Environment and Development enables you to gain an advanced understanding of the relationship between development problems and environmental issues, grounded in differing regional contexts. Involves the critical appraisal of paradigms generated in the North from the viewpoint of the South and the detailed study of paradigms emerging in the South.
KEY BENEFITS
- Staff all have first hand experience of environmental and developmental issues in the world's poor countries.
- Interactive teaching, with regular classroom discussions.
- Students are encouraged to carry out original fieldwork either in the UK or overseas for their dissertations.
- Located in the heart of London.
KEY FACTS
Student destinations
Students on this programme have gone on to: undertake further graduate study as research students; work as research assistants for international development agencies; fundraisers for the VSO; Government agencies in North and Soth; Teaching and Lectureships.
Programme leader/s
Professor Frances Cleaver
Awarding Institution
King's College London
Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent)
UK 180/ECTS 90
Duration
One year FT, two years PT, September to September.
Location
Strand Campus.
Year of entry 2013
Offered by
School of Social Science and Public Policy
Department of Geography
Closing date
None.
Intake
Approximately 35 FT/PT.
Fees
PT Home: £3950 (2013)
PT Overseas: £8125 (2013)
FT Home: £7900 (2013)
FT Overseas: £16250 (2013)
CONTACTS
Contact information
Centre for Arts & Sciences Admissions (CASA)
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7848 1977 / 7203
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7848 7200
Email
Website
PURPOSE
To provide an advanced understanding of the relationship between development problems and environmental issues. This is of particular interest to those who have completed an undergraduate programme of study in related subjects and wish to gain an advanced understanding before proceeding either into further graduate study or employment in the NGO, state or private sector. It is also geared to those who have had experience working in these fields who now wish to gain an appropriate qualification before resuming their career.
DESCRIPTION
This programme is designed to provide an advanced understanding of the relationship between development problems and environmental issues, grounded in differing regional contexts. This will involve the critical appraisal of paradigms generated in the North from the viewpoint of the South, as well as the detailed study of paradigms emerging in the South. The programme provides a framework for the understanding of environmental issues and development problems in Asia, Africa and Latin America and provides relevant regional case studies to exemplify the problems raised.
STRUCTURE OVERVIEW
Core programme content
Core module (MA & MSc pathway: 60 credits):- 7SSG5005 Dissertation in Environment and Development (60 credits) (must Take and Pass)
Compulsory modules (MA & MSc pathway: 60 credits):
- 7SSG5002 Practising Social Research (20 credits)
- 7SSG5106 Development and Environmentalism in the ‘South’ (20 credits)
- 7SSG5107 Environment, Livelihoods and Development in the ‘South’ (20 credits)
Compulsory module (MSc pathway: 20 credits):
- 7SSG5150 Advanced Quantitative and Spatial Methods in Human Geography (20 credits)
Indicative non-core content
Optional modules (MA pathway: 60–70 credits; MSc pathway: 40–50 credits):
Students must take 60–70 credits (MA pathway) or 40–50 credits (MSc pathway) of optional modules. For both MA and MSc pathways, at least 20 credits must be from the “list of prescribed optional modules” given below, and the other credits may come from the “other optional modules” list.
List of Prescribed Optional Modules Specific to this Programme:
- 7SSG5100 Urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa: Livelihoods and Patterns of Growth (20 credits)
- 7SSG5104 Water Resources and Water Policy (20 credits)
- 7SSG5149 Disasters and Development (20 credits)
- 7SSG5168 Community, Vulnerability and Disaster Risk (20 credits) (Prerequisite: 7SSG5149 Disasters and Development, either through taking the module fully or through auditing)
- 7SSG5178 Tourism, Conservation and the Environment (20 credits)
Other Optional Modules Available to Students on this Programme:
- Any Level 7 (Masters) modules offered in the Geography Department, including from the list of prescribed optional modules given above. Please click here for a full list of the modules offered in the 2013/14 academic year.
- Any Level 7 (Masters) modules offered in the KCL India Institute on the MA Modern India.
- Any Level 7 (Masters) modules offered in the KCL China Institute on the MSc China & Globalisation and MSc Governance in Contemporary China.
- Any Level 7 (Masters) modules offered in the KCL Brazil Institute.
- Up to 20 credits of Level 7 modules from any KCL Departments or Institutes outside of Geography.
Please note that the above programme structure is subject to formal approval.
FORMAT AND ASSESSMENT
Specialist taught modules assessed mainly by written coursework, oral presentations, lab work and practical sessions. The three-month written dissertation is compulsory and is based upon work conducted overseas or in the UK.
MODULES
More information on typical programme modules.
NB it cannot be guaranteed that all modules are offered in any particular academic year.
Module code: 7SSG5106
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
This module examines the way that the environment is understood within the context of development, focusing on the global South. It explores the importance of the environment and natural resources to the development process, and the legacy of colonialism and underdevelopment in framing environmental problems. Finally the module considers recent shifts in the debates surrounding development and the environment initiated under both economic restructuring (the so-called Washington Consensus) since the 1980s, and the increasing attention to global environmental problems, including biodiversity and climate change.
Module code: 7SSG5107
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
Assessment:
coursework
This module starts with a focus on meanings, approaches, and debates resolving around sustainable livelihoods and development from various perspectives. Thematic exemplars will involve in-depth coverage of current issues, such as fair trade, agrarian change, and natural resources management. There will also be focus on discourses of participation and community in development as it pertains to macro- and micro-level implications. This will be linked to broader debates about gendered livelihoods and gender-development debates. The module will involve in-class discussions, based on assigned readings that students are expected to read, as well as documentary analyses linked to the practical coursework assessment
Module code: 7SSG5002
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
This module enables students to derive a greater understanding of the relationship between methodology and method and the related notions of epistemology and ontology. The module is a mix of lectures and tutorials and enables students to develop skills in the appropriate use and application of quantitative and qualitative methods, which will have been worked through in tutorial sessions. The module lays the conceptual groundwork for the design of the dissertation and enables students to appreciate the connections between epistemology and the students particular programme of study.
Module code: 7SSG5150
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
This module is designed to cultivate in students an appreciation of, and degree of comfort with, key statistical methods used in human geography research. Moving from basic summary statistics, the course will examine standard aspatial measures and, ultimately, weighted spatial statistics. The course does not require recent mathematical study, but it is expected that enrolled students will have a passing familiarity with mathematical notation and will have some basic level of comfort working with tabular data and numbers. The module is structured as a combination of lectures and practicals in a computer lab; the aim is to introduce a set of related statistical concepts and then apply them to the study of small area data taken from the Census and/or Business Registry & Employment Survey. Ultimately, it is expected that students will be working in Excel, SPSS, and ArcGIS to develop an analysis of fine-scale demographic change between 2001 and 2011 across the Greater London Authority area.
Module code: 7SSG5168
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
This module aims to enable students to understand the social construction of vulnerability to natural hazards at the micro level; appreciate the theoretical and empirical links between the reduction of disaster risk at micro level and issues of development at the local and international scale; facilitate understanding by students of the linkages between household and individual vulnerability and livelihoods in the local and macro economy; develop a critical awareness of the role of development failures in local patterns of human vulnerability and disaster risk and encourage critical reflection on the management of disasters through humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction approaches, especially the linkages between scales.
Prerequisite: 7SSG5149 Disasters and Development, either through taking the module fully or through auditing.
Module code: 7SSG5149
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
This module aims to provide students with training in critical social science with which to examine the causes of natural disaster associated with climate change and other extreme events and the ways in which natural disaster risk and recovery are managed. The module exposes students to vulnerability and capacity assessment methodologies, and management approaches including community based risk management. There is a particular, but not exclusive focus on Africa, Asia and Latin America. Theoretically the module draws from the political ecology of disaster and hazardscapes work.
Module code: 7SSG5178
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 2 (spring)
This module introduces the relationships between tourism, conservation and the environment covering the history, current scale, scope and operation of these ideas in contemporary society. It introduces a range of critical social theories for understanding tourism, conservation and the environment and applies these to the analysis of a number of substantive environmental and social issues in contemporary tourism, through seminars, practitioner talks and field visits.
Module code: 7SSG5100
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
This module enables students to evaluate the way in which globalization (in the form mainly of structural adjustment programmes) has influenced African cities and contemporary livelihoods and economic strategies (employment, incomes, food and shelter) for the majority of Africa's urban population, the urban poor. Assessing urban growth patterns in this region and its periodization and the changing nature of rural-urban migration and linkages over time. The constraints on planning and servicing imposed by extreme resource constraints and the privatization encouraged by structural adjustment are evaluated. The module also explores the specificities of the urban experience in southern African countries with their legacies of institutionalised and racially-based influx control.
Module code: 7SSG5104
Credit level: 7
Credit value: 20
Semester:
Semester 1 (autumn)
This module provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the recent history of water resource allocation and management especially in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Priority will be given to outlining a conceptual framework identifying the relevant underlying ecological, economic and sociological principles relevant in the evaluation and management of water resources. The conceptual framework will also show the link between these underlying principles and environmental and economic policies. The roles of the institutions and technologies through which such policies can be implemented will also be analysed and exemplified.
ACADEMIC ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
General entry advice
Minimum standard is a 2:1 degree or international equivalent, e.g. GPA of 3.3 from a US University. Candidates who do not achieve a 2:1 but have professional or voluntary experience will also be considered. Mature candidates will be considered favourably.
APPLYING TO KING'S
To apply for graduate study at King's you will need to complete our graduate online application form. Applying online makes applying easier and quicker for you, and means we can receive your application faster and more securely.
King's does not normally accept paper copies of the graduate application form as applications must be made online. However, if you are unable to access the online graduate application form, please contact the relevant admissions/School Office at King's for advice.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
We run a rolling admissions system. We aim to process all complete applications within four weeks; during February and March and over holiday periods, applications may take longer to process. There is no set deadline.
PERSONAL STATEMENT & SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Please provide a personal statement that shows how your own interests are linked to the programme. In this statement please describe your academic background, your reasons for applying for this programme and what you hope to gain from it, including any relevant experience, strengths, ambitions or research interests.
FUNDING
Varied including Research Councils, University of London Scholarships, departmental bursaries and career development loans. For overseas students Chevening Scholarships are available from the British Council. Overseas students can also apply for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships Scheme (CSSS).
For further information on funding, including conditions of eligibility, please consult the Postgraduate Funding Page on the master's section of the Geography Department's website -
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/geography/study/masters/funding.aspx
Student profiles
Environment & Development MA/MScI chose King's because of its impeccable pedigree in academia. Studying at King's and its location in the heart of London, described as 'the knowledge capital of the world' is indeed worthwhile and an unforgettable experience. The serene environment, excellent free IT services and the well-tailored courses to meet current developmental challenges are unmatched, not forgetting the countless theatres and galleries at one's disposal.
The cordial lecturer-student relationship and the willingness of everyone to help in times of need are indeed very awesome. I have improved upon my academic writing and analytical skills through the free skills training courses offered by the English Language Centre and the thought-provoking weekly seminars organised by the Geography Department.
Asides studies, the regular recruitment programmes offered by Career Services Centre, provide numerous job opportunities for students. Employers are very cooperative that it makes combining work with studies an easy task.
My studies are supported mainly by the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme. Without this scholarship, I would not have had the benefit of 'tasting' and tapping into King's distinctive worth of knowledge.
I intend to return to Ghana upon completion to live my dream as environment and development consultant, drawing on the expert knowledge I expect to gain from the programme. I recommend King's to everyone who wants to live their dream and not just to have a dream, because of its image as centre of excellence.
Environment & Development MA/MSc
I chose King’s because of its international reputation and its ideal location in London.
I find many attractive things about King’s, particularly the huge community of talented global students from whom I have gained invaluable insights into their rich cultures and built life-long relationships. King’s facilities such as the academic libraries, IT services and extensive dedicated student support services are world-class!
I have had a great experience with the weekly seminar series organised by the Geography Department. By attending these seminars, I have met and developed ideas with the very best academics and professionals in the field of environment and development. I am also a member of the Conservation Society and through their organised activities I have met new people and made friends.
During the autumn term, I attended a number of free short courses offered by the English Language Centre. Following this training, my study and academic writing skills have greatly improved.
I am a Commonwealth Scholar and my studies are supported by both King’s and the Department for International Development (DFID). Obtaining this sponsorship has provided me with worthwhile experience both personally and academically that I would not exchange for anything in the world! Upon completion of my master’s, I intend to return to Uganda to consolidate my teaching and consulting career.
Environment & Development MA/MSc
As soon as I started my studies I found myself immersed in a group of international talented and enthusiastic people. This was the very heart of my experience. Encouraged by academic staff, the opportunity to work sharing thoughts and debating with fellow students brought strands of thought that helped me bring better results from my research.
Environment & Development MA/MSc
I chose to study this MA programme because it combines environment and development in a way that is unique, but also very sensible considering the interdependence of the two. I like the fact that you can chat with any professor and address them by their first name. Most of them are very down-to-earth.
King’s Careers Service offers a broad spectrum of help to get you a job as soon as possible after graduation. I am funding my studies through savings, part-time work and my parents’ financial support. When I travelled to Nigeria for research, King’s granted me a travel award.
As I am planning to work in economic development, the MA was a perfect way to prepare for the challenges ahead. My advice to prospective students is to work hard but don’t forget you are living in one of the most exciting cities in the world. Even in a whole year I couldn’t do half the things I wanted to!