Climate Change

Do you want to tackle one of the most important and complex environmental problems encountered by humankind?  The ANU Master of Climate Change program offers significant breadth and strength within the field through access to world-leading expertise in climate change science and policy, encompassing science, economics, law, policy and governance aspects of climate change vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation. This means that you can develop a unique program of advanced learning suited to your individual interests and skills. Our program covers core topics of climate impacts, vulnerability and adaptation, climate change economics and policy, and methodological approaches. Elective courses can be selected from a wide range of topics to suit your educational goals.

Career Options

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the skills and knowledge to:

1. Demonstrate expert  knowledge in particular aspects of climate change, and a broad knowledge of the current issues in and approaches to climate change vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation from both science and policy perspectives
2. Demonstrate advanced understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of climate science and policy, and a critical appreciation of how the complex relationships between them inform and shape debate
3. Independently apply their advanced knowledge, analytical and research, teamwork, and oral and written communication skills in professional practice in climate change
4. Effectively communicate knowledge and understanding in climate change to both specialist and non-specialist audiences

Cognate disciplines

• Applied Economics
• Climate
• Development Studies
• Economics
• Economic Policy
• Energy Change
• Environmental Science
• Environmental Studies
• Forest Science and Management,
• Policy Studies
• Resource and Environmental Management
• Science Communication
• Renewable Energy
• Sustainability
• Sustainability Science
• Sustainable Development

The Master of Climate Change requires the completion of 96 units, which must consist of:

Completion of the following pre-sessional component:

CRWF6900 Graduate Academic and Research Skills for Public Policy

EMDV6900 Graduate Preparatory Environmental Science

EMDV6903 Graduate Preparatory Environmental Economics

48 units from completion of the following initial component:

A minimum of 6 units from completion of courses from the following list:

EMDV8013 Issues in Development and Environment

EMDV8101 State, Society and Natural Resources

A minimum of 6 units from completion of courses from the following list:

ENVS8015 Contemporary Perspectives in Environmental Science

ENVS8016 Contemporary Perspectives in Environment-Society Interaction

A minimum of 18 units from completion of courses from the following list:

ARCH6022 Long-term Biodiversity and Climate Change in Asia-Pacific

BIOL6125 Plants and Global Climate Change

DEMO8088 Population, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

EMDV8007 Environmental Policy and Communications

EMDV8026 Introduction to Environmental Science

EMDV8078 Introduction to Environmental and Resource Economics

EMSC8706 Introduction to Natural Hazards

ENGN6516 World Energy Resources and Renewable Technologies

ENVS6015 GIS and Spatial Analysis

ENVS6033 International Environmental Policy

ENVS6204 Weather, Climate and Fire

ENVS6303 Climatology

ENVS6528 Environmental Policy

HGEO8001 Assessing Vulnerability to Natural Hazards

A maximum of 18 units from completion of courses from the following list:

BUSN7017 Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, Accountability and Reporting

EMDV8001 Environmental Sustainability, Health and Development

EMDV8009 Asia Pacific Environmental Conflicts: Causes and Solutions

EMDV8108 Applied Environmental and Resource Management

ENGN6524 Photovoltaic Technologies

ENVS6005 Sustainable Systems: Urban

ENVS6012 Sustainable Systems: Rural

ENVS6013 Society and Environmental Change

ENVS6014 Qualitative Research Methods for Sustainability

ENVS6020 Human Ecology

ENVS6021 Participatory Resource Management: Working with Communities and Stakeholders

ENVS6024 Biodiversity Conservation

ENVS6203 Biodiversity and Landscape Ecology

ENVS6205 Island Sustainable Development: Fiji Field School

ENVS6304 Land and Catchment Management

ENVS6306 Human Futures

ENVS6308 Fire in the Environment

ENVS6514 Ecological Assessment and Management

ENVS6529 Palaeo-Environmental Reconstruction

ENVS6555 Water Resource Management

IDEC8001 Applied Economics: Cost/Benefit Analysis

MGMT7007 Managing for Sustainability

SCOM8027 Science and Public Policy

48 units from completion of the following concluding component:

A minimum of 18 units from completion of courses from the following list:

CRWF8006 International Climate Change Policy and Economics

CRWF8014 Domestic climate change policy and economics

ENVS6307 Climate Change Science & Policy

ENVS8003 Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation

A minimum of 6 units from completion of courses from the following list:

EMDV8014 Research in Climate Change Policy and Economics

ENVS8013 Research in Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation

A minimum of 6 units from completion of courses from the following list:

EMDV8102 Research Methods for Environmental Management

ENVS6025 Complex Environmental Problems in Action

A maximum of 18 units from completion of courses from the following list and from any of the courses listed above:

ANTH8042 Migration, Refugees and Development

CRWF8000 Government, Markets and Global Change

CRWF8003 International Water Politics

CRWF8004 Case Studies in Economic Policy

CRWF8009 Energy Politics and Governance

CRWF8016 Food Wars: Food Security and Agricultural Policy

CRWF8017 Energy Economics

ECON8040 Resource & Environmental Economics

EMDV8002 Methods for Environmental Decision-Making

EMDV8008 Research Proposal

EMDV8012 Ecological Economics and Policy

EMDV8041 Special Topics in Environmental Management and Development

EMDV8066 Research Project

EMDV8103 Environmental Assessment

EMDV8104 Environmental Governance

EMSC6021 Fundamentals of Climate System Science

ENVS6301 Climate Change Science & Policy in Practice

ENVS8006 Measuring Forest Carbon

ENVS8048 Topics in Environment & Society

ENVS8049 Independent Research Project

ENVS8101 Major Research Essay

HGEO8002 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

HGEO8003 Research in Natural Hazards and Disasters

IDEC8019 Political Economy of Economic Reform

IDEC8022 Economic Development

IDEC8053 Environmental Economics

LAWS8008 Climate Change and Displacement

LAWS8180 International Climate Law

LAWS8181 Australian Climate Law

POGO8083 Policy Advocacy

POPH8318 Human Health, Environment and Climate Change

DIPL8009 Diplomacy in a Globalising World

Students must complete the pre-sessional component before commencing the initial component.

Students must complete the initial component in before commencing the concluding component.

A Bachelor degree or international equivalent.

All applicants must meet the University's English Language Admission Requirements for Students

Applicants with a Bachelor degree in a cognate discipline may be eligible for up to 24 units of credit. Credit may also be available for relevant work experience.

Applicants with a Graduate Diploma or Honours in a cognate discipline may be eligible for up to 48 units of credit.

Credit may also be available for relevant work experience?

Students must complete the pre-sessional component before commencing the initial component.

Students must complete the initial component in before commencing the concluding component.

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to current and future students to assist with the cost of their studies. The University is committed to enabling all students, regardless of their background, to achieve their best at ANU and realise their potential. 

Eligibility for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.