Environment & Development

Course detail Description

The Environment & Development MA, MSc course offers a demanding and stimulating programme of study, with an emphasis on developing your analytical and research skills and on breaking free of conventional ‘North-originated’ paradigms on development. You will study modules covering Livelihoods and Development and Environmentalism in the ‘South’, as well as choosing from a wide range of optional modules. If you choose to follow the MSc research pathway, you will also study Advanced Quantitative & Spatial Methods in Human Geography.

The course is made up of optional and required modules. You must take the minimum of 180 credits to complete the course, 60 of which will come from a dissertation of around 12,000 words. If you are studying full-time, you will complete the course in one year, from September to September. If you are studying part-time, your course will take two years to complete. You will take the combination of required and optional modules over this period of time, with the dissertation in your second year.

Teaching

We use lectures, seminars and group tutorials to deliver most of the modules on the course. You will also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study. Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

Per 20-credit taught module you can typically expect 20 hours worth of lectures, seminars and feedback. You can also expect 180 hours worth of self study (some modules in the Geography Department may involve lab work or e-learning which would require less self-guided learning).

For the Dissertation module you can typically expect four dissertation workshops/ tutorials and five contact hours of one-to-one or group consultation with supervisors. In addition to this you will have 587 hours worth of self-study and project work.

Assessment

Performance on taught modules in the Geography Department is normally assessed through essays and other written assignments, oral presentations, lab work and occasionally by examination, depending on the modules selected. All students also undertake a research-based dissertation of 12,000 words.

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Structure

Year 1 Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take:

• MSc – modules totalling 180 credits
• MA – modules totalling 180 credits

Please note that there are a limited number of spaces available on each optional module. You will have the opportunity to discuss your choices with your personal tutor.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on theis course page for updates.

You are required to take the following modules:

• Development & Environmentalism in the ‘South’ (20 credits)
• Environment, Livelihoods & Development in the ‘South’ (20 credits)
• Practising Social Research (20 credits)
• Dissertation in Environment & Development (60 credits)

MSc students are also required to take the following module:

• Advanced Quantitative & Spatial Methods in Human Geography (20 credits)

If you are a part-time student, during your first year you should plan to take the required modules Practising Social Research, Development and Environmentalism in the ‘South’ and Environment, Livelihoods and Development in the ‘South’. During the second year you will take Dissertation in Environment & Development.

In addition, you are required to take 20 credits from a range of optional modules. Modules may typically include:

• Water Resources & Water Policy (20 credits) by arrangement with the Department of International Development
• Disasters & Development (20 credits)
• Community, Vulnerability & Disaster Risk (20 credits) (prerequisite: Disasters & Development [offered T1], either through taking the module fully or through auditing)
• Tourism, Conservation & the Environment (20 credits)
• Climate Change & Culture (20 credits)
• Climate: Science & History (20 credits)
• A Practical & Theoretical Evaluation of Sustainable Development (20 credits) by arrangement with the Department of International Development
• Human Mobility
• Political Ecoology, Environment & Brazil (20 credits, T2) (KCL Brazil Institute by arrangement)
• Globalisation, Development and the Americas (20 credits, T1) (KCL Brazil Institute by arrangement)

You will then take enough credits to bring your total for the degree to a minimum of 180 from a wide range of optional modules that may typically include:

• any of the modules listed above
• any Level 7 (Master’s) modules offered in the Department of Geography
• any Level 7 (Master’s) modules offered in the India, China and Brazil Institutes.