Who can apply for an EGS MSc/MPhil Degree in Climate Change and Sustainable Development?
Honours or four-year Bachelor graduates from across the spectrum of disciplines, who want to gain a broad understanding of the issues involved in climate change and sustainable development from an African and developing world perspective, and those wanting a comprehensive introduction to climate change issues before embarking on a PhD. The course will equip its graduates for employment in government, local authorities, businesses with a sustainability agenda, consultancies, NGOs and international development organisations. It is aimed at both recent graduates and those with several years' experience who wish to engage with these pressing issues within the context of their vocations.
What does an EGS MSc/MPhil Degree in Climate Change and Sustainable Development involve?
Global climate change presents daunting and exciting challenges, especially for the developing world, where traditional routes to development are at odds with the need for a low carbon economy. At the same time, building resilience to climate change and variability is fundamental to sustainable development and prosperity. A transdisciplinary approach that integrates the biophysical, technological, socio-economic sciences and the humanities is required to successfully engage with the challenges of climate change. South Africa is well positioned to engage with these issues because of its status as a developing country with good technology and infrastructure, juxtaposed with less developed communities, and an economy in transition. This provides a microcosm of the developing world's social, environmental, and economic development issues.
This full-time one-year taught Masters course provides interdisciplinary training in climate change and sustainable development, with a focus on the issues of relevance to African development. It is convened by UCT's African Climate and Development Initiative, a UCT Signature Theme comprising academics and research units from across the University with a shared interest in interdisciplinary research and solutions to the climate change problem.
Curriculum
The course begins in late January and finishes with a dissertation hand-in deadline at the end of January the following year.
Two compulsory core courses:
• Introduction to Climate Change and Sustainable Development – providing broad, integrated knowledge on key issues in the climate change and sustainable development field. The course covers topics such as sustainable development; the climate system, anthropogenic forcing and climate system response; African climate variability and change; international climate change legal frameworks; the economics of climate change and climate change financing; and climate-compatible development.
• Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation – providing in-depth coverage of adaptation and mitigation from both theoretical and applied points of view.
Two elective courses, chosen from a range of topics such as international climate law, sustainable urban systems, climate variability and prediction, and climate change and biodiversity, offering the opportunity to explore new areas or to examine climate and development through existing disciplinary backgrounds.
A list of potential courses can be found in the UCT Faculty Handbook. However, students should note that the handbook does not guarantee that a particular course will be offered in a given year. The final selection of courses is determined in consultation with, and subject to approval by, the programme convenor.
Research Dissertation
The programme includes a 90-credit dissertation to be submitted by the end of January, with a possible extension to June.
Projects involving human participants must obtain ethical clearance from the Faculty of Science Research Ethics Committee before data collection can commence. Students should discuss ethical requirements with their supervisor at an early stage and ensure that the ethics approval process is incorporated into their research timeline.
Information on the ethics application process can be found here:
https://science.uct.ac.za/research-ethics