MSC IN CLIMATE SYSTEM SCIENCE
COURSE OVERVIEW
The School of Geography has joined forces with the School of Earth and Environment to offer this new, interdisciplinary taught masters programme, the first of its kind in the UK, to students who want to understand and address global environmental change through the application of science.
Climate System Science describes the links between climate, weather, the oceans and the land surface. It describes how these systems evolve over time, on timescales of days to millions of years, through both natural and anthropogenic processes. It integrates physics, chemistry and biology, and tries to understand how the behaviour of the whole climate system – indeed, the Earth system more generally – is governed by the behaviour and interactions of its components.
The programme structure is very flexible, with a wide range of optional modules, but with two key pathways.
The Earth System pathway focuses on analysing and modelling the past and present interactions between climate and other aspects of the Earth system, such as forests, the oceans, and the lithosphere. The Climate Change pathway focuses on the climate system in the strict sense, including modules on weather forecasting, using and developing climate models, and the physical principles underlying the climate system.
Because our planet is changing, through natural processes as well as through human activity, there is a growing need from employers for skilled individuals who can analyse and understand how this change is occurring, predict how it might affect us, and find solutions to the problems it raises. This programme has been developed in close cooperation with employers to ensure that it can help you to move on to a career in research, consultancy, private industry, or policy development.
The programme has a strong emphasis on scientific approaches to understanding environmental change, especially environmental modelling.
It is suited to students with a good first degree in physical geography who want to go on to study the global environment in greater depth. Equally, physicists, chemists, biologists, geologists, engineers, mathematicians and others from a wide range of scientific backgrounds can use this programme to help them apply their existing skills and develop a career in the field of Climate System Science.
The course offers:
- Interdisciplinary teaching from across the Faculty of Environment
- Core modules in the science of climate change and Earth systems
- A wide range of optional modules to allow you to develop your own interests
- The opportunity to undertake a substantial research project
- Extensive training in analytical and modelling skills, as well as transferable skills
The programme is co-managed by Dr Ian Lawson (Geography) and Dr Andy Challinor (Earth and Environment).
