Energy Policy for Sustainability (2014 entry)

MSc, 1 year full time/2 years part time

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Climate change and sustainable energy are perhaps the most important issues of our time. The challenge is to make a worldwide transition to a low-carbon economy, while at the same time providing modern energy services to a growing population and adapting to the increasingly substantial, but often uncertain, impacts of a changing climate. To meet these challenges, society needs professionals and policy-makers who understand the complex, multidimensional scientific, socioeconomic, technological and institutional challenges associated with sustainable energy, climate change mitigation and climate adaptation. 

Our climate change and energy policy degrees are designed to provide state-of-the-art training for this expanding professional market. 

Sussex is renowned for its agenda-setting, interdisciplinary teaching and research in science, development, and policy studies. You will be taught by leading researchers who have played key roles advising governmental/intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on climate change mitigation and adaptation and/or energy policy. 

For the MSc in Climate Change and Development and the MSc Climate Change and Policy, you will be taught by faculty from the Department of Geography, SPRU – Science and Technology Policy Research, and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS): 

  • the Department of Geography is a leading centre of geographical scholarship in the UK, with particular strengths in climate science, impacts and adaptation 
  • SPRU – Science and Technology Policy Research was ranked 2nd science and policy think tank in the UK and 11th in the world (University of Pennsylvania: Global Go-To Think-Tanks Report 2012). The Sussex Energy Group is one of the largest independent social science energy policy research groups in the world 
  • IDS is ranked 1st university-affiliated think tank in the UK and 3rd in the world (University of Pennsylvania: Global Go To Think Tanks Report 2012) 
  • the Climate Change research team at IDS promotes collaborative research and policy analysis, delivery of high-quality research degrees, knowledge services, teaching and training. The team works closely with the University of Sussex and a strong network of partners in developing countries. 

The MSc in Energy Policy for Sustainability is taught by faculty in SPRU – Science and Technology Policy Research who are part of the Sussex Energy Group. The group undertakes academically rigorous, interdisciplinary research engaging with policy-makers and practitioners. The aim of our research is to identify ways of achieving the transition to sustainable, low-carbon energy systems. 

More information can be found at Sussex Climate Network.

Specialist facilities in the School of Global Studies

The University offers extensive computing facilities with a full range of data-processing and communications software. Office space is usually allocated to students taking research degrees. You will have full access to the University’s main Library and its online collection. 

Specialist facilities at IDS

IDS plays a lead role in the provision, development and support of information and intermediary services that build a bridge between development research and development policy and practice. The IDS Knowledge Services include both broad-based services such as the development policy, research and practice information online gateway Eldis, and specialist services such as BRIDGE (gender), the Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC) and the Livelihoods Connect Network. IDS Knowledge Services also work in partnerships with organisations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. 

The British Library for Development Studies (BLDS) is Europe’s most comprehensive research collection on economic and social change in developing countries. IDS students have full access to a wide range of online databases, CD-ROMs, e-books and e-journals in addition to the facilities at the University’s main Library.


Martin's faculty perspective

Professor Martin Todd

‘There can be few areas of science that directly inform policy to the extent that climate science does today. When I started my climate research career more than 20 years ago, climate science was a minority interest and climate change only a peripheral issue. Now it is at the forefront of the scientific, social, economic and political agendas and has a prominent media profile.

'Since climate change has moved out of the research labs and onto the front page, I felt I wanted to look outwards also. Coming to Sussex has enabled me to work with leading groups that work directly on developing policy on the shift from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy and on the impact of climate change on people in the developing world. It has highlighted the magnitude of the challenge society faces and the necessity for the multidisciplinary approach we are developing at Sussex.’

Professor Martin Todd
Chair in Climate Change

Programme outline

You will be based in the School of Business, Management and Economics. 

This MSc provides broad-based, interdisciplinary social science training for future energy policy professionals working in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. 

The course focuses on the opportunities, challenges and constraints associated with making the transition to low-carbon energy systems in both the developed and developing world. This transition has scientific, technological, economic and political dimensions that are complex, multidimensional and interlinked. Key challenges include promoting the innovation and rapid diffusion of low-carbon technologies and balancing multiple economic, social and environmental objectives. 

The MSc is taught by the Sussex Energy Group (SEG), one of the largest independent social science energy policy research groups in the world. SEG is based in SPRU – Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Sussex and is a core partner in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the UK Energy Research Centre. 

You will engage with the key concepts, theories, issues, challenges and debates within energy and climate policy, acquire skills in relevant analytical techniques and apply these to the analysis, design and evaluation of policy at a variety of levels. This MSc is unique in integrating ideas and perspectives from economics, innovation studies and policy studies while requiring no previous training in these areas.

Assessment

Modules are assessed by a combination of coursework, multiple-choice exams, extended essays, presentations, policy briefs and a dissertation. 

We continue to develop and update our modules for 2014 entry to ensure you have the best student experience.In addition to the course structure below, you may find it helpful to refer to the 2012 modules tab.

Autumn term: you take Introducing Energy Policy and Sustainability • Science, Technology and Innovation: Markets, Firms and Policies. 

Spring term: you choose two modules from Building Innovation Systems • Energy and Climate Policy • Energy and Development • Governing Energy Transitions • Innovation for Sustainability • Managing Knowledge. In addition, you take Introduction to Statistical Research Methods • Perspectives, Methods and Skills for Science, Technology and Innovation Studies. 

Summer term: you undertake supervised work on a research-based dissertation. 

Back to module list

Building Innovation Systems for Development

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

Dissertation (Energy Policy for Sustainability)

60 credits
Summer teaching, year 1

Energy Policy and Sustainability

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

During this course you will analyse the conceptual and policy-related issues in energy policy and sustainability. Key approaches will include economics (including institutional and behavioural), political science, policy analysis and decision analysis. Particular focusses include theories of transition to sustainable energy futures, and analysing appropriate governance structures and appraisal methods.Key sustainability issues in the energy policy debate covered include: the trade-offs and synergies between sustainability and other policy objectives; technology choice issues, especially in relation to nuclear power and renewables; environmental and economic regulation and their interaction; the different levels of policy intervention (international, national, regional/local); problems in implementing energy efficiency policies and their relation to carbon emission reductions; and problems in policy approaches based on long-term scientific predictions of climate change. 

Governing energy transitions

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This module will introduce you to a systems perspective on long-term, socio-technical change in the field of energy in order to explore the co-evolution of technologies with political, institutional, economic and social factors. This conceptual perspective will be illustratedwith historical case studies from the energy sector and explore the implications for governing transitions to a low carbon energy system in the developed world. The module will analyse and reflect on current policy approaches to governing low carbon transitions.

Substantive issues to be covered include:

  • the historic transition from horse-drawn carriages to automobility
  • low carbon innovation policy in the UK
  • the 'energy transition' approach in the Netherlands
  • the politics of governing transitions and the role interests play
  • bottom-up approaches to changing energy systems such as the 'transition towns' movement
  • the role of household practices
  • strategies of incumbent energy companies to respond to pressures for change towards a low carbon energy system.

Information and Communication Technology Policy and Strategy

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

The course provides you with an overview of the strategic management and policy issues raised by the production and use of advanced information and communication technologies and services. Perspectives are drawn from economics, management and organisation theory, as well as political science and sociology. The focus is on the evolution of a complex technical system in the wider contexts of emerging user requirements in the public and private sectors. Much of the course is centred around the implications of the internet, particularly in terms of media conversion, regulation, productivity and employment, intellectual property rights and electronic commerce.

Innovation for Sustainability

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This course explores the role innovation can play in sustainable development in industrialised and developing countries, including (but not limited to) its importance in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Key ideas include past and current theory on sustainability, growth and competitiveness (with specific reference to the role of technology), understanding and influencing directions of innovation, and the governance of socio-technical transitions. You will explore specific topics within each key idea, such as social and technical innovations in energy and resource use efficiency; economic and other policy instruments to promote such innovations; barriers to the diffusion of sustainable innovations; the role of innovative green niches in systems transformations; and the challenges of international co-ordination. These will be illustrated with reference to real world cases in the manufacturing, housing, agriculture and energy sectors.

Introduction to Statistical Research Methods

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

The course aims to provide you with a basic understanding of descriptive statistics and statistical inference as they are used in the social sciences, and to develop your skill in the use of a leading statistical software package (SPSS) so that you are able to perform statistical analysis relevant for reaching social science research conclusions. This is done through extensive hands-on practice. The descriptive statistics you will cover includes methods that can also be used for exploratory qualitative analysis.

Introducing Energy Policy and Sustainability

30 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

Managing Knowledge

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This course outlines the key institutional and organisational forms underpinning the emerging knowledge economy, looking closely at the pivotal role that knowledge workers play in the creation, application and diffusion of knowledge within and between firms.

You will consider new approaches to managing learning processes in the firm, including recent developments such as knowledge management and novel organisational structures. You will explore the role of labour mobility through different types of knowledge worker communities and networks. You will also consider the role of open-source innovation and knowledge transfer within and across epistemic communities, the role of new human resource management approaches, and network mapping techniques. You will go on to consider how certain skills are coming to play a critical role in the knowledge economy, such as knowledge brokering and gate-keeping. Finally, you will explore how labour market institutions that impact on careers shape different approaches to knowledge generation, and be introduced to key concepts associated with knowledge transfer, including social capital, knowledge exploration and exploitation, and the role of key actors in knowledge transfer.

Statistical Methods for Science, Technology and Innovation Studies

0 credits
Summer teaching, year 1

This course provides training and guidance in applied statistics for postgraduate students of various backgrounds who already have some acquaintance with elementary statistics. The course has two main components. The first provides you with basic training in the use and application of methods in your own research. This will cover multivariate analysis, including analysis of variance, factor analysis, discriminant analysis, principal components, and cluster analysis. The second is designed to strengthen your ability to interpret and assess statistical work undertaken by others in applications reported in the academic publications likely to be encountered while undertaking a SPRU course.

Perspectives, Methods and Skills for Science, Technology and Innovation Studies

15 credits
Spring teaching, year 1

This course initially provides an overview of the intellectual terrain covered by science and technology policy studies, with illustrations of some of the methodologies utilised in SPRU's work. The course then provides an introduction to, and basic training in, a range of some of those methods of inquiry and analysis, both qualitative and quantitative, which should enable you not just to recognise others' use of those methods, but also your own use to understand how and when those methods can be applied.

Science, Technology and Innovations: Markets, Firms and Policies

30 credits
Autumn teaching, year 1

The aim of this course is to introduce you to an ongoing tradition of research on innovation and the various analytical concepts and theories that are used in current academic, management and policy debates. It will explore the processes underlying knowledge accumulation and innovative activity within the global economy and review the historical and contemporary emergence of current innovation systems in both developed and developing country contexts. This includes analysis of the science system, technology, the management of innovation, the theory of the firm, the basis for public policy, environmental analysis, and innovation systems approaches.

The course has a key focus on developing understanding that contributes towards practical analysis of innovation policy and management problems, and therefore provides a range of analytical frameworks for understanding and exploring the nature of public policy and its influence on the operations of business firms and other organisations. These frameworks include economics, evolutionary economics, science and technology studies and history.

The economics part of the course aims to develop your understanding of the 'economic viewpoint' on issues of science and technology management and policy. This viewpoint is relevant for two reasons: first, it is widely believed that economics provides the rationale for the operation of market-based economies (the predominant form of economic organisation in the world today) and second, economic rationales are often the basis for policy decisions in business and government. It also aims to help you develop a set of specific skills in using economic measures and indicators that inform business and public policy.

Back to module list

Entry requirements

UK entrance requirements

A first- or upper second-class undergraduate honours degree in either a social or a natural science. Applicants with relevant professional experience will also be considered.

Overseas entrance requirements

Overseas qualifications

If your country is not listed below, please contact the University at E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

CountryOverseas qualification
Australia Bachelor (Honours) degree with second-class upper division
Brazil Bacharel, Licenciado or professional title with a final mark of at least 8
Canada Bachelor degree with CGPA 3.3/4.0 (grade B+)
China Bachelor degree from a leading university with overall mark of 75%-85% depending on your university
Cyprus Bachelor degree or Ptychion with a final mark of at least 7.5
France Licence with mention bien or Maîtrise with final mark of at least 13
Germany Bachelor degree or Magister Artium with a final mark of 2.4 or better
Ghana Bachelor degree from a public university with second-class upper division
Greece Ptychion from an AEI with a final mark of at least 7.5
Hong Kong Bachelor (Honours) degree with second-class upper division
India Bachelor degree from a leading institution with overall mark of at least 60% or equivalent
Iran Bachelor degree (Licence or Karshenasi) with a final mark of at least 15
Italy Diploma di Laurea with an overall mark of at least 105
Japan Bachelor degree from a leading university with a minumum average of B+ or equivalent
Malaysia Bachelor degree with class 2 division 1
Mexico Licenciado with a final mark of at least 8
Nigeria Bachelor degree with second-class upper division or CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0
Pakistan Four-year bachelor degree, normally with a GPA of at least 3.3
Russia Magistr or Specialist Diploma with a minimum average mark of at least 4
South Africa Bachelor (Honours) degree or Bachelor degree in Technology with an overall mark of at least 70%
Saudi Arabia Bachelor degree with an overall mark of at least 70% or CGPA 3.5/5.0 or equivalent
South Korea Bachelor degree from a leading university with CGPA of at least 3.5/4.0 or equivalent
Spain Licenciado with a final mark of at least 2/4
Taiwan Bachelor degree with overall mark of 70%-85% depending on your university
Thailand Bachelor degree with CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or equivalent
Turkey Lisans Diplomasi with CGPA of at least 3.0/4.0 depending on your university
United Arab Emirates Bachelor degree with CGPA of at least 3.5/4.0 or equivalent
USA Bachelor degree with CGPA 3.3-3.5/4.0 depending on your university
Vietnam Masters degree with CGPA 3.5/4.0 or equivalent

If you have any questions about your qualifications after consulting our overseas qualifications, contact the University at E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

English language requirements

IELTS 7.0, with not less than 6.5 in each section. Internet TOEFL with 95 overall, with at least 22 in Listening, 23 in Reading, 23 in Speaking and 24 in Writing.

For more information, refer to English language requirements.

Visas and immigration

Find out more about Visas and immigration.

For more information about the admissions process at Sussex

For pre-application enquiries:

Student Recruitment Services
T +44 (0)1273 876787
E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

For post-application enquiries:

Postgraduate Admissions,
University of Sussex,
Sussex House, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
T +44 (0)1273 877773
F +44 (0)1273 678545
E pg.applicants@sussex.ac.uk 

Fees and funding

Fees

Home UK/EU students: £6,9501
Channel Island and Isle of Man students: £6,9502
Overseas students: £14,1003

1 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
2 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
3 The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.

To find out about your fee status, living expenses and other costs, visit further financial information.

Funding

The funding sources listed below are for the subject area you are viewing and may not apply to all degrees listed within it. Please check the description of the individual funding source to make sure it is relevant to your chosen degree.

To find out more about funding and part-time work, visit further financial information.

Chancellor's International Scholarship (2014)

Region: International (Non UK/EU)
Level: PG (taught)
Application deadline: 1 May 2014

25 scholarships of a 50% tuition fee waiver

Fulbright-Sussex University Award (2014)

Region: International (Non UK/EU)
Level: PG (taught)
Application deadline: 15 October 2013

Each year, one award is offered to a US citizen for the first year of a postgraduate degree in any field at the University of Sussex.

Geoff Lockwood Scholarship (2014)

Region: UK
Level: PG (taught)
Application deadline: 18 July 2014

Established in 1996 upon the retirement of the University's long-serving Registrar, to encourage high-calibre graduate Msc applications.

Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust for Postgraduate Study (2014)

Region: UK
Level: PG (taught), PG (research)
Application deadline: 1 October 2013

The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust are offering bursaries to Postgraduate students following any postgraduate degree courses in any subject.

Santander Scholarship (2014)

Region: International (Non UK/EU)
Level: PG (taught)
Application deadline: 1 May 2014

Two scholarships of £5000 fee waiver for students studying any postgraduate taught course.

USA Friends Scholarships (2014)

Region: International (Non UK/EU)
Level: PG (taught)
Application deadline: 3 April 2014

Two scholarships of an amount equivalent to $10,000 are available to nationals or residents of the USA on a one year taught Master's degree course.

Faculty interests

Dr Rob Byrne Low-carbon development, renewable energy, socio-technical transitions.

Dr Rose Cairns Discourse analysis and Q methodology on climate-policy-related issues, geo-engineering, governance of technological approaches to climate change.

Dr Terry Cannon Rural livelihoods, disaster vulnerability and climate change adaptation.

Dr Adrian Ely Innovation, sustainability, development, climate change and agriculture. 

Dr Mick Frogley Quaternary palaeoecology, and climatic history of lake basins. 

Dr Sabine Hielscher Community innovation in sustainable energy.

Dr Florian Kern Governance of system innovation, energy innovation policy.

Professor Dominic Kniveton Climate systems, and hydrological cycle in Southern Africa.

Dr Markku Lehtonen Role of expert knowledge in energy and environmental policy; transport, biofuels, and sustainability; deliberative decision-making on nuclear energy.

Francis McGowan Policy-making in the European Union, European government/industry relations.

Professor Erik Millstone Public and environmental health protection policies, risk assessment and management by national and international regulatory bodies, obesity policy.

Professor Julian Murton Permafrost; physical modelling, and Quaternary environments in Arctic Canada and UK. 

Dr Lars Otto Naess Social and institutional dimensions of adaptation to climate change. 

Dr Andrew Newsham Local knowledge and participation in conservation and development.

Dr David Ockwell Low-carbon technology transfer to developing countries, energy policy, communication and behaviour change. 

Dr Ana Pueyo Climate change, low-carbon development, techonology transfer.

Dr Pedram Rowhani Climate change and food security, land cover change, GIS.

Dr Adrian Smith Civil society and technology, environmental policy process.

Dr Steve Sorrell Energy and climate policy, emissions trading, energy efficiency, economics, transport modelling and policy. 

Dr Thomas Tanner The policy and practice of adaptation to climate change. 

Professor Martin Todd The impact of climate change on hydrological and ecological systems, atmospheric aerosols. 

Dr Yi Wang Climate science: terrestrial ecosystems, global bio-geochemical cycles; climate change; ocean-land-atmosphere interaction; tropical convection. 

Professor Jim Watson Energy policy; energy and development; sustainability, technology innovation. 

Dr Rebecca White Low-carbon food systems.

Careers and profiles

Given the importance of energy on political and corporate agendas, there is a growing demand for energy policy professionals. In SPRU –Science and Technology Policy Research, graduates have been successful in obtaining employment in a variety of roles within the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. For example, recent MSc graduates have gained employment in international organisations (eg OECD, UNDP, UNEP), government departments (eg UK Department of Energy and Climate Change, Government of British Columbia, Canada), local authorities (eg Brighton & Hove Council sustainability team), the private sector (eg RWE npower renewables, Ecofys, EDF, Unilever, Southern Solar, Renaissance Re, Centro de Apoio a Inovação Social-CAIS) and NGOs (eg International Social Science Council, Green Jobs Alliance, People and Planet), while others have gone on to study for PhDs in this area.

Paula's student perspective

Paula Rolffs

‘I chose the MSc in Energy Policy for Sustainability at Sussex because I wanted to deepen my knowledge of renewable energies and of the energy system in general.

‘In addition to this, I'm also getting new insights into different fields of studies related to economics and innovation. The interdisciplinarity of the course and the international background of the students make it a great and fruitful experience.’ 

Paula Rolffs
MSc in Energy Policy for Sustainability

Cameron's student perspective

Cameron Jones

'I chose to study the MSc in Energy Policy for Sustainability at Sussex in order to learn how the appropriate design of economic, energy and environmental policies can promote long-term sustainability, while also meeting needs of the present.

The faculty at SPRU are well-connected with other universities, government agencies and think tanks, and, as a result, I have a number of avenues through which I can pursue my dissertation. I believe that with this MSc I will be better equipped to influence, inspire, educate and negotiate more effectively in order to address the need to transition to sustainable energy systems'

Cameron Jones
MSc in Energy Policy for Sustainability

For more information, visit Careers and alumni.

School and contacts

School of Business, Management and Economics

The School of School of Business, Management and Economics is a unique, research-focused business school, which takes a strong policy-directed view on business practices while also developing the underlying core disciplines.

School of Business, Management and Economics,
Jubilee Building,
University of Sussex, Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9SL, UK
T +44 (0)1273 872717
E pgbmec@sussex.ac.uk
SPRU – Science and Technology Policy Research

Postgraduate Open Day 2013

4 December 2013, 1pm-4pm
Bramber House, University of Sussex

  • talk to academic faculty and current postgraduate students
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To register your interest in attending, visit Postgraduate Open Day.

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