MSc Climate Change
Key Details
- Attendance
- Full Time
- Award
- Degree of Master of Science
- Course Length
- 1 year
- Course Start Date
- September 2025
Why you should choose us
Course Overview
Develop your scientific skills and knowledge, and learn about the science underpinning climate change, through an MSc that’s never been more essential. Climate change resulting from human activity will present us with demanding challenges that will require people with expertise and skills that encompass society, policy, and physical science.
You’ll have the freedom to approach your studies in an interdisciplinary way, depending on your interests and career destination. Based within the long-established School of Environmental Sciences, you’ll learn from lecturers in the Climatic Research Unit (CRU), widely recognised as one of the world leading authorities on climate, and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, who provide evidence to inform society’s transition to a sustainable low-carbon and climate-resilient future.
You’ll discover the fundamentals of the changing climate from the past two millennia into the future. You'll examine climate model projections of the future, from global scales to extreme events such as drought. You'll learn about relationships between energy and economy, enabling you to critically engage with debates around net zero, innovation and emergent technologies.
You’ll study in the inspiring UEA campus, in the vibrant and historic city of Norwich. You’ll be part of a world-leading university that has been at the forefront of understanding our climate and environment for over half a century.
As a graduate of this course, you’ll have strong employability potential in many careers including academia, consultancy, industry, policy-making, or government research agencies, in areas from impacts and adaptation to net zero and sustainability. You’ll also be well-prepared to continue your studies if you’re interested in delving deeper into climate or environmental studies.
Study and Modules
Structure
This MSc in Climate Change is a one-year full-time course. You’ll take compulsory modules to enhance basic research skills such as statistics, dissertation writing and research ethics, understand the relationship between climate and energy, , through to the physical science of climate change, learning about its effects on our world, and the changes that are needed to reduce emissions and mitigate global warming.
You’ll discover the fundamentals of the changing climate, including the Earth’s energy balance, the global circulation of the atmosphere, the greenhouse effect, and the causes of climate change and variability. You'll study the evidence and causes of climate change over the last two millennia up to the present day, including the atmospheric build-up of greenhouse gases and its consequences for the behaviour of the Earth system.
You’ll examine how current energy resources, technologies and services produce greenhouse gas emissions, drawing on both historical evidence and theories of change to explore prospects and potentials for transforming the energy system.
You’ll then choose three optional modules. Our setting within the long-established school of Environmental Sciences is designed to provide you with both in-depth and interdisciplinary knowledge, giving you the freedom to focus more on either the natural or social sciences, depending on your interests and career aspirations. You’ll also complete a research dissertation related to some of the compulsory elements of the course that are of particular interest to you. As the dissertation is an important part of your course, you’ll be given training to help you to perform the research and write up the dissertation.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 60)Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
Teaching
This high-quality degree programme combines intellectual challenge with relevance to current environmental issues and through choosing your own taught modules, you’ll create a course that suits your own interests and career goals. All our teaching is informed by up-to-date research, helping you to become familiar with today’s most pressing issues.
You’ll be trained in the techniques of climate research and gain an authoritative and up-to-date view of natural and anthropogenic climatic change. You’ll also look at climate history, present-day climate variation and climate prediction, and the effects of climate variability on human welfare and the natural world.
Independent study
This course will give you an excellent balance of independent thinking and study skills, helping you grow into a self-motivated learner, an expert researcher, and an analytical thinker.
You'll develop accuracy and precision in your written work through assessing evidence, and become confident in time management, organisation, and self-directed study.
Assessment
We’ll use a variety of assessment methods across different modules – most modules are 100% coursework, a few are part-examination.
Our coursework assessment methods include essays, written discussions, class tests, problem sheets, laboratory reports, field exercises, and seminar presentations. Skills-based modules and field modules are assessed 100% by coursework.
Essays and reports give us the chance to assess how well your bibliographic material has been researched and discussed, problem solving, and project-based work allows us to assess your numerical and practical skills, while field-based modules also help us assess your practical skills.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
Degree classification
Bachelors degree - .2.2
Degree Subject
Any science subject across physical and social sciences. Strong applicants from other backgrounds with experience relevant to Climate Change are also encouraged to apply.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
- Typical International Entry Requirements
Degree classification
UK Bachelors degree - 2.2 or equivalent
Degree Subject
Any science subject across physical and social sciences. Strong applicants from other backgrounds with experience relevant to Climate Change are also encouraged to apply.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
-
IELTS: 6.0 overall with minimum 6.0 in Writing and Speaking and 5.5 in Listening and Reading
Test dates should be within 2 years of the course start date.
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study:
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- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
Fees and Funding
Tuition fees for the Academic Year 2025/26 are:
-
UK Students: £11,775
-
International Students: £24,350
We estimate living expenses at £1,136 per month.
Further Information on tuition fees can be found here.
Scholarships and Bursaries
The University of East Anglia offers a range of Scholarships; please click the link for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of course-related costs.
How to Apply
How to apply
Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.
To apply please use our online application form.
Further information
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying, please do contact us:
Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk
International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students section of our website.
Employability
After the Course
Our MSc Climate Change programme will open the doors to a wide variety of careers. You could go into environmental consultancy, postgraduate research (e.g. PhDs), fundamental or applied academic research, local government, utilities, health, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), climate impacts and policy, scientific publishing, or government research agencies, to name a few.
Careers
Example of careers that you could enter include:
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology
- Barclays
- National Grid
- PhD research and academia
- Nature Publishing Group
- WWF Nepal
Discover more on our Careers webpages.