MSc Global Energy and Climate Policy (Online)

Program Overview

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The MSc Global Energy and Climate Policy is the online version of the successful campus degree of the same name.

Housed within the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD) this programme’s focus is on policy and policymaking in the energy and climate space. The MSc introduces students to the key energy sources, their economic and technical bases and how they are regulated. It further analyses energy and climate governance at the international level, and discusses the geopolitics of energy. This programme places policy and policymaking as the key to enabling change and creating the requisite legal and regulatory environment within which the low-carbon energy system of the future can develop and grow.

The MSc Global Energy and Climate Policy online programme provides students with a detailed understanding of the transformative change in energy systems now underway around the world and equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to play a part in it. It treats energy and climate change policy as inextricably linked, taking an integrated approach to the study of the two fields. Case studies are drawn from around the world, accounting for different conditions in developed, newly-industrialised and developing country contexts.

The ways in which energy is produced, managed and consumed in the 21st century in both the Global North and South are fundamentally changing. While oil, coal and gas have continued to dominate the global energy mix, new players have emerged challenging the status-quo. From large offshore wind parks in the UK to innovative, mobile phone-enabled off-grid solar PV solutions in Kenya; from a booming electric car market in China to high-voltage energy superhighways criss-crossing Germany; from energy storage projects in California to concentrated solar power plants in South Africa – the global energy transition means more renewably-produced energy, more distributed generation, technology leapfrogging, greater energy efficiency of both existing and new installations, and greater investment in new energy infrastructure.

Much of this transformative change has been driven by the urgent need to decarbonize energy systems and the global economy more widely, in order to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to a level consistent with a 2°C (1.5°C) stabilisation pathway. The consequences of increasing global average surface temperatures pose serious risks to ecosystems and physical infrastructure and challenge various actors to cope with extreme weather events, the destruction of habitats, water scarcity, migration, public health and conflict. The global task is therefore not only one of international diplomacy, but one that requires policy makers at all levels of political authority, corporations, businesses, NGOs and others to take the necessary steps to effectively mitigate and adapt to climate change.

This MSc online programme is delivered by the

Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD

), using a combination of multi-disciplinary teaching, cutting-edge research and public discussion of diplomacy and international politics in a globalised world.

See

Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD)

Who should apply

The MSc is designed for those engaged with or planning a career in professional contexts relating to energy and/or climate policy and who wish to study in a flexible way. By studying online, students will also have the flexibility to integrate studies into working life without having to take a career break.

How to apply (ODL)

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Contacts

Senior Tutor:

Dr Feja Lesniewska

Email

:

Phone

: +44 (0)20 7898 4895

Program Outline

Students will study one core module and a range of elective modules on offer each session. There are also four research mini modules.

1 x core module (30 credits)

3 x elective modules (30 credits)

4 x research mini modules

1 x dissertation (60 credits)

Modules

Modules
Global Energy and Climate Policy	Core
Finance Sustainab ility and Climate Change	Elective
America and the World: US Foreign Policy	Elective
Cultural Diplomacy	Elective
Diplomatic Systems	Elective
Foundations of International Law	Elective
Global Citizenship and Advoacy	Elective
Global Challenges: Science Diplomacy	Elective
Global Economic Policy Debates and Analysis	Elective
Global International Organisation: United Nations in the World	Elective
Global Media	Elective
Human and Critical Security Studies	Elective
International Economics	Elective
International Security	Elective
Multinational Enterprises in a Globalising World	Elective
Political Economy of Violence, Conflict and Development	Elective
Strategic Studies	Elective
Trade Diplomacy	Elective
Global Public Policy	Elective

Students can also take one of the following electives outside CISD:

Climate Change and Development	Elective
Climate Change Adaptation	Elective
Low Carbon Development	Elective
Energy and Development	Elective
Global Environmental Change and Sustainability	Elective

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Important notice

The information on the programme page reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. If you are a current student you can find structure information on the previous year link at the top of the page or through your Department. Please read the

important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules

.

This programme is taught 100% online through our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

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Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

In the VLE you will have access to learning materials and course resources anytime so you can fit your studies around your existing commitments. For each module, students will be provided with access, through both the SOAS Library and the University of London’s Online Library, to all necessary materials from a range of appropriate sources.

A key component of the student experience will be peer to peer learning, with students enrolled in discussion forums.

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Study timetable

In addition to a dedicated Associate Tutor, a study timetable is provided for each module and for the overall programme to help you to organise your time.

The programme is broken down into two study sessions per year. Each subject module lasts 16 weeks, followed by a research mini module lasting 8 weeks.

Sample study timetable

Activity	Duration
Substantive module	16 weeks
Reading weeks	2 weeks
Research mini module	8 weeks
Reading weeks	2 weeks

Online and distance learning key dates

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Assessment

Each module is assessed by five written online assessments (‘e-tivities’*) comprising of 30%, the remaining 70% is formed of a 5,000 word essay.The e-tivities provide formative and summative feedback to students as a means of monitoring their progress and encouraging areas in which they can improve.

* An 'e-tivity' is a framework for online, active and interactive learning following a format that states clearly to the students its 'Purpose'; the 'Task' at hand; the contribution or 'Response' type; and the 'Outcome' (Salmon, G. (2002) E-tivities: The Key to Active Online Learning, New York and London: Routledge Falmer.)

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Research training and dissertation

Research training is a key feature of this programme, the dissertation module is presented in four development parts, which will follow each of your module sessions. Research modules one and three are formative modules only, and are not assessed.

The dissertation is assessed by the submission of a written dissertation of no more than 15,000 words, excluding the bibliography and appendices, which will account for 85% of the mark awarded for the module (research module four). The remaining 15% of the module mark will be based on the mark obtained for a 1,500 word research proposal (research module two).

The research proposal is compulsory for students going on to do a PGDip or MA; MA students must submit a dissertation at the end of research module four.

Students from SOAS’s

Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD)

develop an in-depth understanding of international affairs, contemporary diplomatic practice and policy-makers. Graduates leave with a portfolio of transferable skills such as critical analysis, problem solving, negotiation and communication, all of which are valued by employers across a number of sectors.

Recent CISD graduates have been hired by:

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Ernst & Young

European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights

Government of India

International Rescue Committee

Medical Aid for Palestinians

NHS

The Commonwealth

UK National Commission for UNESCO

UNHCR

United Nations

World Food Programme

Find out about our

Careers Service.

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A Student's Perspective

I chose SOAS to study the MA International Studies and Diplomacy because the course is truly one of a kind. When searching for Masters courses, I could not find a similar one anywhere in the UK, let alone a better one!

Marta Corti