Program Overview

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How is climate change linked to policy and policy makers? How does climate change impact upon the world’s economies? There is a rapidly growing need to understand the nature and consequences of the climate crisis, and to develop evidence-led strategies to respond. Our MSc in Environmental Futures with Climate Change will provide you with rigorous training to better understand the causes and impact of climate change and to formulate strategies and solutions. The programme will provide you with knowledge of how climate change science is linked to policy and policy makers, and will develop a foundation to understand prevention of the climate crisis and mitigation/adaptation that is grounded in the social, natural and environmental sciences. You will learn the scientific evidence that is needed for policymakers and societies to respond to these global challenges impacting the natural capital and the world’s economies. You will also learn and apply the appropriate research methods to study the environment and climate change, and will be fully prepared and supported to conduct a dissertation project on a relevant topic. You will be able to formulate theories that are amenable to multivariate hypothesis testing and will be able to implement advanced regression models in R. You will also learn how to handle complex data structures and implement the appropriate models for research in environmental studies. The programme provides a strong foundation for PhD research, but is also ideal for employment in a wide range of public and private industries, including government agencies, consultancies and NGOs/charities. If you like the sound of our MSc Environmental Futures with Climate Change course but are less interested in quantitative analysis and complex data structures, the MA version of this course may be for you. The world needs Essex graduates now more than ever, welcome home. Why we're great.

• You will gain a solid foundation in not just how environmental policy is approached from the social sciences but also from physical science as well
• Learn from and contribute to world-leading research in our top ranking politics department
• Consolidate an in-depth understanding of political studies and apply your knowledge to relevant real-world contexts

Our expert staff

Some of the biggest names in the field work at Essex, giving you unparalleled access to some of the best minds in politics. Our staff are advising the CIA on counter-terrorism, training politicians and civil servants in democratising countries, and commentating on political events in national and international media. Our academic staff work on topics ranging from international conflict and violence to British elections, and from the obligations of the younger generation to why authoritarian leaders welcome natural disasters. For example, Dr Zorzeta Bakaki works on public opinion and climate change, Dr Federica Genovese on International cooperation and climate change, Professor David Howarth specialises in discourse analysis and environmental planning and Professor Philip Leifeld is an expert in discourse network analysis and climate change.

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Specialist facilities

• Laboratories of networked computers featuring extensive software for political analysis
• ESSEXLab provides opportunities for experimental lab research
• Student societies for politics, debating, and Model UN
• We organise the Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis
• A programme of seminars and events run by the department

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Your future

All Essex politics graduates have the distinction of a qualification from one of the world’s leading politics departments. Our MSc Environmental Futures with Climate Change can lead you to a career in areas such as analysis and policy formulation in public and private industries, including government agencies, consultancies and NGOs/charities.