Earth Futures: Environment, Communities, Relationships (Taught)

The Masters in Earth Futures is an interdisciplinary programme that bridges knowledge across the social and physical sciences. It aims to equip students with the expertise, experience and skills to tackle the environmental and societal challenges of sustainable development in the anthropocene. Through a compulsory placement module, students will develop practical experience of working in social and environmental governance, activist and community sectors. This will be supported by research-led teaching covering key global challenges and ethical imperatives in sustainable community and environmental development.

WHY THIS PROGRAMME

• This programme offers a compulsory work-placement that will expose you to scenarios where you must understand and communicate complex information, deal with change, handle relationships, manage projects, and work with vulnerable communities.

• 97% of our research has been evaluated as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent' in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2021).

• Glasgow is the base for a number of internationally and nationally significant NGOs and development charities, such as Oxfam, British Red Cross, Scottish Refugee Council, RSPB, Friends of the Earth and WaterAid, and a wide range of grassroots community initiatives.

• A specifically designed, truly interdisciplinary programme led by world-leading physical and social scientists within the School, designed to address the complex challenges highlighted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

• A curriculum that encompasses key global challenges and ethical imperatives in sustainable community and environmental development, designed to foster critical thinking and prepare students to forge new spaces, impacts and modes of communities that are less stressed and more caring.

• A series of carefully designed, well-paced, innovative continuous assessments, including writing professional reports, guided statistical mapping and modelling, policy briefings and oral presentations.

• The programme will provide access to the +3 pathway for PhD studies supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

• The School has an Athena Swan Silver Award, demonstrating the school’s commitment to supporting women in scientific studies and careers, tackling intersectional inequalities and improving the working environment for all.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

The programme is comprised of 100 credits of core courses, the Masters Dissertation Project (60 credits) and 20 credits of optional courses. Modes of delivery of the MSc Earth Futures include seminars, lectures, tutorials, field work, independent projects, computer lab work, team work and UK field trips.

Core Courses
Semester 1
Global Challenges 1: Living in a Changing Climate
Research Design,Ethics and Impact
Introduction to GIS
Introduction to Statistics for Environmental Analysis

Semester 2
Global Challenges 2: Human-environment Lifecyles
Graduate Futures Work Placement
Research Design,Ethics and Impact

Summer
GES Masters Research Project

Optional courses
Semester 1
Qualitative Research Methods
Ecology and Restoration of Water Environments
Principles of GIS
Academic and Professional Skills for GES PGT

Semester 2
Quantitative Data Analysis
Managing Sustainable Water Environments: Policy and Practice
Remote Sensing of the Environment
Applied GIS

CAREER PROSPECTS

Through the placement and integrated project work, aligned to specific graduate attributes, you will be well qualified for positions in:

• Environmental governance

• International non-governmental organisations

• Charities

• Corporate, social and environmental responsibility

Recent graduates have gone on to work for SSE, ScreeTech and Atkins plc. Explore our LinkedIn profile for a flavour of where our most recent graduates work.