Key information
- Level
- Postgraduate Taught
- Delivery type
- Full Time
- Degree qualification
- MSc
- Mode of delivery
- On-Campus
- Duration
- 1 year
- Location
- Edinburgh
- Start date
- September, January
MSc Global Environmental Change and Policy equips those of you with a bachelor-level graduate degree in earth and environmental science, or related degree, with the multidisciplinary skills necessary to be able to understand and tackle complex global issues associated with climate change, societal challenges, and policy development. You’ll gain the highly integrated level of fundamental, applied, and communication-based knowledge needed to identify, characterise, and effectively find solutions to a range of challenges related to climate change.ÌýÌý
You’ll understand the principles of environmental and earth system science, including a detailed knowledge of the earth system, and be able to make informed decisions on the future. You’ll also consider strategic environmental assessment, policy, legal, ethical and health and safety issues of concern in the marine environment. Ìý
This career-focused master’s programme will develop your technical, scientific, and managerial abilities, relevant for a marine science career in academia, industry, government and non-governmental organisations.Ìý
Your student experience
Your learning will be informed by experts in earth and marine sciences from our Institute of Life and Earth Sciences (ILES), part of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society. The School is one of the United Kingdom’s leading institutions for multidisciplinary research and teaching in areas critical to economic development and societal equity. Ìý
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You’ll also benefit from teaching and research at the Lyell Centre, a leading centre in earth, marine and ecosystem sciences, and a collaboration between the British Geological Survey and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. Ìý
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The research relevance of this postgraduate programme ensures your studies remain innovative and industry focused. Ìý
Go Global
With Go Global, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½'s global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.
Inter-Campus Transfer
Course content
September Intake - Edinburgh
Mandatory September
- Applied Skills in Laboratory, Fieldwork and Data Analysis
- Earth System Science
- Innovative Technologies and Global Water Challenges
- Reconstructing Environmental Change
Mandatory January
- Global Environmental Sustainability Leadership and Governance in a Changing World
- Science Communication and Engagement
- Equity, Economics and Ecosystems under Pressure
Optional January
- Environmental Evidence Synthesis
- Tropical and Coral Reefs: Monitoring and Management
- GIS for Marine and Environmental Scientists
- Marine Environmental Monitoring
- Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation
- Practical Skills in Marine Surveying
Mandatory May
- Earth Sciences MSc Project
January Intake - Edinburgh
Mandatory January
- Global Environmental Sustainability Leadership and Governance in a Changing World
- Science Communication and Engagement
- Equity, Economics and Ecosystems under Pressure
Optional January
- Environmental Evidence Synthesis
- Marine Environmental Monitoring
- Tropical and Coral Reefs: Monitoring and Management
- GIS for Marine and Environmental Scientists
- Marine Vertebrate Ecology and Conservation
- Practical Skills in Marine Surveying
Mandatory September
- Earth System Science
- Innovative Technologies and Global Water Challenges
- Reconstructing Environmental Change
- Applied Skills in Laboratory, Fieldwork and Data Analysis
Mandatory Second January
- Earth Sciences MSc Project
Programme Video
Dr Ingrid Kelling - Coastal Futures (COP28)
Universal commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals call to Leave No One Behind, and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (UNCCC, 2015), amongst others, have progressively acknowledged the need to address equity within food systems. Hear from programme leader Dr Ingrid Kelling on how we must be effective and just. Adaptation measures must recognise existing systemic inequities, extending to institutions and management systems. Urgent ocean-based research and action requires paying particular attention to the most vulnerable, and integrating equity and human rights in adaptation, ensuring both future human wellbeing and food security - the principle aims of the Fair Food Hub at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.
Hikmat Quadri
The programme has developed my skills in environmental campaigns and policy making - from shooting and editing videos to carrying out evidence synthesis. The diversity of cultures I have experienced has also taught me to be open to learning new ways of doing things. I have found that the non-academic aspects of learning are just as valuable as the technical knowledge and skills that I am gaining, ensuring I am well set up for life after graduation.
Teaching staff
Ingrid Kelling
Assistant Professor
Daniela Diz
Associate Professor
Michel Kaiser
Professor
Thomas Wagner
Professor
Fees and funding
| Status | Full Time |
|---|---|
| UK | £12,344 |
| International | £28,056 |
- Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
- International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).
Scholarships and bursaries
Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries
We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.
Postgraduate European Union Scholarship
Open to any student coming from an EU country, this scholarship is an automatically applied £5,000 fee reduction for a full-time postgraduate taught programme at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.
Entry requirements
We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.
A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree or non-UK equivalent in a subject such as earth, marine or environmental science. Proficiency in numeracy is an advantage.
Degrees with evidence of understanding conservation, ecology, biology, geology, chemistry or microbiology will also be considered.
Why ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½
We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.
We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.
Student life
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