MSc Climate Change and Global Development

Course Overview

The impacts of climate change on global development are increasingly visible and alarming. Addressing these challenges requires societal transformation at an unprecedented scale and speed. Climate change, along with actions to mitigate it, significantly affects global development issues such as poverty, inequality, and social justice.

Our renowned MSc Climate Change and Global Development degree is a one-year full time course which draws on UEA’s pioneering track record in climate science and global development. From day one, you’ll be immersed in cutting edge research, learning from the combined expertise of research-active staff in the School of Global Development, the School of Environmental Sciences, and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

You’ll kick off your studies with an in-depth look at the essentials of climate change and its links with key issues in development. This includes the science of climate change, climate impacts and attribution, and the relationships between adaptation strategies and the Sustainable Development Goals. The programme places a particular emphasis on resource-poor and vulnerable locations and countries.

Over the course of the year, you’ll study increasingly specialised subjects that explore various aspects of the interface between climate change and global development. These may include the physical science of climate change, agriculture and food systems, global challenges and environmental change, sustainable consumption, and energy systems, among others. The course culminates in either an independent research project or a work placement. In both cases, you'll have the chance to apply the skills, knowledge, and expertise you've acquired throughout the course.

Our postgraduate degree in Climate Change and Global Development offers a multidisciplinary approach with a strong emphasis on practical application. Throughout the programme, you'll benefit from insights shared by inspiring practitioners, providing you with valuable perspectives on working in development and climate change-related fields. The School of Global Development provides an ideal environment for studying climate change, merging UEA's unparalleled expertise in groundbreaking climate research with its globally recognised focus on development issues. You'll have ample opportunities to develop high-level analytical skills, gain in-depth knowledge, and acquire transferable employability skills to prepare for your chosen career path.

This course is open to

UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.

Typical International Entry Requirements

Degree classification

UK Bachelors degree - 2.2 or equivalent

Degree Subject

Social Sciences

Additional Entry Requirements

Applicants should normally have a good undergraduate degree from a recognised higher education institution. The University will also take into account the employment experience of applicants where relevant.

English Foreign Language

Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading): 

• IELTS:  6.0 overall (minimum 5.5 in Listening and Reading with 6.0 in Writing and Speaking)

We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

 If you do not meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the required English skills.

INTO UEA

If you do not meet the academic requirements for this course, you may be able to study the International Pre-Masters programme offered by our partner INTO UEA. This programme guarantees progression to selected Master's degrees if students achieve the appropriate grade. For more details, please click here: 

International Pre-Masters in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 

Admissions Policy

Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.

Employability

Climate change is one of the most challenging issues facing humankind today. Responding to climate change requires fundamental changes throughout society. These changes will have profound implications for key development issues such as poverty, inequality, and social justice.

Whether exploring the science of climate change with simple climate models, investigating the links between adaptation and the sustainable development goals, or understanding the implications of mitigation choices on poverty, you’ll gain high-level analytical skills and knowledge to equip you for your chosen career path.

The School of Global Development is the ideal place to study climate change, bringing together UEA’s unrivalled excellence in pioneering climate research with its world-renowned focus on issues of global development.

Example of careers that you could enter include:

• International organisations
• Governmental and non-governmental organisations
• Local governments
• Private sector
• Graduates from this course have gone onto careers with the United Nations Environment Programme, the Asian Development Bank, WWF (World Wildlife Fund), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Norfolk County Council, and many others

Discover more on our Careers webpages.