Course summary
With the growing political, financial, and social attention around the causes, impacts and solutions to climate change, there has never been more demand for interdisciplinary approaches to the world’s biggest challenge. Our MSc Climate Politics and Policy is a multi-disciplinary, research-led programme designed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the complex political, social, and economic dynamics underpinning climate change and challenges in its policymaking. This innovative offering leverages the expertise of the School of Social Science, and that of the School of Geosciences, and engages a diverse team of scholars whose research intersects with the many facets of climate politics. As we witness our planet and society confront the swift and relentless consequences of climate change, we are also undergoing the largest social, technical, and political transition that humankind has ever seen. MSc Climate Politics and Policy is a comprehensive programme that provides you with the building blocks of understanding how climate change is impacting every corner of the political world to equip you for careers in any organisation or sector engaging with the climate as a topic of policy and praxis. This programme provides the opportunity and ability to analyse climate policy as a political arena that is determining the future of our planet. Over the course of the MSc, you will have the chance to examine climate politics and policy within multiple disciplines, looking at issues such as:
- Examining the threats climate poses to the security of various actors and systems
- Climate-induced internal displacement and cross border migration
- The political economy of low carbon solutions
- Political constructions of climate change and its historical origins
- The complexities of sustainable governance and how this is articulated in policy versus the real world
- Human and non-human consequences of international and national climate policy frameworks
- The political psychology of how both individuals and populations react to climate change
Modules
Teaching includes a range of interactive methods and approaches to learning in order to enhance students’ critical thinking, presentation, interpersonal, and policy drafting skills.
Assessment method
Courses are assessed through essays, presentations, group and project work and exams. The variety of assessment in the programme ensures that students apply theory to practice and become expert communicators and team players.
How to apply
International applicants
When you are thinking about studying overseas, it is important that you understand all the costs involved and budget accordingly. It is essential to budget for your studies prior to leaving your home country and to arrange all your funding for BOTH your tuition fees and your living costs. In addition, it is important to check all immigration requirements regularly and before travelling, as they can change. Students without the necessary visa will be refused entry to the UK. You should allow plenty of time to organise your visa and ensure you are aware of all your responsibilities under the terms and conditions of your visa. Please note that the advice provided via the University is the Student Visa category of the UK's Points Based Immigration Scheme. For further information, please visit the United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI) website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration.
Entry requirements
Applicants for admission will normally be expected to hold a relevant Honours degree with a 2:1 standard from a recognised university or body. Applicants without this qualification may be admitted subject to having an alternative qualification, or an approved level of work experience appropriate to the field of study. Also taken into careful consideration is the trajectory of results. An applicant without an overall 2.1 but with 2.1 results in their final two years of study may be admitted.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5 | Overall - 6.5 with: Listening - 5.5 or above; Reading - 6.0 or above; Speaking - 5.5 or above; Writing - 6.0 or above. IELTS Indicator or IELTS General Training are not accepted. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 90 | TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition: Overall - 90 with: Listening - 17 or above; Reading - 21 or above; Speaking - 20 or above; Writing - 21 or above. DI code is 0818 |
| PTE Academic | 62 | Overall - 62 with: Listening - 59 or above; Reading - 59 or above; Speaking - 59 or above; Writing - 59 or above. Online test is not accepted. |
| Institution's Own Test | Academic English Pre-sessional Programme (PSE) - Pass (valid for 1 year). Academic English Preparation Programme undertaken at other UK HEI - accredited by BALEAP and within 1 year of start of course. | |
| Cambridge English Advanced | C | Overall - 176 with: Listening - 162 or above; Reading - 162 or above; Speaking - 162 or above; Writing - 169 or above. |
To study for a postgraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write academic English fluently. These skills will allow you to understand lectures, produce high standards of written work, and perform well in examinations. We can assess your English language proficiency through a variety of means: through your nationality, through the qualifications you gained in high school, through the degree you undertook or are undertaking at university, or through a recognised English language test. Postgraduate Higher requirements are used by the Schools of Business; Divinity, History and Philosophy; Education; Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture; Law; and Social Sciences. The MSc in Oil and Gas Enterprise Management and the MSc in Integrated Petroleum Geoscience also make use of the Postgraduate Higher requirements. Please note certification must be within the two years prior to commencement of your degree programme, unless otherwise stated.
Please use the checklist at the following webpage to determine how you can meet our English language requirements:
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/requirements-pg-266.php
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| Republic of Ireland | £11100 | Year 1 |
| EU | £23000 | Year 1 |
| England | £11100 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £11100 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £11100 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £11100 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £11100 | Year 1 |
| International | £23000 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Tuition fees given are at the full-time rate. The part-time fee rate for taught postgraduate programmes is 50% of the relevant full-time fee rate.
Sponsorship information
Eligible self-funded international Masters students will receive the Aberdeen Global Scholarship. Visit our Funding Database to find out more and see our full range of scholarships: www.abdn.ac.uk/study/funding/. The University of Aberdeen provides an Alumni Discount Scheme: The University of Aberdeen is very pleased to offer a 20% discount on postgraduate tuition fees for all alumni who have graduated with a degree from the University of Aberdeen.
Provider information
University of Aberdeen
Directorate of Global Engagement, Marketing and Recruitment
King's College
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX