| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-09-09 | - |
Program Overview
Professional Education
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Microcredentials
Climate Change and Policy
Course Overview
The module will examine the essentials of climate science; impacts and adaptation to climate change; and international climate policy and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions globally.
- Dates: 09 September 2025 - 03 October 2025
- Places: Available
- Delivery mode: Online
- Application deadline: 12 August 2025
Course features
This module is taught fully online, including 3 x 1hr live taught webinars. There is a single assessment at the end of the course in which the student applies understanding of climate change to their own area of policy responsibility.
Course content
Week 1
In this week, we will examine: What are the processes underlying climate change? What can we say about future climate change, globally and in the UK? What are the key scientific uncertainties about climate change?
Week 2
In this week, we will examine: What are the main impacts for human and natural systems of climate change, globally and locally? We will describe and illustrate the key concepts of vulnerability and adaptive capacity. Lastly, we will illustrate climate adaptation policies and challenges in two to three areas of UK Government policy.
Week 3
In this final week, we will overview the international climate policy and UK government commitments. Describing the scale of the challenge, we will apply climate scenarios and carbon budgets. Finally, we will discuss the application of climate targets in two to three sectors of the UK economy.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this module, students will be able to:
- Analyse the role of key actors in the regulatory process, the main modes of regulation and enforcement, and the key factors driving the process.
- Compare and evaluate the core features of the different theories of regulation and the different modes of regulation and enforcement
- Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of the different theories of regulation and the different modes of regulation and enforcement.
- Evaluate the relevance of the different approaches for understanding real-world cases of regulation and enforcement, and assess the factors that have driven real-world regulatory choices.
Entry Requirements
This short course is for mid-career professionals. Standard entry requirements are a 2:1 degree plus 3 years of relevant work experience. Applicants without a 2:1 or higher degree are welcome to apply and typically require 5+ years of relevant work experience.
Assessment
One written assignment, plus participation in webinars and discussion forums.
Further information
Format: Taught fully online, comprising of self-directed online study, and including 3 x 1hr live webinars, plus an optional induction webinar in the week before the start of teaching and an optional assessment webinar in Week 4. There is a single assessment at the end of the course in which the student applies understanding of climate change to their own area of policy responsibility.
This module has been designed specifically for an online audience. It uses a range of interactive activities to support learning including discussion forums, online readings, interactive lectures videos and online tutorials.
Key Information
- Credit level: 7
- Credit value: 5
- Duration: 4 weeks
- Fees & Discounts: Full Price: £1,200.00
Who will I be taught by
- Professor Tamsin Edwards, Professor in Climate Change
- Dr Helen Adams, Senior Lecturer in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation
- Dr Olga Siemers, Associate Professor in Public Policy
Offered by
Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy, School for Government
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