MRes Sustainability and Adaptation

Centre for Alternative Technology

Focus on researching the causes and urgency of climate change, the solutions we have already, and the actions needed, on our MRes in Sustainability and Adaptation.

The course offers a holistic view of sustainability through its taught modules and allows students more time than a traditional Masters course to independently research and use the concepts of sustainability and adaptation transformation to frame an analysis of environmental and climate change policy and its implications for society in research through an extended research dissertation.

Key Areas of study

Taught over two years full-time or three years part time, students will study taught modules over the first 12 months and then move onto a 120 credit extended research Dissertation module where you will learn how to lead and manage your own research project on a sustainability-related, discipline-relevant topic of your particular interest, and write an extended dissertation on the findings. The programme aims to be a foundation for student wishing to move into further research roles or programmes in environmental science, sustainability, and address the issues and solutions to the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Some of the topics you’ll study include:

• Sustainability thinking and adaptation transformation planning
• Research philosophy, approaches, and strategy
• Analysis techniques and research design methods

Depending on your area of research you will be able to focus on one of the following topics through your optional taught module:

• Acute resilience pathways for cities and communities
• Environmental politics and social and economic systems
• Sustainable design of buildings and environmentally responsive materials and resources
• Transformational change to meet the climate emergency
• Risk and vulnerability assessment and adaptive capacity
• Land use and food security
• Restoration ecology, environmental assessments and ecosystem services, including waste and water
• Energy provision and energy flows in buildings