Climate Futures: Science, Society and Politics MSc

Course overview

Climate change has become one of the most defining crises of our time, affecting every corner of the world. From extreme weather to food and water insecurity, the future of our planet relies on qualified specialists to deliver solutions to help combat these problems.

Our Climate Futures Masters will provide you with a holistic understanding of the climate crisis, delivering the scientific, social and political approaches you’ll need to respond creatively and effectively to the unprecedented, complex and dynamic challenges of a changing climate.

The transdisciplinary design of this course means you’ll be engaging with multiple perspectives from world-leading climate experts across the University— giving you a comprehensive and extensive skill set that’ll enable you to challenge failed strategies and provide innovative solutions going forward. You’ll be taught by academics and researchers who are dedicated to providing and questioning climate problems and solutions and are directly engaged in a wide variety of groundbreaking research surrounding the climate crisis, meaning you’ll be at the helm of conceptual debates and innovations as they happen.

Here at Leeds, we also offer a uniquely active, immersive learning experience with the chance to put theory into practice and get involved in exciting, climate-based projects across the campus, city and beyond.

This means that, once you graduate, you’ll be equipped with the in-depth knowledge, skills and practical experience that’ll empower you to contribute towards meaningful climate action and pursue a challenging yet rewarding career that contributes to more sustainable and just climate futures.

Why study at Leeds:

• Graduate with a transdisciplinary MSc that covers the scientific, social and political areas of climate from a university which is actively  intervening in key processes and itself taking action on climate change.
• Learn the deeper background and latest insights in diverse aspects of climate change and sustainability from the research conducted across the several world-leading institutes right here on campus, which feeds directly into the course.
• Advance your knowledge and skills in critical areas such as the societal challenges connected to climate change, the natural science describing climatic change, the history of climatology and social and political dimensions of climate as a problem.
• Tailor your degree to suit your career aspirations and interests with a selection of topical yet diverse optional modules, giving you flexibility to shape the course to your preferences.
• Develop your individual and team skills in academic and real-world challenge-based activities that give you the chance to pursue your specific interests and also grow your professional network through engagement with our outside contacts.
• Discover cutting-edge science, the latest perspectives and innovative solutions from leading climate researchers, professionals (e.g. policy makers/advisors, activists, organisations) and impacted communities in talks and seminars across campus.
• Take your own action against climate change throughout the course and get hands-on in exciting and transformational projects, which may include our Living Labs, new woodlands and rewilding initiatives, the Sustainability Service, Atmosphere and Critical Zone Observatory, Geosolutions, the centre for Advanced Research Computing and the Leeds Climate Commission.
• Experience expert theoretical and practical teaching, delivered by a programme team who are actively working to tackle the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges.

Join our online taster courses

Our five-part series of courses will show you how environmental management policies are developed and help you understand the challenges surrounding their formulation.

View this video on Bilibili.

Course details

This course will equip you with the transdisciplinary knowledge and tools to become facilitators of innovative climate action. The course breaks new ground in the race to understand, mitigate and adapt to twenty-first century climate change.

Through our programme of active learning, you’ll engage with multiple perspectives from world-leading climate experts across campus, directly tapping into the unique depth and breadth of climate research at the University of Leeds. You'll acquire a trailblazing ability to see and tackle climate-posed problems from multiple angles, becoming a holistic but strategic thinker, uniquely equipped to facilitate transformative action. No pre-requisite knowledge is required for this course.

Semester 1 provides an interdisciplinary landing platform for you to begin your journey into the complexities and challenges of climate change as a whole. The two compulsory 30-credit modules are designed to add breadth to your existing knowledge and skill base, while building onto your current expertise. Semester 2 is geared around problem-based learning, provoking you to make links between social and natural sciences, and start creating your own innovative approaches to challenges posed by climate change. You'll select two modules from a choice of 30-credit electives based on the outcomes you want to achieve and roles you want to play in addressing climate change. In semester 3, the Capstone Project equips you to actively address a climate challenge with mentorship from an interdisciplinary team. The module is designed to guide you through building a track record in identifying and enacting positive solutions in a team, while developing and showcasing your unique individual strengths and professional skills.

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.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Climate Futures: Science, Society and Politics MSc in the course catalogue

Compulsory modules

Physical Climate Change, Impacts and Mitigation – 30 credits

This module introduces you to core scientific principles and processes of climate science, impacts of climate change, sources of emission and their reduction strategies. The course will give you the ability to communicate the connection between emissions, global warming and impacts to a broad range of policy, business and public stakeholders.

Social and Political Dimensions of the Climate Challenge – 30 credits

Introducing climate change as a multidimensional problem, this module will allow you to explore the competing interests and diverse forms of knowledge involved in understanding and acting upon climate change. It introduces and evaluates dominant and alternative approaches to social and technological transformation including: vulnerability, governance, adaptation and mitigation. developing social analytical tools to navigate this complexity.

Engaging with Climate Change: Capstone Project – 60 credits

You’ll take part in a residential field course and regular practical and problem-solving workshops to develop your research and communications skills. The module will enhance your opportunity to put into practice the language, theory and research methods to communicate and enact change across disciplines, with a focus on employability skills.

Optional modules

Please note: The modules listed below are indicative of typical options.

Climate and Development – 30 credits

Explore the many ways in which climate change intersects with the challenge of global development, sustainable livelihoods and related goals like poverty reduction, equality, health and food security with a focus on the Global South.

Climate Justice – 30 credits

Tackle how climate change inevitably has complex repercussions for social and natural systems, and therefore involves multi-dimensional questions of justice and fairness.

Climate Security – 30 credits

Discover how and why climate change is increasingly linked to ideas of emergency, necessity and ‘security’. The module blends the science of a climate tipping points, impacts and measures with social science analysis of security dynamics and logics as they relate to climate change.

Climate Risk – 30 credits

This module addresses climate risks and their management, including risk perception and communication, analysis of climate hazards and management approaches. By the end of the module, you should be able to understand risk assessments and decision-making strategies, and contribute to their delivery, but also understand underlying theory and critically assess evidence and approaches to risk and uncertainty in climate futures.

Fieldwork

Residential fieldwork in the UK will immerse you in multi-disciplinary methods, language and cultures. Embedded in the physical, social and political sciences, the course will foster effective communication and collaboration between individuals, maximising different strengths and backgrounds.

You'll undertake observational and experimental activities to characterise environmental conditions and will conduct social science research into interventions for acting on climate change, including related policy and planning processes, and public acceptance issues.

Additional fieldwork will continue the programme of experiential learning. This will give you further opportunities to specialise in using industry-grade equipment and cutting-edge approaches to understanding and communicating climate change as a natural and social challenge, for example in conjunction with the University of Leeds farm and woodlands, renewable energy and transport infrastructure projects, and various conservation/re-wilding projects.

Learning and teaching

The programme will adopt a blended approach to learning, developing digital offerings alongside immersive face-to-face teaching.

You'll be provided with the basic material you’ll need to give you the core level of knowledge and understanding needed for the course, no matter what your background.

Traditional lecture-style content will be delivered digitally (e.g., as screencasts) and through the reinforcement of clearly structured core preparatory reading that maps onto the online and face-to-face activities directly. Your time with teaching staff will be spent in face-to-face group sessions, including research skills tutorials, challenge-based workshops (e.g. seminars, negotiations, discussions), practical work (e.g. fieldwork and computer-based sessions) and oral/poster presentations.

Recognising the diversity in student backgrounds, learning will be supported with additional academic skills training and employability-related training.

Active research environment

Learn from and work with the experts. The University of Leeds is home to several world-leading research institutes on climate change and sustainability, working to tackle the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges. Throughout your degree you'll be taught by leaders in their fields and will be directly engaged with their cutting-edge research.

Academics and researchers teaching on this course are based in or working with:

• Priestley International Centre for Climate Change, a world-leading centre for policy-relevant, solution-driven climate research advising the vast majority of UK Government departments, large corporations, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, UN climate negotiations (UNFCCC COPs), including Action for Climate Empowerment, i.e. on climate change education, training and public participation.
• Place-based Climate Action Network, working to deliver climate policies on a global to local scale and the Centre for Global Development which addresses the transformation of human societies in response to critical global challenges such as poverty, inequality and climate change.
• Transformational projects on climate and environmental action, such as Living Labs, Sustainability Service and Geosolutions.
• United Bank of Carbon and the White Rose Forest who are protecting, planting and restoring trees and forests both in the UK and across the world.
• Climate Commissions for Leeds and Yorkshire and Humber, which bring together public, private and third sector stakeholders to facilitate ambitious steps towards a low carbon, climate-resilient future.
• Centre for Global Security Challenges, which fosters interdisciplinary links across the university around the theme of security as it relates to issues including climate change, global health and political violence.
• National Centre for Atmospheric Science, based in Leeds and one of only six research centres funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, providing its core research into atmospheric science.
• Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science, which is the UK’s most diverse academic institute for atmospheric research, and the UK Met Office, who provide concrete meteorological information for making short and long-term decisions on environmental resilience.

Specialist facilities and resources

As a university, we are heavily involved in sustainability and tackling climate change, which means we have a range of specialist facilities and industry-grade equipment, much of which is used to inform our research.

Through our programme of immersive teaching, you’ll engage with our observational and experimental facilities; such as farms, woodlands, rewilding projects, renewable energy projects, remote and in-situ instrumentation operated in conjunction with the National Centre for Atmospheric Science. You’ll also have access to the Atmosphere and Critical Zone Observatory and high-performance computation too.

Programme team

The wider course delivery team is made up of specialists from a variety of different climate disciplines. There’s also a close-knit team of researchers, lecturers and support staff delivering teaching in their respective areas of expertise. Climate practitioners outside of academia may also contribute, bringing their industry experience to teaching.

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’ll be assessed using a broad range of methods that will not only test your knowledge but will give you first-hand experience in producing and completing ‘real-world’ tasks.

Each assessment has been carefully designed to provide you with diverse opportunities to develop and demonstrate key transferrable skills that will prepare you for your career, whilst gaining deeper insights into the topics being discussed in each module.

Applying

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in any subject.

International

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For more information, please contact the Admissions Team.

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). 

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

How to apply

Application deadlines

Please read our How to Apply page for full details, including application deadlines and what to include with your application.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

30 June 2025 – International applicants

12 September 2025 – UK applicants

Click below to access the University’s online application system and find out more about the application process.

If you're still 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

University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025

This course is taught by

School of Earth and Environment
School of Politics and International Studies
School of Geography

Contact us

School of Earth and Environment Postgraduate Admissions Team

Email: apply-masters@see.leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Fees

UK: £14,000 (Total)

International: £30,500 (Total)

Read more about paying fees and charges.

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

Additional cost information

Standard travel and accommodation costs associated with compulsory field trips are covered by the University. However, you must pay for some subsistence, incidental or personal expenses such as suitable clothing, footwear and any related visa costs associated with overseas travel.

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 on our living costs and budgeting page.

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.

Career opportunities

The climate crisis has become one of the greatest challenges of our time. It’s a multidimensional problem that needs to be treated as such to reach holistic solutions for the future.

Because this MSc takes a transdisciplinary approach, you’ll have the broad knowledge base surrounding the three critical areas needed to tackle climate change: climate science, social studies and political systems/theories. You’ll also be equipped with lifelong skills for collaborative problem solving and teamwork. The sheer scope of skills and understanding you’ll learn could give you the edge when you graduate and open a lot of doors in terms of career opportunities in industry.

From research to media communications, governmental institutions to NGOs, your specialist yet transferable skill set means you won’t be limited to just one career path choice – with the potential to make a real difference to the future of the world.

University of Leeds students are among the top 5 most targeted by top employers according to The Graduate Market 2024, High Fliers Research, meaning our graduates are highly sought after by some of the most reputable companies in the field.

Here's some examples of the job roles that could be available to you when you graduate:

• Climate Science Advisors
• Policy Officers
• Civil Service Social Researchers and Analysts
• Stakeholder and Community Engagement Officers
• Corporate Social Responsibility Officers
• Communications Officers/Managers
• Environmental Campaigners
• Educators and teachers
• Partnership Managers
• Supply Chain Managers
• Risk Managers
• Project and Programme Managers

Careers support

At Leeds, we help you to prepare for your future from day one — that’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers. The University's Careers Service is one of the largest in the country, providing a wide range of resources to ensure you are prepared to take your next steps after graduation and get you where you want to be.

• Dedicated Employability Officer — gain quality advice, guidance and information to help you choose a career path. From CV and cover letter writing to supporting you with job applications, our School’s dedicated Employability Officer is on hand to help maximise your capabilities through a process of personal development and career planning.
• Employability and networking events — we run a full range of events, including careers fairs and industry talks in specialist areas and across broader industries, with employers who are actively recruiting for roles, giving you the opportunity to network and engage with industry sponsors. 
• Employability skills training – to support your transition to the workplace, we embed training in a range of key transferable skills valued by employers such as research and data analysis in all our programmes.
• MyCareer system — on your course and after you graduate you’ll have access to a dedicated careers portal where you can book appointments with our team, get information on careers and see job vacancies and upcoming events.
• Opportunities at Leeds — there are plenty of exciting opportunities offered by our Leeds University Union, including volunteering and over 300 clubs and societies to get involved in.

Find out more at the Careers website.