DPT: Ecological Economics (SAC) (MSc) (Part-time)

Jump to: Year 1, Year 2, Year 3

Year 1 Academic year: 2024/25, Starting in: September

Where possible we recommend taking 60 credits of courses per year.

Part-time students must take Foundations in Ecological Economics in Year 1 but may take Applications in Ecological Economics and Environmental Valuation in either Year 1 or Year 2.

Important information regarding optional courses: please be aware that the optional courses listed on this degree programme timetable may be subject to closure or a change of semester at short notice, and there may be a limit on places available. Unfortunately we can't guarantee that every student will get their preferred course option choices.

Across the entire programme, you will get to select 40 credits¿ worth of optional courses (i.e. two 20-credit courses). The rest of your study will consist of the compulsory courses. There is some flexibility in how you allocate the compulsory and optional courses across your programme of study. By the end of the taught component of the programme (i.e. six taught semesters), you must have completed 120 credits of courses (i.e. six 20-credit courses), and 80 credits of this (i.e. four 20-creidt courses) will have been compulsory for the programme.

Important recommendations:
1) We recommend students on the three-year track take two courses per year, one in each semester, for the entire duration of the programme. We also recommend that students on this track spread their dissertation over at least years 2 and 3 of the programme.
2) We recommend you leave Ecological Economics: Field Methods in Research and Practice until your final year, but if your work or family schedule would not permit travel in that year of study, then you may take that course sooner.
Year 1:
Every PT student must take Foundations in Ecological Economics during their first year, as well as at least one of the other compulsory courses (for a minimum total of 40 credits). However, as a part-time student on the 3-year track, you need to decide how you will allocate your course load between the years of study. You can discuss this with your personal tutor or programme directors (if they are different people), and consider this alongside your other likely obligations over the study period.

We recommend a maximum of 80 credits (i.e. four 20-courses) in the first year (excluding the course related to the Ecological Economics dissertation). If you take the minimum number of credits, then both of those courses must be core (i.e. compulsory) courses, and one of them must be Foundations in Ecological Economics.
Compulsory courses
You must take a minimum of two of the compulsory courses in year 1
Required:
- Foundations in Ecological Economics
Additionally, Pick From:
- Applications in Ecological Economics
- Environmental Valuation
- Ecological Economics: Field Methods in Research and Practice

Compulsory courses

Foundations in Ecological Economics

Year 2 Academic year: 2024/25, Starting in: September

Where possible we recommend taking 60 credits of courses per year.

Part-time students must take Foundations in Ecological Economics in Year 1 but may take Applications in Ecological Economics and Environmental Valuation in either Year 1 or Year 2.

Important information regarding optional courses: please be aware that the optional courses listed on this degree programme timetable may be subject to closure or a change of semester at short notice, and there may be a limit on places available. Unfortunately we can't guarantee that every student will get their preferred course option choices.

**For academic year 2021-22, the School of GeoSciences hopes to be able to run residential UK and overseas field trips as normal. However, due to possible ongoing restrictions around travel, social distancing and other Covid-19 impact on Health & Safety requirements, our fieldtrips may be subject to change or cancellation. We will continue to follow advice from the University and the Scottish and UK Governments over the next 12 months and adjust our plans accordingly, with the ultimate aim of ensuring the safety of our students and staff above all else. In the event that a planned fieldtrip or field activity cannot go ahead as advertised, alternatives will be put in place to ensure that the learning outcomes of the affected courses can still be met**

Year 2:
You choose how to allocate your courses between optional and compulsory courses in this year. You must take a minimum of 40 credits (i.e. two 20-credit courses), and a maximum of 80 credits (i.e. four 20-credit courses). At no time can in your programme of study can your cumulative number of credits taken exceed 120 credits.

You may also choose to begin your dissertation in this year. In this case, you would finish your dissertation at the end of the final year of study.
Compulsory courses:
You may select from any remaining compulsory courses:
- Environmental Valuation
- Applications in Ecological Economics
- Ecological Economics: Field Methods in Research and Practice

Compulsory courses

Ecological Economics Field Methods in Research and Practice

Dissertation - Ecological Economics

Environmental Valuation

Foundations in Ecological Economics

Course options

These courses are RECOMMENDED SEMESTER ONE options for the MSc in Ecological Economics.

Category 1 Courses: For students who have not studied any environmental/ecological systems at the university level, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11007 Atmospheric Quality and Global Change
- PGGE11231 Coral in a Changing Ocean
- PGGE11247 Ecosystems and Global Change
- PGGE11263 Environmental Survey and Monitoring
- PGGE11254 Marine Ecosystems and Policies
- PGGE11183 Soil Protection and Management

Category 2 Courses: For students who have not studied any social sciences at the university level, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11211 Development Principles and Practice
- PGGE11187 Understanding Environment and Development
- PGGE11114 Values and the Environment

Category 3 Courses: For students who wish to engage more deeply in climate change (or climate change and business), we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11007 Atmospheric Quality and Global Change

Category 4 Courses: For students who wish to combine Ecological Economics with a focus on development issues, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11211 Development Principles and Practice
- PGGE11187 Understanding Environment and Development
- PGGE11253 Sustainable Marine Development

Selected courses must be taken during Semester 1

Political Ecology

Atmospheric Quality and Global Change

Principles of Environmental Sustainability

Values and the Environment (P)

Soil Protection and Management

Understanding Environment and Development

Global Environment Challenges

Development: Principles and Practices

Spatial Modelling and Analysis

Ecosystems and Global Change

Sustainable Marine Development

Marine Ecosystems and Policies

Environmental Survey and Monitoring

Energy Systems and Technologies

These courses are RECOMMENDED SEMESTER TWO options for the MSc in Ecological Economics.

Group B - Optional Courses for Semester 2. You must pick 20 credits from one of the following thematic areas

The courses below have been organised into thematic areas that are generally both important for, and popular with, Ecological Economics students. You should read through the themes, consider your order of preference for the themes, and within each theme consider your order of preference for the courses.

Note however, that although the learning objectives of each course within any given thematic area are different, they can largely serve as substitutes for each other with respect to the function of the theme identified.

For example, all the category 1 courses will increase student literacy with respect to environmental/ecological systems, just in different ways and with respect to different systems. They each also complement the category 1 courses from semester 1. With respect to this goal of increasing ones environmental/ecological system literacy, any of these courses will be helpful and valuable.

All themes should be 'read' and understood in this way, with the courses within each theme being broad substitutes for each other with respect to the function of the theme identified.

Please note also that the spots available in each course for non-core students will vary from year to year, depending on the size of other programmes and the distribution of student interests within the entire school. Students cannot be guaranteed their first choice. When you are not able to get your first choices, these themes should help you to identify alternatives that can help you to gain thematically-related competencies.

Category 1 Courses: For students who wish to develop more their understanding of ecosystems, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11250 Introduction to Environmental Modelling
- PGGE11260 Polar Oceans: Science and Policy
- PGGE11018 Water Resource Management

Category 2 Courses: For students who wish to continue developing social science expertise, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11257 Environmental Governance and Policy
- PGGE11016 Participation in Policy and Planning
- PGGE11276 Social Movements and the Environment

Category 3 Courses: For students who wish to combine Ecological Economics with a focus on development issues, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11267 Professional Skills in Environment & Development
- PGGE11276 Social Movements and the Environment

Category 4 Courses: For students who wish to combine Ecological Economics with the study of food systems, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11166 Interrelationships in Food Systems
- PGGE11165 Sustainability of Food Production

Selected courses must be taken during Semester 2

Environmental Impact Assessment

Participation in Policy and Planning

Water Resource Management

Interrelationships in Food Systems

Introduction to Environmental Modelling

Environmental Governance and Policy

Polar Oceans: Science and Policy

Professional Skills in Environment & Development

Student-Led Individually Created Course (SLICC) - Level 11

Advanced Topics in Ecological Economics

Creativity and the Environment

Centring Racial Justice in Sustainability Transformations

Year 3 Academic year: 2024/25, Starting in: September

Important information regarding optional courses: please be aware that the optional courses listed on this degree programme timetable may be subject to closure or a change of semester at short notice, and there may be a limit on places available. Unfortunately we can't guarantee that every student will get their preferred course option choices.

Year 3:
In year 3, you must finish any of the compulsory courses that you have not yet taken. You must also use up any remaining credits on optional courses. You must also formally join the dissertation course associate with Ecological Economics. At no time can in your programme of study can your cumulative number of credits taken exceed 120 credits.
Compulsory courses:
Required:
- Dissertation: Ecological Economics

You must select from any remaining compulsory courses from the list below:
- Environmental Valuation
- Applications in Ecological Economics
- Ecological Economics: Field Methods in Research and Practice
Optional courses
If you have any optional credits left to use from your original 40, you may pick a maximum of 40 credits (i.e. two 20-credit courses) from Group A and Group B.

Compulsory courses

Dissertation - Ecological Economics

Course options

Group A - Optional Courses For Semester 1. You must pick 20 credits from one of the following thematic areas.

The courses below have been organised into thematic areas that are generally both important for, and popular with, Ecological Economics students. You should read through the themes, consider your order of preference for the themes, and within each theme consider your order of preference for the courses.

Note however, that although the learning objectives of each course within any given thematic area are different, they can largely serve as substitutes for each other with respect to the function of the theme identified.

For example, all the category 1 courses will increase student literacy with respect to environmental/ecological systems, just in different ways and with respect to different systems. For students who have ever studied environmental/ecological systems at the university level, the most important thing (from the perspective of developing your capacity to function as an Ecological Economist) is taking one of these courses. Which one doesn't matter especially with respect to the goal of increasing ones literacy with respect to environmental/ecological systems, as they will all work equally well to increase your capacity to function as an Ecological Economist in interdisciplinary teams in the future.

All themes should be 'read' and understood in this way, with the courses within each theme being broad substitutes for each other with respect to the function of the theme identified.

Please note also that the spots available in each course for non-core students will vary from year to year, depending on the size of other programmes and the distribution of student interests within the entire school. Students cannot be guaranteed their first choice. When you are not able to get your first choices, these themes should help you to identify alternatives that can help you to gain thematically-related competencies.

Selected courses must be taken during Semester 1

Frameworks to assess Food Security

Resource Recovery and Circular Economy

Economic Issues in Public Policy

AND

Group B - Optional Courses for Semester 2. You must pick 20 credits from one of the following thematic areas

The courses below have been organised into thematic areas that are generally both important for, and popular with, Ecological Economics students. You should read through the themes, consider your order of preference for the themes, and within each theme consider your order of preference for the courses.

Note however, that although the learning objectives of each course within any given thematic area are different, they can largely serve as substitutes for each other with respect to the function of the theme identified.

For example, all the category 1 courses will increase student literacy with respect to environmental/ecological systems, just in different ways and with respect to different systems. They each also complement the category 1 courses from semester 1. With respect to this goal of increasing ones environmental/ecological system literacy, any of these courses will be helpful and valuable.

All themes should be "read" and understood in this way, with the courses within each theme being broad substitutes for each other with respect to the function of the theme identified.

Please note also that the spots available in each course for non-core students will vary from year to year, depending on the size of other programmes and the distribution of student interests within the entire school. Students cannot be guaranteed their first choice. When you are not able to get your first choices, these themes should help you to identify alternatives that can help you to gain thematically-related competencies.

Category 5 Courses: For students who wish to combine Ecological Economics with the study of food systems, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11166 Interrelationships in Food Systems
- PGGE11165 Sustainability of Food Production

Category 6 Courses: For students who wish to combine Ecological Economics with a circular economy theme, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11262 Circular Economy Principles and Practices

Category 7 Courses: For students who wish to gain skills related to spatial data analysis, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11272 GIS and Spatial Analytics for Health

Category 8 Courses: For students who wish to focus on policy, planning and sustainability, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11262 Circular Economy Principles and Practices
- PGGE11257 Environmental Governance and Policy
- PGGE11305 Public Participation in Policy
- PGGE11260 Polar Oceans: Science and Policy
- PGGE11253 Sustainable Marine Development
- PGGE11018 Water Resource Management
Category 9 Courses: For students who wish to pursue specialist topics (defined by students) of relevance to Ecological Economics, we recommend you consider one of these:

- PGGE11284 Advanced Topics in Ecological Economics
- PGGE11270 Student-Led Individually Created Course (SLICC) - Level 11

Selected courses must be taken during Semester 2

Participation in Policy and Planning

Water Resource Management

Sustainability of Food Production

Interrelationships in Food Systems

Sustainable Marine Development

Environmental Governance and Policy

Polar Oceans: Science and Policy

Circular Economy Principles and Practices

Student-Led Individually Created Course (SLICC) - Level 11

GIS and Spatial Analytics for Health

Advanced Topics in Ecological Economics

Making science relevant to policy and decision-making

General Disclaimer

THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

Degree Programme Table: Ecological Economics (SAC) (MSc) (Part-time) - 3 years (PTMSCECOEC1P)

Year 1 Academic year: 2024/25, Starting in: September

Compulsory courses

Year 2 Academic year: 2024/25, Starting in: September

Compulsory courses

Course options

Courses from School(s) N - Ecological Economics (SAC) (MSc) (Part-time) - 3 years - Level(s) 11 Y2 Options A

Courses from School(s) N - Ecological Economics (SAC) (MSc) (Part-time) - 3 years - Level(s) 11 Y2 Options C

Year 3 Academic year: 2024/25, Starting in: September

Compulsory courses

Course options

Courses from School(s) N - Ecological Economics (SAC) (MSc) (Part-time) - 3 years - Level(s) 11 Y3 Options A

Courses from School(s) N - Ecological Economics (SAC) (MSc) (Part-time) - 3 years - Level(s) 11 Y3 Options B