MSc Climate Change and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Reading, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2025
TUITION FEES
Request tuition fees
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* new international students: £30,950 | new UK/Republic of Ireland students: £12,800
Introduction
Help tackle the climate crisis, and gain expertise in a rapidly growing field of computer science, with our MSc Climate Change and Artificial Intelligence (AI) degree.
This course is suited to graduates from a wide range of disciplines – including science, technology, engineering and mathematical (STEM) subjects – who are looking for a postgraduate qualification that will help them stand out in the job market.
Choose the University of Reading
Reading is a leading university for climate science and environmental sustainability:
- ranked 1st in the UK for environmental and ethical performance (People and Planet University League, 2023/24)
- winner of the inaugural Times Higher Education (THE) award for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership, 2023
- recipient of a prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for our world-leading research, teaching, stewardship and outreach on climate change
- ranked 5th in the world for Atmospheric Science (ShanghaiRanking 2023 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects)
- named Sustainable University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.
What you’ll learn
Artificial intelligence is growing rapidly, transforming how we collect and use data. It has the potential to help solve and understand complex global challenges, including the climate crisis.
Our Master’s in Climate Change and Artificial Intelligence (AI) addresses the growing demand for graduates with an understanding of both climate science and AI, together with the business acumen to deploy that understanding effectively.
You’ll gain a thorough understanding of:
- climate data science and climate modelling
- causality and decision-making in climate change
- good data management practices
- machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI)
- computing using the Python programming language.
Your studies will provide the knowledge and skills required for leadership roles in the IT industry and beyond. You’ll develop the ability to:
- describe the key concepts involved in climate change, including mitigation and impacts
- identify and explain sources of uncertainty in climate model simulations and empirical data, and apply these concepts to decision-making
- demonstrate when and how AI and machine learning can be used in climate change applications and services
- apply scientific methods to real-world problems and challenges
- conduct in-depth research in atmosphere, ocean and climate science.
The course will improve your understanding of climate data science and AI techniques, and prepare you for current – or future – managerial responsibilities.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs.
We have a number of scholarships available for our master's students.
Curriculum
Compulsory modules
- Climate Change: Causes and Consequences: Understand the causes and consequences of climate change and ways of addressing climate risks through mitigation and adaptation. You’ll also learn about the challenges in developing local, national and international responses to climate change.
- Applied Data Science with Python: Learn to work proficiently with Python tools for data science. You’ll gain hands-on experience through practical work and simple programming tasks and also develop a set of transferable and professional skills.
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Learn current methods in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and their application using Python programming language. You’ll also be able to formulate research problems, write technical reports and use your knowledge and skills to continue learning and adapting to new data science technologies.
- Data Science and Climate Services: Convert raw climate data into information relevant to decision-making and apply appropriate statistical methods for analysis and interpretation. You’ll also understand the limitations of the methods and data used, and develop the ability to communicate this information effectively to both expert and non-expert audiences.
- Managing People and Organisations: Examine how people behave in organisational settings, the theories that inform this behaviour, and the practical implications for managers. You'll explore current understanding across human and social sciences, including management, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology.
- Causality and Decision-making: Explore the design and application of decision-making methods and problem-structuring based on causal inference theory, focusing on socio-economic aspects of climate risks and impacts through real-world case studies. You’ll develop your own critical reasoning skills, apply modelling frameworks to decision-making, and examine ethics, values, and competing ideologies in the context of national and international policies and institutions.
- Dissertation: Research Project: Acquire the skills needed for scientific research, develop specific interests, and prepare for research or work in your field of study. Applicants who receive an offer of a place to study in the MSc Climate Change and Artificial Intelligence course will have the opportunity to explore the possibility of defining their research project, in consultation with academic supervisors, before enrolling at the University of Reading.
- Weather and Climate Discussion: Study weather and climate issues of both local and global importance. You’ll gain knowledge of current weather, recent worldwide climate events and short-term weather forecasts.
If required, you can also take preparatory modules to support your skill and knowledge development, including Academic English for Meteorologists.
These are the modules that we currently offer for 2024/25 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.
Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.
You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.
Career Opportunities
Our MSc Climate Change and Artificial Intelligence (AI) degree will equip you with specialist skills and knowledge that are highly sought by employers. The UK government’s National AI Strategy notes that:
- There were over 110,000 UK job vacancies in 2020 for AI and data science roles.
- In 2020, there was a 16% increase in online AI and data science job vacancies, and research found that 69% of vacancies were hard to fill. (Ipsos MORI, Understanding the UK AI labour market: 2020 (2021)).
- “The gap between demand and supply of AI skills remains significant and growing”. (Microsoft, AI Skills in The UK (2020) and Ipsos MORI, Understanding the UK AI labour market: 2020 (2021)).
The government’s UK Digital Strategy (October 2022) also notes that the UK is a world leader in artificial intelligence and that jobs are growing in the AI sector.
Program Admission Requirements
Show your commitment and readiness for Grad school by taking the GRE - the most broadly accepted exam for graduate programs internationally.