Nature, Society and Environmental Governance

The MPhil in Nature, Society and Environmental Governance is grounded in the conviction that responses to global challenges requires researchers and practitioners trained in the social sciences, with the ability to think flexibly across disciplinary and sectorial boundaries. It will enable you to develop a theoretically sophisticated and empirically grounded understanding of the dynamic relations between environment, society and policy.

This course intensively engages with ongoing theoretical debates in human geography, political geography, political ecology and science and technology studies. Students should expect to engage with theoretical material and deconstruct some of the basic assumptions underpinning terms like ‘society’, ‘governance’, ‘territory’, ‘politics’ and ‘nature’ in order to develop conceptual tools to understand contemporary global change. The focus on critical theory is complemented by modules covering foundational knowledge in economics of the environment, behavioural economics and environmental management in order to prepare you to think across traditional boundaries in the social sciences.

The course draws on the methods and approaches from across the social sciences, including fields such as human geography, anthropology, environmental economics, science and technology studies, and corporate environmental management. It also facilitates dialogue between researchers and practitioners concerning contemporary issues of environmental policy and politics.

The MPhil is a two-year course. In the first year, you will take the coursework and written examinations associated with the MSc in Nature, Society and Environmental Governance. The second year is devoted to researching and writing a thesis of 30,000 words.

The specific objectives of the course are:

• to provide broad and critical engagements with key debates in the environmental social sciences, focusing on the relations between nature and society, science and politics, and urban natures
• to foster an understanding of the conceptual tools in human geography and learn to apply them to the challenges of real-world environmental governance
• to develop your conceptions of, and skills in, research design and methods in the contemporary environmental social sciences, providing critical foundations for further study by research
• to integrate you into world leading research in the School of Geography and the Environment by providing core teaching and supervision by research-active staff
• to enhance your personal and professional development.

There are nine core modules organised under three themes: policy and governance, theory and analysis, and research skills. Teaching takes place through lectures, seminars and workshops which provide in-depth exploration of key environmental issues. The elective modules offer a seminar-style teaching and discussion environment within smaller groups, based on a suite of contemporary research themes that reflect the specific interests of core faculty and visiting research associates.

The teaching aim is to foster discussion and debate between academic staff and students to identify and explore theory, methods and practice in an academic space that encourages a critical dialogue. In the second year you will work on your thesis project with the support of a specialist supervisor.

Field trips and external visits are an important component of the teaching delivery and include an induction field course in the UK and a three-day European field course.

At the end of the first year you take the written examinations associated with the MSc in Nature Society and Environmental Governance. You will also complete an additional policy brief assignment and two assessed essays linked to elective courses. You must pass the examinations taken at the end of the first year in order to proceed into the second year. In the first year there are two assessed essays linked to elective courses.

The second year consists largely of independent study and is devoted to researching and writing a thesis of 30,000 words. The research topic will be devised in your first year and, once approved; a supervisor will be allocated to you. The thesis accounts for half the marks for the degree. In addition, in the second year you will take a further elective course, assessed by a submitted essay.

For graduate supervision the course team work carefully to match students with supervisors whose research expertise lies in the student's area of interest but please note that it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the School of Geography and the Environment.

NSEG alumni are pursuing careers with a wide range of organisations, with a third or more entering MPhil or doctoral programmes in Oxford and elsewhere.

Examples of the organisations include government departments (eg US Department of Energy, National Water Services Agency Singapore), non-governmental organisations (eg OXFAM, Birdlife International), business organisations (eg Confederation of British Industry, Financial Services Authority) and international agencies (eg Food and Agriculture Organisation, United Nations Environment Programme).

The department's Alumni Office helps alumni keep in touch with each other and organises alumni events.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. In certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.

Other courses you may wish to consider

If you're thinking about applying for this course, you may also wish to consider the courses listed below. These courses may have been suggested due to their similarity with this course, or because they are offered by the same department or faculty.

All graduate courses offered by the School of Geography and the Environment

Biodiversity, Conservation and Management MSc

Biodiversity, Conservation and Management MPhil

Environmental Change and Management MSc

Environmental Change and Management MPhil

Geography and the Environment DPhil

Nature, Society and Environmental Governance MSc

Nature, Society and Environmental Governance MPhil

Water Science, Policy and Management MSc

Water Science, Policy and Management MPhil

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Entry requirements