MSc Climate Change and Global Development

Key details

MSC CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

Start Year

2023

Attendance

Full Time

Award

Degree of Master of Science

Duration (years)

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 International 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 international development. Please note we are changing our name to the School of Global Development from 1 August 2023, as we mark our 50th Anniversary.

About

From day one, you’ll be immersed in cutting edge research, learning from the combined expertise of research-active staff in the School of International Development (Global Development from 1 August 2023), the School of Environmental Science, and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

You’ll kick off your studies by getting an overview of the essentials of climate change and its links with key issues in development including the science of climate change, climate impacts and attribution, and the Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on resource-poor and vulnerable locations and countries.

Over the course of the year, you will have opportunities to study increasingly more specialised or in-depth subjects including the physical science of climate change, agriculture and food systems, global challenges and environmental change, sustainable consumption, and energy systems for example.

The course is multidisciplinary and includes a strong practice-based focus with opportunities to develop both research and transferable employability skills to support a wide variety of career destinations. Throughout the year, you will hear from inspiring practitioners giving you an insight into what it is like to work in development or in jobs linked to climate change.

The course concludes with an independent piece of research or a work placement. in both instances, the independent piece of research and work placement provide an opportunity for you to put into practice the skills, knowledge and experience you have gained throughout the course.

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Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.

Assessment for Year 1

We’ll use various assessment methods across the different modules contributing in proportions towards your overall module mark. Assessment methods include presentations and essays in addition to the assessed dissertation or development work placement report. Further assessment methods will differ depending on the optional modules you choose.

You’ll receive constructive and timely feedback on both your formative and summative assessments to help you develop your understanding and skills to improve your performance at assessment. You’ll be encouraged to prepare essay plans or outlines in advance of essay deadlines, and to get feedback on these with the relevant lecturer during their office hours or by email. In addition, you will comment on the work of your fellow students in seminars and other fora to further develop your critical reading and evaluation skills.

If you have additional needs due to disabilities such as sensory impairment or learning difficulties such as dyslexia, please talk to our Student Support Services about how we can help.

Structure

Your course lasts for one year; the taught element is split into two semesters. In each semester, you take three modules consisting of one core module and two optional modules. The core modules give you the foundational knowledge you need to understand the biggest contemporary issues in climate change and its links with global development. The optional modules allow you to tailor your degree and specialise in areas that interest you. Once you have completed the taught element of your course, you undertake an extended piece of independent research or a work placement designed to build and deepen your professional experience.

As one of your core modules, you’ll take Climate Change and Development I: Science, Impacts, and Adaptation. This module explores the relationship between climate change, its impacts on development and the role of adaptation in promoting climate-resilient development. The module adopts a student-centred, enquiry-based approach to learning and teaching. This module gives you an excellent grounding in the science underpinning climate change to enable you to engage confidently and persuasively with a range of audiences. It also gives you the theoretical and applied knowledge to research and plan for adaptation to climate change.

You’ll also take the fascinating Climate Change and Development II: Governance, Policy, and Society. This module critically examines national and international climate change governance, policy and societal impacts, and responses to climate change. The first half of the module focuses on the history and politics of international climate change negotiations and critically examines the way the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change operates. The second half of the module turns to the interface of climate change and society. It’ll discuss participatory governance and urban responses to climate change as well as critically examining ethical/justice related debates, the role of energy demand and lifestyle in tackling climate change.

There are a range of optional modules from the Schools of International Development (Global Development from 1 August 2023) and Environmental Sciences for you to choose from which really enable you to specialize and tailor your degree to suit your interests and career path. Over the course of the year, you choose four optional modules, two in the first semester and two in the second semester.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching

The course adopts a wide range of inclusive teaching approaches to suit different learning styles. Teaching methods include lectures and seminars, expert and practitioner sessions, peer-to-peer activities, and small group work.

Your lectures go beyond the customary ‘chalk-and-talk’ approaches, they include a range of interactive tasks and activities to support active learning. The use of technology is also widespread, for example through visual representations of empirical evidence in international development (e.g., through statistical programs), the use of online reading materials and lecture screencasts. Seminars provide an opportunity to engage more concretely with the knowledge and skills you are learning. The seminars are interactive and often revolve around work you have produced either individually or in small groups.

Running alongside the lectures and seminars are a range of other teaching approaches that place a greater emphasis on you, because the best way to truly understand something is to work through examples and apply what you have learnt in real world scenarios. Examples of this type of work include student-led Question and Answer sessions with practitioners and experts and mini-research projects and practicals to support peer-to-peer learning. In addition to supporting your learning, these activities will help you to get to know your fellow students. The more applied elements of the course will also support you to develop transferable skills such as articulating an argument both orally and in writing and presenting complex information in a clear and cogent manner.

Independent study

To succeed at master’s level, you’ll need to spend at least as much time on independent study as you spend in class or interacting with your fellow students. Throughout the course, you will receive a range of support and guidance to help you engage critically with academic literature and relevant data. We offer a range of feedback and assistance to you to help you make the most of your formative and summative assignments. Additionally, each member of the faculty has two office hours available each week, giving you the chance to discuss material in more detail or get face-to-face feedback on specific pieces of work.

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Assessment for Year 1

If you have additional needs due to disabilities such as sensory impairment or learning difficulties such as dyslexia, please talk to our Student Support Services about how we can help.

Compulsory Modules

CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT I: SCIENCE, IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION

Code DEV-7042A

Credits 20

Climate change presents a challenge to development that is both complex and urgent. Populations in less developed countries are amongst the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. A multi-disciplinary approach allows us to understand the causes, consequences, and responses to climate change in the 21st century. This module explores the relationship between climate change, its impacts on development and the role of adaptation in promoting climate resilient development. The module is organised around three topics or themes that each last three weeks (the first week is given over to a general introduction to the module). The first theme focuses on the science and the modelling of climate change impacts, the second theme explores climate change impacts and the relationship with development, and the third theme focuses on the core concepts of vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT II: GOVERNANCE, POLICY AND SOCIETY

Code DEV-7051B

Credits 20

This module critically examines international/national climate change governance, policy and societal impacts from and responses to climate change and climate change policy. The first half of the semester will discuss the history and politics of the international climate change negotiations and then critically examine the way the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change operates. You’ll look in detail at several items under negotiation with significant implications for developing countries and we will discuss global carbon markets. The second half of the semester will turn to the interface of climate change and society. It will discuss participatory governance and urban responses to climate change as well as critically examining ethical/justice related debates, the role of energy demand and lifestyle in tackling climate change. The seminars will be interactive and enable you to understand the international negotiating process and ways to engage positively with climate change.

Optional A Modules

(60 credits)

DISSERTATION

Code DEV-7056X

Credits 60

Production of a short (8000-12000 words) dissertation on an approved topic.

DEVELOPMENT WORK PLACEMENT

Code DEV-7057X

Credits 60

This module gives you an opportunity to identify, apply for and do an internship or work placement, worth 60 credits, as an integral part of your Masters programme. You would take this module in the summer semester as an alternative to the Dissertation module, and it is open to most MA /MSc programmes. The placements are for a period of 8-10 weeks between May and, preferably, the end of July. In recent years, students have done placements across a range of United Nations institutions, in specialist consultancy and research Organisations, and non-governmental organisations both in the UK and across the world. You are responsible for finding a suitable placement but will be given a range of support from International Development which includes giving the students access to the International Development internship host data base compiled over nearly a decade; advice on identifying appropriate placements; advice on CV design, fund-raising (where necessary), health and safety, ethical considerations etc.; facilitate communication between student and potential host, in some cases acting as a mediator. Whilst we cannot guarantee a placement we are confident that most students who take this module and apply themselves to identifying an internship, will be successful. The module is assessed by the production of an Analytical Report based on the internship which allows you to reflect both on the content of the placement, and the personal expense of undertaking this work.

Optional B Modules

(40 credits)

DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES

Code DEV-7001A

Credits 20

You will explore different theoretical ideas and debates about development, and place these in their historical and political contexts. You will critically assess the various ways in which development has been conceptualised, from the end of the Second World War to the present day. You will cover topics including modernisation theory; dependency theory; the role of the state; neo-liberalism and the Washington Consensus, neo-institutionalism and the post-Washington Consensus; poverty and basic needs; human development and capabilities; equity and justice; rights and empowerment; and sustainable development. A key point of the module is to show how ideas in development emerge and how they shape policies and practice in development in the present day.

RESEARCH TECHNIQUES AND ANALYSIS

Code DEV-7005A

Credits 20

The course lectures and seminars will include the following topics: • Development research & research ethics • Research design and method; sampling, questionnaire design, interviews • The role of qualitative methods in quantitative research and mixed methods • Participatory and action research • Design and implementation of household surveys on various topics, e.g. income, consumption, employment, health, nutrition, education, etc. Basic data processing and statistical analysis and presentation are shown based on tools such as Excel, SPSS and STATA.

UNDERSTANDING GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

Code DEV-7014A

Credits 20

This module provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the analysis and understanding of issues of environmental change, and of the relationships between environment and development. Students will have a critical understanding of social constructions of cause and effect relationships in environment and development issues, including a critical understanding of scientific assessments. They will be able to link these understandings to topics encountered in other courses, and to develop their own perspectives on environment and development issues. In particular they should understand the somewhat different perspectives in ‘less developed countries’ on environment and development issues. The course consists of weekly workshops and seminar sessions, which include videos and discussions oriented around core issues and readings. Assessment is based on coursework and written examination.

GOVERNANCE, DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7023A

Credits 20

“Good governance” and durable democracy are key items on the international development agenda. However, despite their prominence in the development discourse, it remains contested not only how to achieve these political development goals, but also how to define them in the first place. The aim of Governance, Democracy and Development is to critically assess the possible definitions, contested causes and arguable consequences of “good governance” and democracy. Key topics to be discussed in the module include how to define and measure democracy and “good governance”, explanations for the emergence of democracy, theories on the survival of democracy and dictatorship, local forms of governance and democracy, aid and governance, trust and cooperation, the effects of democracy and dictatorship on prospects of economic development, and key challenges to democracy in the 21st century. Throughout the module, you will be expected to assess the strengths and limitations of central concepts and theories from the academic debate by applying them to relevant empirical evidence, such as political regime trends in Turkey or the economic effects of recent elections in Kenya.

GENDER PERSPECTIVES IN GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7060A

Credits 20

The aim of this unit is to provide you with a solid grounding in gender analysis of development, and to enable you to understand the link between gender and key debates within development studies such as poverty, violence, religion and the role of men in gender and development. The module introduces and explains the range of ideas, debates and tools, which are the foundations of gender analysis, within a discussion of key issues in gender analysis of development: the nature of the household and kinship, gender roles, power and empowerment, and environmental change. The unit stands alone as a foundation for gender analysis of development, it also builds the necessary basis for the more applied units which follow in the spring semester, and for dissertations based on gender topics. If you are writing your dissertation on a gender topic you will need to have completed this module.

CLIMATE CHANGE: PHYSICAL SCIENCE BASIS

Code ENV-7014A

Credits 20

Climate change and variability have played major roles in shaping human history, and the prospect of human-caused global warming is a pressing challenge for society. But how and why has climate changed, how do we predict future climate and how do our choices affect future climate? Throughout this module, you will learn how climate science can answer these questions. Discover the approaches, methods and techniques for understanding the history of climate change and for developing climate projections for the next 100 years. You'll also explore the scientific evidence about climate change and where the uncertainties lie. Starting with an introduction to the changing climate and the main themes in current climate research, your study will be structured around three topics. (1) Fundamentals of the changing climate including the Earth’s energy balance, causes of climate change and the greenhouse effect. (2) Research methods, consisting of empirical approaches to climate reconstruction (such as tree-ring research), analysis of observational data (focusing on the global temperature record and causes of recent climate change), and an introduction to energy balance models and general circulation models. (3) Climate change and causal mechanisms, concentrating on the period from 1000 CE to the present and climate projections out to 2100 CE. Studying the physical science basis of climate change will enable you to understand what controls our climate, to explain the causes of the changes we have observed, and to interpret projections of future climate change.

Optional C Modules

(40 credits)

CONTEMPORARY WORLD DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7000B

Credits 20

The objective of Contemporary World Development is to examine key debates around development objectives, processes and agencies. While issues discussed here are of contemporary significance, references will be made to the historical contexts in which these debates have arisen. Concerns central to development policy making will be reviewed through theoretically grounded critical perspectives. Topics covered include the Millennium Development Goals, donors and aid politics, state and NGOs, and poverty.

RURAL POLICIES & POLITICS

Code DEV-7004B

Credits 20

Around three-quarters of the world's poor live in rural areas and within most developing countries the gap between the rural poor and better off urban residents continues to widen. The lives of the rural poor can be greatly influenced by policies in areas such as agriculture, land, social protection, natural resources, health, education and trade. This module reviews important policies and issues in these and other areas. It also guides students to critically analyse policy choices within specific contexts. Rural Policies & Politics recognises the importance of looking at rural policies with consideration of particular socio-economic and political contexts, as well as in relation to larger-scale trends that are affecting rural areas including globalisation, urbanisation, de-agrarianisation, and rapid technological change.

CONFLICT, CIVIL WARS AND PEACE

Code DEV-7015B

Credits 20

The number of violent intrastate conflicts has outweighed the number of violent interstate conflicts for more than five decades. Yet it was only with the end of the Cold War that academics and policy-makers started paying more attention to the possible causes and consequences of large-scale intrastate violence. Today, questions of effective conflict management, especially of large-scale civil wars, are among the top priorities of international development agencies. The aim of the Conflict, Civil Wars and Peace module is to critically assess the possible causes and consequences of violent intrastate conflicts as well as their implications for the wider development agenda. Key topics to be discussed in the module include causes, dynamics and consequences of different types of violent conflict, strategies and causes of terrorism, the role of gender during and after violent intrastate conflicts, the (contested) relationship(s) between natural resource wealth and civil wars, institutional approaches to conflict management, the rationale and possible effects of third-party intervention in civil wars, and post-conflict reconstruction efforts, including state- and peace-building as well as transitional justice. Throughout the module, you will be expected to assess the strengths and limitations of central concepts and theories from the academic debate by applying them to relevant empirical evidence, such as the role of gender during the Rwandan genocide in 1994 or the performance of Bosnia and Herzegovina's post-civil war power-sharing arrangement.

TOOLS AND SKILLS IN ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7022B

Credits 20

How can sustainable development be achieved in a way that both protects the environment whilst pursuing development that is fair and equitable? Often those who benefit least from development projects are most vulnerable to the costs of development, such as pollution of rivers and loss of land, yet they have little say in development decisions. This module introduces you to important tools and frameworks used by researchers, government agencies, businesses and non-governmental organisations for managing environmental and natural resources for sustainable development. You will learn to critique and apply a range of the most widely used tools. Examples that are covered in this module include climate vulnerability assessment, livelihoods analysis, Environmental Impact Assessment, participatory decision making and scenarios methods. The module places an emphasis on putting concepts and tools into practice and understanding how environmental assessments influence management actions. The module includes lectures and seminars; including a series of ‘competency skills’ based seminars which will provide an opportunity to experience and develop some of the key skills that are used widely in the environment and development sectors (e.g. writing a government policy brief, or an Expression of Interest for tender). For this module, both individual and team working will be important. You will gain confidence and skills in applying and critiquing the leading tools and frameworks used by sustainable development professionals.

GLOBALISED AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS

Code DEV-7045B

Credits 20

The aim of this module is to understand how forces operating at the global scale affect food and agriculture. These forces include trends in farming and trade, environmental change, policy developments, and social movements. Food security is a central theme: we explore different ways food security is defined, and how it is contested internationally, considering global institutions like FAO, interest groups, and diverse policy agendas (e.g. food sufficiency, nutrition, sustainability). The module considers a range of issues currently affecting food and farming systems: environmental change, changing diets (more meat, processed foods), `post-production' concerns with food safety or farming’s impact on ecosystems, global agribusiness, agricultural innovation systems, and global-scale changes in food prices. Students will gain critical understanding of debates around these issues and of how different policy actors engage with them. These actors include firms, public R&D institutions, farmers' movements, and major donors and philanthropic organizations. An abiding concern is understanding impacts for the poor and vulnerable, particularly smallholder farmers, but also consumers in the North and South, and those involved in value chains. The module will help students develop a critical and inter-disciplinary understanding of key international policy debates that have relevance to agriculture.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Code ENV-7029B

Credits 20

The majority of greenhouse gas emissions are the result of how we supply and use energy. In this module you will explore climate change from an energy perspective. You will learn about key relationships between energy, the economy, and society. The module draws on historical analyses to understand how energy systems have evolved in the past, as well as examining the role that scenarios play in understanding energy futures. You will gain an in-depth understanding of the complexities of changing energy systems, enabling you to engage critically with debates around future “energy transitions”, the role that innovation and emergent technologies might play, and the various challenges of shifting towards renewable based energy systems

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Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. The University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.

Entry Requirements

Degree classification

UK 2.1 or equivalent

Degree subject

Social Science

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.

Students for whom english is a foreign language

We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:

IELTS: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in only two components with 6.0 in the others)
PTE (Pearson): 64 (minimum 59 in only two components with 64 in the others)

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

Other tests, including Cambridge English exams and the Trinity Integrated Skills in English are also accepted by the university. The full list of accepted tests can be found here: Accepted English Language Tests

INTO University of East Anglia

If you do not meet the academic requirements for this course, you may be able to study one of the International Graduate Diploma programmes offered by our partner INTO UEA. These programmes guarantee progression to selected masters degrees if students achieve the appropriate grade. For more details please click here:

International Graduate Diploma in International Development

INTO UEA also run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk