Climate Change and Development

Climate Change and Development

Duration:

1 year full-time
2 years part-time

Programme Description

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Emissions of greenhouse gases are directly influencing weather and climate, and if they continue unchecked, they will result in dangerous changes in climate. The world's poorest and most vulnerable people will be hardest hit. This has major implications for development.

Reducing greenhouse gas emission and adapting to climate changes will require difficult decisions about the way the economy and society are structured - locally, nationally and internationally. As climate change becomes a key issue in development, we must ensure the most vulnerable groups are central to this policy agenda.

There is, therefore, a growing need for qualified development professionals with expertise in climate change. These specialists must understand the complex, multi-dimensional scientific, socio-economic, technological, institutional and ethical issues of climate change mitigation and adaptation. This MSc is a multidisciplinary degree programme aiming to provide state-of-the-art vocational training for future climate change professionals in the development field.

Sussex and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) have agenda-setting reputations in interdisciplinary teaching and research of development, science and policy. You will be based in the School of Global Studies, combining geography, anthropology, international relations and international development. The School has an outstanding global reputation for research on both international policy and environmental science. We have an international student intake from over 40 countries. IDS is a leading global organisation for research, teaching and communications on international development. The institute has around 100 researchers, a student body of over 150 and a network that extends around the world.

There is a rapidly expanding market for development professionals with climate change expertise within:

• Government development and environment ministries
• International organisations (eg the UN)
• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
• International development
• International media or journalism
• Research (or doctoral study).

This programme is under development and subject to validation. Course titles listed below may therefore vary.

Programme Structure

• Autumn Term: Climate Change Science; and Ideas in Development and Climate Change.
• Spring Term: two courses from Challenges in Climate Prediction; Climate and Energy Policy; Climate Resilient Development; and Low-Carbon Development
• Summer Term and Vacation: you undertake supervised work on a dissertation and choose appropriate methods courses including Geographical Information Systems (GIS); and Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods.

Assessment

Courses are assessed by a variety of modes including short term papers, and the dissertation.