MA in Climate, Justice & Sustainability

Available: Full-time / Part-time
NFQ Level: 9
Duration: 1 year FT / 2 years PT
Location: MIC Limerick / online
Delivery Mode: Face-to-face and/or online

Programme Overview

The MA in Climate, Justice and Sustainability addresses the critical challenge of ensuring sustainable and equitable management of our natural environment. This unique programme is a collaboration between the Departments of Geography and Philosophy at Mary Immaculate College (MIC), covering essential aspects of environmental ethics, climate justice, and various sustainability topics.

Key Features

• Emphasis on innovative thinking and new approaches to developmental challenges, addressing ecological crises that impact prosperity, fairness, and rights.
• The programme leverages MIC's strengths in delivering focused education on Sustainability, Just Transitions, and Political Ecology through expert faculty.
• A distinctive educational structure involves integrating interdisciplinary knowledge to equip graduates with the skills necessary for navigating societal sustainability challenges and professional pursuits within the sustainability sector.

Educational Aim

Graduates will gain a comprehensive set of skills and knowledge across environmental domains, recognizing the interrelations among socio-cultural and biophysical elements contributing to global socio-ecological crises. The programme frames a transdisciplinary approach to understanding key global issues on justice, prosperity, and ecological sustainability. The curriculum addresses the urgent need for a skilled workforce in the growing sustainability sector.

Professional Skills

• Development of subject-specific and transferable skills highly sought after by employers within the busy sustainability sector.
• Inclusion of an Environmental Consultancy module enabling students to engage with real-world projects, enhancing employability and practical understanding of sustainability challenges.

Career Opportunities

Upon completion, graduates are well-prepared for diverse roles in areas such as:

• Sustainability Policy Analysis
• Environmental Management
• Sustainability Consultancy
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) roles
• Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) positions
• Advocacy, education, and research in non-governmental organizations

Additionally, graduates may pursue further studies at PhD levels.

Programme Content

The curriculum is structured into three 30-credit semesters for full-time students. Part-time students spread the taught components over two years, culminating with a dissertation.

Modules

1. Perspectives on Climate, Justice and Sustainability
   • Semester: Autumn
   • Credits: 12
   • Coordinator: Dr Julian Bloomer
   • This foundational module provides an overview of climate, justice, and sustainability concepts, emphasizing the integration of socio-cultural and biophysical factors.
2. Environmental Ethics
   • Semester: Autumn
   • Credits: 9
   • Coordinator: Dr Basil Vassilicos
   • Focuses on human impact on the environment and the implications for policy-making and environmental values.
3. Climate Justice
   • Semester: Autumn
   • Credits: 9
   • Coordinator: Dr Daniel Vazquez
   • Explores the disproportionate effects of climate change on marginalized communities, discussing themes like social and global justice.
4. Sustainability Transitions and Transformations
   • Semester: Spring
   • Credits: 9
   • Coordinator: Dr John Morrissey
   • Provides a critical understanding of socio-ecological transformations and their implications for sustainability.
5. Environmental Consultancy
   • Semester: Spring
   • Credits: 9
   • Coordinator: Professor Paul Aplin
   • Involves practical consultancy projects in collaboration with external organizations, enhancing real-world experience.
6. Geographical and Geospatial Methods
   • Semester: Spring
   • Credits: 12
   • Coordinator: Dr Julian Bloomer
   • Introduces research methods within environmental sciences, emphasizing ethical research practices and methodologies.
7. Dissertation
   • Semester: Summer
   • Credits: 30
   • Coordinator: Dr John Morrissey
   • Capstone project allowing students to independently investigate a topic related to climate, justice, and sustainability.

Entry Requirements

Applicants should possess a primary degree in Geography or a related discipline with a minimum of 2.1 honors. Candidates lacking traditional qualifications may still be considered based on other criteria.

This structure succinctly captures all necessary details regarding the MA in Climate, Justice & Sustainability programme for prospective students and stakeholders, ensuring clarity and accessibility of the information.

Mary Immaculate College (MIC), known in Irish as Coláiste Mhuire Gan Smál, is a university-level College of Education and the Liberal Arts in Limerick, Ireland, academically linked with the University of Limerick. Founded in 1898 by Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer and the Sisters of Mercy for the professional education of Catholic primary school teachers, MIC is the oldest third-level institution in Limerick City.

The foundation stone was laid on 8 December 1898 on an 11-acre site jointly purchased by the Bishop and the Sisters of Mercy, with construction led by Dublin architect George Byrne and Limerick contractors Molloy. The College opened its doors to its first students on 21 September 1901, and was officially opened on 16 May 1902. From its original 75 young women enrolled in 1901, MIC has grown into a multi-campus institution with a student population of over 5,000.

Mission

Mary Immaculate College is a third-level Catholic College of Education and the Liberal Arts. The College community promotes excellence in teaching, learning and research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and seeks to foster the intellectual, spiritual, personal and professional development of students within a supportive and challenging environment that guarantees the intellectual freedom of staff and students. In particular, the College seeks to foster in its students a spirit of justice and compassion in the service of others, together with an openness to the religious tradition and values of each individual.

The College promotes a sense of identity enriched by an awareness of its Catholic tradition, the cultures, languages and traditions of Ireland, and its special commitment to the Irish language. Mary Immaculate College respects cultural diversity and strives to promote equity in society, providing an environment where all have the freedom and opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Founding vision

MIC continues to embrace the founding vision of Catherine McAuley, who established the Sisters of Mercy as champions for the most marginalised in society, with the conviction that education was essential to that mission. This emphasis on social justice and educational inclusion remains central to the College's institutional identity as it has grown and diversified over more than 125 years.

Academic structure

MIC offers programmes across two faculties, Education and Arts, spanning Level 4 to Level 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications. Undergraduate programmes are offered in:

• Primary and Post-Primary Teaching (Bachelor of Education, Teaching Council-accredited)
• Liberal Arts, with a choice of 14 subjects across a flexible, wide-ranging programme
• Early Childhood Care and Education
• Psychology, including a Bachelor of Science in Psychology incorporating workplace experience
• Drama and English
• English Language and Literature

The MIC Thurles campus additionally offers post-primary teacher education programmes in Home Economics, Gaeilge, Mathematics, Business Studies, Theology and Religious Studies, and Accounting. Postgraduate study is available across both faculties at Diploma, Master's and PhD level, alongside professional development and lifelong learning programmes.

Campuses

MIC is a multi-campus institution with centrally located, state-of-the-art facilities in both Limerick City and Thurles, Co. Tipperary:

• MIC Limerick: the College's original and main campus on South Circular Road, home to the historic 1899 building that remains central to College life today, alongside a state-of-the-art Sports Complex completed in 2008 at a cost of €16 million, and the 510-seat Lime Tree Theatre, officially opened in October 2012
• MIC Thurles: incorporated into MIC in 2016, originally established as a second-level school in 1837 and later a major seminary, today offering seven undergraduate programmes delivered by staff from both the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Arts, with on-campus accommodation and the O'Dwyer Library housing approximately 15,000 print resources

Both campuses are characterised by an informal, relaxed atmosphere and a close rapport between students and staff, with the amenities of city and town life on the doorstep.

Affiliation with the University of Limerick

MIC has been academically linked with the University of Limerick since a formal partnership was established in 1990, with UL becoming MIC's accrediting body. Degrees were conferred by the National University of Ireland until 1994, and by UL from 1995 onward. In 1999, MIC became the first Irish College of Education to offer a Bachelor of Arts degree programme. The first PhD was awarded by MIC in 2003. MIC is also a member of the Shannon Consortium, a collaborative framework alongside the University of Limerick and Technological University of the Shannon.

Student life and facilities

• Wired FM (Wired 99.9FM): Limerick's only licensed student community radio station, run in partnership with the Technological University of the Shannon
• Lime Tree Theatre: a 510-seat venue on the Limerick campus hosting theatre, music, comedy, traditional arts, school performances and conferences
• MIC Munster GAA Centre of Excellence and extensive College Sport opportunities, supported by the dedicated Sports Complex
• CRAFT Maker Space, supporting hands-on creativity and enterprise
• Mary Immaculate Students' Union (MISU), marking 25 years of representing the student body
• Clubs and Societies, Arts and Culture programming, and a strong Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Interculturalism (EDII) commitment
• Recognition as an Age Friendly Campus
• Careers Service, Study Abroad opportunities, and an Off-Campus Programme

Leadership and governance

The College's first six Presidents were members of the Sisters of Mercy, beginning with Sr Paul Quinlan in 1898, followed by Sr Veronica Cullinan, Sr Celsus Barry, Sr Loreto Ní Chonchúir, Sr Cabrini Moloney and Sr Angela Bugler. Professor Peadar Cremin, appointed in 1999, was the seventh President and the first lay person to hold the position. He was succeeded by Professor Michael A. Hayes in 2011 and Professor Eugene Wall in 2018, the ninth President in the College's history. Mary Immaculate College is currently led by Professor Dermot Nestor, President of the College, with the Bishop of Limerick serving as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees.