Key information
- Level
- Postgraduate Taught
- Delivery type
- Full Time
- Degree qualification
- MSc
- Mode of delivery
- On-Campus
- Duration
- 1 year
- Location
- Edinburgh
- Start date
- September, January
MSc Global Environmental Change and Policy equips those of you with a bachelor-level graduate degree in earth and environmental science, or related degree, and a deep desire to shape the policies and practices that will bring a sustainable future, with the multidisciplinary, leadership and communication skills necessary to be able to understand and tackle complex global issues. You’ll gain the highly-integrated level of theoretical, applied, and communication-based knowledge needed to identify, characterise, and effectively find solutions to a range of challenges associated with climate change, societal challenges, and policy development.
You will learn the principles of environmental and earth system science, including a detailed knowledge of the earth system, and be empowered to design and implement informed decisions on resilient solutions to help businesses, communities and governments. You will also consider strategic social, economic and environmental issues, policy, ethical, and human health and safety challenges in the marine environment, and holistic approaches to overcoming them.
This career-focused master’s programme will develop your technical, analytical, scientific, communication and leadership abilities, relevant for a marine science career in academia, industry, government and non-governmental organisations.
Your student experience
Your learning will be informed by experts in earth and marine sciences from our Institute of Life and Earth Sciences (ILES), part of Heriot-Watt’s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society. The school is one of the United Kingdom’s leading institutions for multidisciplinary research and teaching in areas critical to economic development, environmental sustainability, and societal equity.
You’ll also benefit from teaching and research at the Lyell Centre, a leading interdisciplinary research centre in earth, marine and ecosystem sciences that address global challenges confronting the planet, nature and people, and a collaboration between the British Geological Survey and Heriot-Watt University.
The research relevance of this postgraduate programme ensures your studies remain innovative as well as industry and policy focused.
Go Global
With Go Global, Heriot-Watt's global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.
Inter-Campus Transfer
Course content
September Intake - Edinburgh
Mandatory September
- Applied Skills in Laboratory, Fieldwork and Data Analysis
- Earth System Science
- Innovative Technologies and Global Water Challenges
- Reconstructing Environmental Change
Mandatory January
- Business of the Environment
- Science Communication and Engagement
- Ecosystems under Pressure
Optional January
- Environmental Evidence Synthesis
- Marine Biotechnology
- Tropical and Coral Reefs: Monitoring and Management
- GIS for Marine and Environmental Scientists
- Marine Environmental Monitoring
- Practical Skills in Marine Biotechnology
- Practical Skills in Marine Surveying
Mandatory May
- Earth Sciences MSc Project
January Intake - Edinburgh
Mandatory January
- Business of the Environment
- Science Communication and Engagement
- Ecosystems under Pressure
Optional January
- Environmental Evidence Synthesis
- Marine Biotechnology
- Marine Environmental Monitoring
- Tropical and Coral Reefs: Monitoring and Management
- GIS for Marine and Environmental Scientists
- Practical Skills in Marine Biotechnology
- Practical Skills in Marine Surveying
Mandatory September
- Earth System Science
- Innovative Technologies and Global Water Challenges
- Reconstructing Environmental Change
- Applied Skills in Laboratory, Fieldwork and Data Analysis
Mandatory-January
- Earth Sciences MSc Project
Fees and funding
| Status | Full Time |
|---|---|
| UK | £12,344 |
| International | £28,056 |
- Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
- International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).
Additional information
Note: the fees indicated above will apply if you begin your studies in September. If you choose to join us in January instead, the fees below will apply.
January 2025 intake tuition fees
| Status | Full Time |
|---|---|
| UK | £10,736 |
| International | £26,976 |
- Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
- International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland).
Scholarships and bursaries
Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries
We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.
Entry requirements
We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.
A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree or non-UK equivalent in a subject such as earth, marine or environmental science. Proficiency in numeracy is an advantage.
Degrees with evidence of understanding conservation, ecology, biology, geology, chemistry or microbiology will also be considered.
Why Heriot-Watt
We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.
We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.
Student life
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