Our programmes explore core perspectives, from social justice and development, to the arts, humanities and the social sciences needed to enact sustainable environmental futures. Address the world's most pressing environmental challenges As a world-leading university, we are here to address today's greatest challenges.Our programmes explore core perspectives, from social justice and development, to the arts, humanities and the social sciences needed to enact sustainable environmental futures.Our staff and students contribute to a thriving community whose visions are shaping tomorrow's world. Many of our researchers are pioneers in their field, with their work underpinning some of the most important international policy decisions in history.We have more than 400 years of excellence behind us. Working together, we can make the next 400 years even better. Our degrees Explore our degrees in MSc Environment, Culture and Society, MSc Environmental Sustainability, MSc Environment and Development, MSc Environmental Sustainability, MSc Energy, Society and Sustainability and MSc Marine Systems and Policies. MSc Environment, Culture and Society Our MSc Environment, Culture and Society provides up-to-date knowledge of the contemporary issues and debates on the relationships between the environment, nature, culture and society.Welcoming students from a variety of backgrounds, this exciting MSc will explore the core perspectives, concepts, and practices from the arts, humanities and social sciences needed to imagine and enact sustainable environmental futures.This MSc will equip you to think critically across disciplinary divides, generate new knowledge related to the environment and use this knowledge to address urgent environmental challenges. Why study with us? Customise your learning Customise learning to interests with a flexible programme exploring philosophy, policy, creative practice, and political action. Interdisciplinary approach Benefit from an interdisciplinary teaching approach, including exposure to extensive networks and research groups. MSc Environment and Development Are you ready to explore some of the world's most pressing challenges?Understand the link between the environment, development agendas, and justice issues for today and the future.Our MSc Environment and Development enables you to critically evaluate the inter-relationships between development and the environment, with an abiding concern for social and environmental justice.You will learn about issues that are inherently transboundary, multi-generational and multi-faceted. Our approach to understanding these issues will centre on questions of justice and inequalities. Why study with us? Collaborative approach Strong collaborative connections with practitioners provide insight into real-world applications. World leading reputation Learn from world-leading researchers and experienced practitioners working in environment and development fields. MSc Environmental Sustainability Our world faces significant and complex challenges, from rising inequality to environmental issues. Global climate change is now affecting everyone on the planet.Ensuring environmental sustainability and achieving it is one of the most significant challenges facing humanity in the 21st century.What are the debates and challenges surrounding different models of sustainable development?How can economic and energy systems be restructured to combat climate change?What policies foster sustainability, and what are the challenges and implications of implementing these in the ‘Global South’ and the ‘Global North’?At this critical moment, more organisations are working to promote sustainable development, reduce human impacts on the environment, and achieve economic equity. These initiatives include the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.With the MSc Environmental Sustainability, you can explore these questions and other significant challenges affecting our world today and in the future. Why study with us? Extensive networks Gain extensive networking and real-word project opportunities in Edinburgh, a global hub for environmental sustainability innovation. Diverse perspectives Benefit from a cohort of diverse perspectives, spanning engineering, ecology, and political sciences, fostering collaborative and innovative thought in sustainability. MSc Energy, Society and Sustainability Our MSc in Energy, Society and Sustainability equips you with an understanding of how different societies can address the challenge of balancing energy with sustainability. It brings together a social, political, economic, and environmental understanding of low-carbon technologies.You will explore the risks, costs, and benefits of transitioning to low-carbon energy in a globalised world by asking the following questions:How do we achieve energy security across different contexts, timescales, places and people?How do we achieve energy justice across different contexts, timescales, places and people?How do we achieve environmental sustainability across different contexts, timescales, places and people?How are societies affected by the energy transition? And how do people, policy, and society enable or hinder it?Our programme will equip you with a critical awareness of related local, regional and global debates and challenges, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the role of energy in development, facilitating the exploration of the above challenges affecting our world today and in the future. Why study with us? Interdisciplinary experts Taught by world-leading experts through a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach. Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) Associated with the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) bringing together law, business, social science, technology, and policy experts. MSc Marine Systems and Policies Rapid climate change and the global expansion of human activities threaten the world's oceans.How do we realistically balance development with ocean conservation in a rapidly changing climate? And how do we do this in ways that are also equitable and fair to society?Our MSc places you right at the forefront of the fast-paced interface between marine science and policy that deals with these sustainability challenges. As a student, the programme centres a lot with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water but our programme’s interdisciplinarity will help you find links to all SDGs.This broad programme is built around the science and policies spanning tropical to polar ecosystems, from wetlands and estuaries to the deep-sea including the abyss.You can learn how to apply marine science and knowledge to critically evaluate and enrich policies and influence how new policies can be created through science communication. St. Abbs Marine Station While studying an MSc in Marine Systems and Policies, you will benefit from our collaborative partnership with St. Abbs Marine Station.Situated in an active fishing and recreational scuba diving harbour 1 hour from Edinburgh, St. Abbs offers a complete socio-ecological microcosm from land to shore to the shallow sea.The station’s facilities are unique, and specially geared up for working on field and experimental studies on the effects of offshore wind on marine life, sustainable fisheries, marine conservation, and marine social science. Our research Read about our research relevant to the Environment and Society programmes Geography and the lived environment We are working with governments, industry, and communities on many complex challenges from public health to biodiversity protection and the sustainable management of Earth's natural resources.Through our research and engagement, we seek to understand the environmental, social, cultural and political dimensions of human geography, including questions of inequality, justice, and health. Global change Our pioneering work is influencing local and global policy and practice in a range of environments on our planet - from sustainable land management and biodiversity to icy polar regions and our world's oceans.Our interdisciplinary research focuses on mitigating the many challenges posed by the global climate emergency, environmental hazards, inequalities, conservation and sustainability. Why choose Edinburgh? World leading reputation The University of Edinburgh is ranked 27th in the world.QS World University Rankings 2025 Extensive networks One of the largest and most successful interdisciplinary groupings of geographers and geoscientists in the UK. Many are world experts in their field. Highly employable We're in the UK's top 10 and the world's top 50 universities for graduate employability.QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022 Scholarships and funding Search for scholarships and funding opportunities. Get social Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Youtube | X (Twitter) Contact us futurestudents@ed.ac.uk This article was published on 2024-10-21
