(Full time) 2020 start
Environment and Development MSc
Overview
For the latest information for offer holders and applicants, please visit our covid-19 frequently asked questions.
Sustainable economic development and environmental management are two key challenges facing the Global South. As part of our Environment and Development MSc you will be provided with high-quality interdisciplinary training to help you understand the many perspectives of different actors operating in the Global South.
This Masters is led by the Sustainability Research Institute and brings together a wide range of academic expertise from the School of Earth and Environment, the School of Politics and International Studies, and from the practitioner community.
You will investigate the debates and challenges associated with international development that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable and contribute towards achieving solutions that support this topical, fast-growing field.
You will gain the knowledge, skills and practical experience that national and international employers require to reconcile distinct objectives, such as the need for sustainable economic development and environmental conservation.
The course is ideal if you would like to develop or continue a career in environment and/or development practice, policy, training or research, and/or if you are thinking of working in an international capacity. The Masters will prepare you for work in both the public and private sectors, and within local, national and international institutions. Alternatively, you could pursue a research career or go on to a PhD.
Course highlights
- You have a large degree of flexibility – choose the modules you take and develop your degree in line with your interests and ambitions.
- Carry out a wide range of fieldwork
- Learn from experts in the field – our teaching draws on specialist knowledge from practitioner and research communities covering both the natural and social sciences.
- Attend the excellent research seminar series run by the School of Earth and Environment, School of Politics and International Studies, plus those organised in Leeds’ Biology and Geography departments.
Fieldwork
Fieldwork forms an integral part of the course, which develops your on-the-ground understanding of how the tools and skills you learn in lectures can be applied.
- You'll visit East Yorkshire for two days to learn about issues affecting sustainable economic development and environmental management in a developed world context.
- Choose to carry-out fieldwork as part of your final dissertation.
Programme team
You will be taught by a world-leading team of researchers covering the social sciences, economics, development studies, environmental management and conservation and the natural sciences from within the School of Earth and Environment and the School of Politics and International Studies.
The programme manager, Dr Monica Di Gregorio, is an environment and development expert working on natural resource governance in the Global South, with a particular focus on climate change policy responses and land-use in Southeast Asia and Latin America.
She applies and integrates qualitative and quantitative methods to undertake research spanning from case study to multi-country comparative analysis of policy and governance processes.
Other academics who teach on the course are members of the Centre for Global Development, Leeds Centre for African Studies, Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCFAS), Priestley Centre for Climate, Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, Sustainable Cities Group and Water@Leeds.
Instructors are also active in national and international research and policy fora, such as the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, the World Commission on Protected Areas, The Economics of Land Degradation and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Course content
This 12 month Masters is split into three semesters. In the first two semesters you will take lectures and seminars, followed by approximately four months of individual work leading to the submission of a dissertation.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Modules
Year 1
Compulsory modules
- Research Methods 15 credits
- Research Project 60 credits
- Introduction to Sustainability 15 credits
- Environmental Policy and Governance 15 credits
- Critical Perspectives in Environment and Development 15 credits
Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
- Business, Environment and Sustainability 15 credits
- Introduction to Ecological Economics 15 credits
- Environmental Economics and Policy 15 credits
- Environment & Development Remote International Field Course 15 credits
- Climate Change: Physical Science Basis 15 credits
- Climate Change: Impacts and Adaptation 15 credits
- Climate Change Mitigation 15 credits
- Tools and Techniques in Ecological Economics 15 credits
Learning and teaching
You will learn through a variety of teaching methods to help you develop subject-specific and transferable skills.
This includes lectures, practical workshops, field trips, computer lab sessions, research seminars and project work (individual and groupwork).
Practical exercises focus around real-world scenarios and case studies to produce optimal solutions including familiarisation with state-of-the-art technical approaches, software and the regulatory regimes that companies and public sector organisations operate within.
The research-intensive environment of the School ensures that course material is both up-to-date and research led.
You will also learn the scientific and rational principles lying behind the practical approaches used in the world outside academia, so that your skills keep pace with changes in technology or the regulatory environment.
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a variety of ways including both written and oral assignments and exams.
Applying, fees and funding
Entry requirements
A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) or above in the social sciences such as international development, geography, politics, sociology, environmental management, sustainability, in environmental science or in a related subject.
Applicants with a 2.2 will be considered on a case by case basis where applicants can demonstrate relevant work experience or aptitude in a relevant specialist field. Graduates from other disciplines and those with professional experience in the sector will also be considered.
All applicants will need to have GCSE English Language at grade C or above, or an appropriate English language qualification.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Science (6 weeks) and Language for Science: General Science (10 weeks).
If you need to study for longer than 10 weeks, read more about our postgraduate pre-sessional English course.
How to apply
This link takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.
If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Admissions policy
Faculty of Environment Taught Admissions Policy 2021
Fees
- UK/EU: £9,500 (total)
- International: £21,500 (total)
Read more about paying fees and charges.
Brexit
Visit our Brexit page for the latest information on the effect of the UK's exit from the EU on current students and applicants to the University.
For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.
Additional cost information
Because we recognise the value of field experience the school heavily subsidises or covers the transport and accommodation costs for all compulsory taught field courses.
On this course you have the option to attend an overseas field trip in semester two, at an additional cost of £1,200-£1,500 (dependent on exchange rates, cost of flights and student demand). This is paid in three instalments (between October and January). A £100 deposit is required when enrolling onto the module in October.
In light of covid-19, no international field trips will run in the academic year 2020/21.
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more at Masters funding overview.
Scholarships are available.
Career opportunities
The School of Earth and Environment has a strong commitment to enhancing student employability and has its own dedicated Employability Officer. We offer extra support and activities to help you stand out in your chosen field and achieve your career goals.
This course is ideal if you want to continue your undergraduate studies, you are looking for a career change, or if you are looking to increase your skill set to progress in your career in industry or academia.
We typically find that graduates assume, or continue careers, in sustainability, environmental management or development practice. Our alumni work in the research, public and private sectors and within local, national and international institutions.
Our graduates have secured positions including:
- Global Ambassador, Raleigh International
- Environmental Advisor, London Mining PLC , Sierra Leone
- Consultant, Sustainability Consultancy - Canada
- Advisor on Agricultural Pollution, Natural England
- Global Programme Manager, Renewable World
- Sustainability Consultant - BREEAM, EDCM Consulting
- Senior Research Officer, Climate Change Third World Network
- Field Environment Advisor, Tullow Oil Kenya
Careers support
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
Industry links
We have successful and productive links with many partners with different perspectives on sustainability, environment and development.
You will come in contact with our network of partners throughout the course. For example, during the field courses in East Yorkshire and Tanzania there are opportunities to network with organisations such as the Tanzanian National Institute of Medical Research, East Usambara Tea Company, WWF-Tanzania, The Wildlife Trusts and Associated British Ports.
In addition, staff members in the Sustainability Research Institute, Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Studies and the School of Politics and International Studies maintain their own network of contacts and your dissertation project provides you with an opportunity to build on these links.
We will also support and encourage you to develop your own links so that you can collaborate with institutions that might be beneficial for your future career progression.
In the past, students have worked with companies, UK-based charities, international development organisations, government departments and universities.
Industry support for your dissertation
To help you set-up your research dissertation, supervisors have excellent collaborative links with sustainability, environment and development organisations across the UK and internationally.
Recent students have worked with Brunei National Energy Research Institute, ASDA (foodwaste), Tullow Oil Company and The International Rice Research Institute. While other students have teamed up with ongoing research projects.