Environment and Development

Course Overview

Programme description, The MSc in Environment and Development (E&D) is an interdisciplinary programme exploring the inter-dependencies between pressing environmental concerns and development pressures. It explores these themes, the disputes around it and practical issues from an informed theoretical perspective, with an abiding concern for social justice claims. Conventional academic approaches focus on development or the environment as separate categories, while this programme looks at socioeconomic development as a socio-ecological and politicoecological process. In particular this E&D programme focuses on: grounding students in an awareness of the contested development paradigm; inculcating an awareness of economic, political and cultural links between environmental change and social inclusion. Those issues will be studied at the local and national level, but also taking into account the global scale of environmental and development agendas. In many cases the root causes of inequality and poverty, both in the Global South and in the Global North, are driven by regional or global economics far beyond the borders of a particular country, village or region. The programme will teach you to critically evaluate the multiple dimensions of the relationship between development and the environment. Teaching, fieldwork, group and practical exercises will use examples of relevance to Northern and Southern countries. The breadth and depth of the School of GeoSciences enables students to explore a variety of environment and development issues relevant to the programme: e. g. biophysical dynamics, food insecurity, environmental governance, river basin management, cultural studies, climate change, multiple scarcities and inequalities, gender and development, etc. Students are challenged to cultivate research thinking that is cross-cutting and globally relevant, but also grounded in cases that focus on particular issues, places or systems, providing insights to effective solutions. This programme is affiliated with the University's Global Development Academy. Career opportunitiesThis programme is suitable for students seeking roles within international and national development agencies, think tanks, NGOs, environmental consultancies or the private sector, or those going on to PhD research.