MSc in Climate Change: Science, Society and Solutions
Manchester, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
GBP 12,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* full-time UK student fees; £26,000/year: full-time international student fees | £6,000: part-time UK student fees; £13,000/year: part-time international student fees
Introduction
- Join the world number one for societal and environmental impact (THE Impact Rankings 2021) and a top 10 UK university for Geography (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021).
- Benefit from a highly interdisciplinary teaching approach, giving you a breadth of knowledge across the social and natural sciences and the flexibility to specialise.
- Explore the full range of solutions to climate change spanning mitigation options for reducing and removing greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation options for protecting against climate change impacts, and more unconventional solar geoengineering ideas for reflecting sunlight back into space and cooling the planet.
Our climate is changing. How we mitigate climate change and adapt to live in a changing climate are fundamental questions for society. Delivered from the unique vantage point of the world's first industrialised city, the MSc Climate Change: Science, Society and Solutions has been designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills you will need to help respond to the challenges of human-induced climate change.
This interdisciplinary programme is led by the Department of Geography, with contributions from around the University, including the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. It will develop your understanding of the options for tackling climate change, the societal and political contexts in which they reside, and the scientific background to the problem itself.
The programme aims to empower you with an applied and critical understanding of the full range of social, political, and technical options for tackling climate change. This includes mitigation options for reducing and removing greenhouse gas emissions, and adaptation options for protecting against climate change impacts, as well as more unconventional solar geoengineering ideas for reflecting sunlight back into space and cooling the planet. It will also enable you to develop your scientific knowledge of climate change; hone your critical, analytical, and communication skills; and to design and deliver cutting-edge research under expert guidance.
The programme is ideal for those who want to pursue a career in: local, national or international climate policy; businesses and industries focussed on climate change innovations or corporate social responsibility (CSR); non-governmental organisations (NGOs) campaigning or lobbying for action on climate change issues; or in academia with a focus on climate change research. You will have the freedom to specialise according to your interests and ambitions by drawing upon an array of elective units. This will be carefully guided through the induction process and wider programme support.
Special features
- Geography has been studied at Manchester for more than 125 years, and we're one of Europe's best-equipped universities for the subject.
- Our Geography research improves the quality of knowledge across the world, with 90% of our activity defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (Research Excellence Framework 2022).
- We’re home to world-class academics in Geography and other areas of the University contributing to the programme, including the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
- Join the Manchester University Geographical Society (MUGS) a society run by Geography students for Geography students.
Admissions
Curriculum
MSc Climate Change: Science, Society and Solutions comprises the following four core units:
- Climate Emergency, Technology and Society
- Climate Change: Past, Present and Future
- Climate Change Knowledge Politics
- Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Practice
Plus one of the following two dissertation support units, for students pursuing social science and natural science research, respectively:
- Doing Environmental Research
- Dissertation Support
Students will also take three elective units offered in other areas of Geography and/or from other disciplines within the School of Environment, Education and Development (Department of Planning and Environmental Management, Global Development Institute), School of Social Sciences (Department of Politics), School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute) and the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning (UCIL).
Teaching and learning
The course is taught by world-leading researchers, including but not limited to:
- Dr Rob Bellamy (Programme Director): climate change, climate tipping points, carbon dioxide removal, solar geoengineering, energy systems, climate change adaptation, public perception, technology assessment, governance
- Dr Joe Blakey: environmental politics, cultures of expertise, political philosophy, de-/re-politicisation, governance, accountability, accounting, standards and metrics
- Dr Gareth Clay: carbon cycling, organic matter biogeochemistry, wildfires, land management, landscape disturbance
- Dr Chris Darvill: past climate, glaciers, ice sheets, sea level
- Dr Will Fletcher: palaeoclimate, environmental change, human-environment interactions
- Dr Claire Hoolohan: decarbonisation, demand management, social practices, design and governance for sustainable consumption
- Dr Anna Hughes: ice sheets, glaciers, sea level, climate, GIS and remote sensing
- Typical course units are composed of two hours per week of lectures and seminars. These taught units comprise two-thirds of the course. The remainder of the programme consists of a 12,000-word dissertation on an approved topic.
Coursework and assessment
Assessment will involve a range of formative and summative assessments, including individual and group work, oral presentations and essays, project work and reports. Coursework is designed to allow you to pursue your particular areas of interest. In the second semester, you will work independently to undertake a dissertation.
Scholarships and Funding
We offer a number of postgraduate taught scholarships and merit awards to outstanding applicants and international students.
In addition, the Manchester Alumni Scholarship Scheme offers a £3,000 reduction in tuition fees to University of Manchester alumni who achieved a first-class bachelor's degree and are progressing to a postgraduate taught master's course.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
MSc Climate Change: Science, Society and Solutions responds to the rapidly growing need for interdisciplinary expertise in climate change.
The programme is ideal for those who want to pursue a career in: local, national or international climate policy; businesses and industries focussed on climate change innovations or corporate social responsibility (CSR); non-governmental organisations (NGOs) campaigning or lobbying for action on climate change issues; or in academia with a focus on climate change research.
Geography graduates have particularly great employment prospects and go on to shape environmental policy through positions in the public and private sectors.
Our graduates have gone on to successful careers in areas including consultancy, research, non-governmental organisations, project management, environmental management, agriculture and forestry, environmental sciences, energy, marketing, and finance.
Top employers include:
- DEFRA;
- the Environment Agency;
- Natural England;
- the Organic Soil Association;
- the UK Atomic Energy Authority;
- UNEP.
Facilities
Program Admission Requirements
Show your commitment and readiness for Grad school by taking the GRE - the most broadly accepted exam for graduate programs internationally.