programs internationally.