Climate Change and Environmental Policy MSc

Climate Change is a growing issue for environmental policy makers at international, national and sub-national levels, as well as for environmental managers and experts in public, private and non-profit making organisations.

Our Climate Change and Environmental Policy Masters degree provides you with a unique combination of training on the physical, social and policy aspects of climate change and on broader environmental policy and governance.

You will receive a solid foundation in the physical and social science of climate change and its impacts, including adaptation to, and mitigation of, climate change. You will also develop a critical understanding of the policy tools available to promote environmental protection.

This Masters course combines modules taught at the School of Earth and Environment, with optional modules from the School of Geography and the School of Politics and International Studies and Leeds University Business School.

Our teaching draws on the latest cutting-edge research and is delivered by experts and the world’s leading researchers on climate change policy to give you in-depth knowledge and guidance.

This course is ideal if you want to become an interdisciplinary environmental manager, consultant, advisor or policy maker, or if you are looking to improve your career prospects or make a career change.

Course highlights

• Engage with some of the world's leading researchers from the Priestley International Centre for Climate, the ESRC-funded Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, the RCUK-funded UK Energy Research Centre and Leeds University Business School’s Centre for Decision Research; they have published high profile papers with past students.

• Attend excellent seminars and talks run by the School and its research centres, where you will access the latest, cutting-edge research delivered by leading climate policy makers and advisors. Plus, attend other seminars run by the School of Geography, School of Politics and International Studies, Leeds University Business School and the Priestley International Centre for Climate. Ideal if you want to build, or extend your network to enhance your career.

• You can take part in a field course to Humberside/East Yorkshire or choose an optional overseas field course, which provides an opportunity for you to gain practical experience and apply classroom-based learning first-hand in a developing country context. Ideal if you are considering working in an international capacity in this field.

Programme team

You will be taught by a team of academics and researchers from the School of Earth and Environment, School of Geography, School of Politics and International Studies and Leeds University Business School.

Their research spans physical and social sciences in climate change and its environmental policy issues, including politics and international relations, economics, environmental assessment and planning, and sustainability.

Gain in-depth knowledge, skills and practical experience which enable you to contribute towards achieving solutions in this topical area.

Our team of expert scientists, government advisors and practitioners actively engage in international, national, regional and local climate change research and climate-related policy. For example:

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

• Climate and Development Knowledge Network

• Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Many are also members of:

• Priestley International Centre for Climate

• Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy

• UK Energy Research Centre

• Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science

• Water@Leeds

• Impact Climate Group

• Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security

When completed on a full-time basis, this 12 month Masters is split into three semesters.

Semester one

• Develop a grounding in the physical and social sciences – important for understanding climate mitigation and adaptation.

• Examine the multiple pathways through which human-environment interaction is governed.

• Become familiar with appropriate research methods and gain the research skills relevant to your dissertation project.

Semester two

• Your studies will give you an overview of climate change impact assessment and predictions, along with key concerns and strategies of adaptation to climate change.

• Explore the relative significance of main sources of greenhouse gases and the potential, technologies and strategies for reducing them.

• Develop an understanding of the key challenges for controlling greenhouse gas emissions, alongside the critical political issues related to mitigation.

Semester three

• Propose and undertake an extended research project leading to the submission of a 12,000-word dissertation in August.

• This dissertation gives you the opportunity to examine the detail of an issue of your choice.

Part-time study

When completed on a part-time basis, the course runs for 24 months, with each year split into three semesters. You will take compulsory and optional modules in each semester, followed by an extended research project leading to the submission of a 12,000-word dissertation in semester three of your final year.

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 Change and Environmental Policy MSc Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Climate Change and Environmental Policy MSc Part Time in the course catalogue

Modules

Year 1

Learning and teaching

You will learn through a variety of teaching methods to help you develop both generic and subject-specific skills.

This includes lectures, practical workshops, field trips (UK and overseas), computer lab sessions, research seminars and project work (individual and group work).

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 your 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.

You also have access to the excellent research seminars and talks run by the School of Earth and Environment and its research centres, plus those organised by School of Geography and School of Politics and International Studies.

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, exams and poster presentations.

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in environmental, social science, management, economics or 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.

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). 

If you need to study for longer than 10 weeks, read more about our postgraduate pre-sessional English course.

How to apply

Application deadlines

Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

31 July 2021 – International applicants

10 September 2021 – UK applicants

Apply (Full time)

Apply (Part time)

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: £9,750 (total)
• International: £22,250 (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.

Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.

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 2, 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.

We hope to run our fieldwork activities as planned for the 21/22 academic year, but it might not be possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are continually reviewing the situation and will communicate any decisions to applicants and offer holders at the earliest possible opportunity.

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.

We have a strong commitment to enhancing student employability and our school has its own dedicated Employability Officer.

This Masters is designed to equip you with both a conceptual and applied understanding of critical issues in climate change and environmental policy and governance. It is ideal if you want to continue your undergraduate studies or you are looking to increase your skill set to progress in your career development in the areas of climate change, environmental policy and sustainability, as well as pursue a research career or go on to a PhD.

There is an increasing demand for professionals with interdisciplinary understanding and knowledge of climate change and its related environmental issues to aid better environmental policy decisions. Forward-thinking businesses are looking for people with postgraduate skills (knowledge, research and practical experience) in connecting climate change, environmental policy and sustainability.

You could become an interdisciplinary environmental manager and/or expert with a strong science, policy and governance foundation, to develop and drive innovative approaches to tackling environmental problems in government, private sector and non-for profit organisations operating from the global to the local level.

Here is a snapshot of the types of career paths you could take:

• City or urban development and planning (resilience to climate change)

• Climate services and environmental risk communication

• Community and stakeholder participation and consultation

• Consultancy and project management

• Environmental and socio-economic impact assessment

• Environmental information systems development

• Environmental protection

• Environmental risk assessment and management

• Policy and strategy development and evaluation

• Science and research advisory services

• Sustainability assessment and strategy development

• Studying for a PhD.

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.

We provide a variety of opportunities for you to network with leading researchers, government and private sector institutions.These could include public lectures and seminars with external speakers, a variety of employability and career events and industry open days, organised by the Sustainability Research Institute, the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, Priestley International Centre for Climate, the Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science and Water@Leeds.

Teaching staff often conduct research in collaboration with government agencies, the private sector and international research institutes, and maintain extensive networks which you can tap into.

You can also be exposed to some of the work researchers at the Sustainability Research Institute are involved in.

For example, not-for-profit projects such as the United Bank of Carbon (UBoC) - a collaboration of businesses and environmental scientists involved in local action in the rainforest that contributes to global emission reductions and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – such as Article 6/Action for Climate Empowerment on: Climate Change Education, Training, Public Participation & Awareness, Public Access to Information and International Cooperation.

Private sector actors collaborating in this venture include the management consulting business Deloitte, the technology business Premier Farnell, and the Shepherd Group which includes companies in construction and engineering, manufacturing and property development.

We have successful and productive links with many partners such as the UK-based and international charities, governments, universities, research institutes and businesses.

You will also be encouraged to develop links and to collaborate with a variety of these organisations within the field of climate change and environmental policy, and base your dissertation research on real-world environmental projects.