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Master of Climate Science (MC-CLIMSCI)
Masters (Coursework)Year: 2024 Delivered: On Campus (Parkville)
About this course
- Overview
- Entry and participation requirements
- Attributes, outcomes and skills
- Course structure
- Further study
Coordinator
Andrew King
Overview
Award title | Master of Climate Sciene |
---|---|
Year & campus | 2024 — Parkville |
CRICOS code | 106786B |
Fees information | Subject EFTSL, level, discipline and census date |
Study level & type | Graduate Coursework |
AQF level | 9 |
Credit points | 200 credit points |
Duration | 24 months full-time or 48 months part-time |
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. To face this challenge, society and industry require individuals trained to understand the climate system and apply that knowledge to help quantify, mitigate and adapt to climate risks. In this course you will apply your prior experience in other disciplines and gain the extra skills and knowledge required to develop advanced knowledge of physical aspects of climate science, climate change science, techniques and limitations of climate modelling, and climate policy.
Graduates will have the skills to work in the growing field of climate risk, environmental consulting, become a working climate scientist, or combine their learnings with their prior degree to apply climate knowledge to a broad range of occupations. Graduates could also choose to pursue further studies in climate science as part of a subsequent research degree.
Core knowledge and real-world application
In this course you’ll take subjects that provide you with advanced knowledge of physical aspects of how the climate system works and how and why it is changing. You’ll then be able to tailor your degree to focus on the areas you’re most interested in whether that be understanding climate change dynamics and extreme weather or learning how we can mitigate against ever more pervasive climate change impacts.
Entry requirements
1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:
- an undergraduate degree with a major in physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, engineering, environmental science, or equivalent, with a course weighted average mark of at least H3 (65%); and,
- MAST10005 (Calculus 1) or equivalent
Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.
2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:
- Prior academic performance.
3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.
4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for graduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
Inherent requirements are the abilities, knowledge and skills needed to complete this course that must be met by all students. For information on the inherent requirements specific to this course contact the course/program coordinator. In some circumstances reasonable adjustments may be available to enable students to meet these requirements while still preserving the academic integrity of the university's learning, assessment and accreditation processes. For more information on how to seek these adjustments refer to the Student Equity and Disability Support website: https://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this course, graduates will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge, skills, understanding and competence in the area of climate science;
- Apply discipline-specific knowledge and expertise appropriate for post-graduate research in the field of climate science;
- Analyse and interpret climate science data quantitatively;
- Undertake rigorous and independent thinking to review and critique climate science information;
- Apply specific technical skills required across many climate science-relevant professions;
- Employ a problem-solving approach and apply learnt skills and techniques to the area of climate science;
- Interpret and communicate complex climate science information using written reports and oral presentations to specialists and non‐specialists.
Generic skills
Graduates will have the ability to:
- demonstrate advanced independent critical enquiry, analysis and reflection;
- have a strong sense of intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship;
- have in-depth knowledge of their specialist discipline(s);
- reach a high level of achievement in writing, project activities, problem-solving and communication;
- be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning; be able to examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines;
- have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment;
- be able to initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces.
Graduate attributes
On completing this course you’ll have advanced knowledge of the physical aspects of how the climate system works, the ways the climate is changing, and an ability to critically interpret the latest climate information from observations and climate projections. These skills will help inform methods for adapting to climate change, mitigating climate impacts, and evaluating climate risk.
Additionally, you’ll have strong professional skills in:
- Critical thinking and problem-solving
- Research planning, literature reviews and ethical considerations
- Scientific communication, both written and oral.
- Scientific programming in widely used languages such as Python.
Course structure
200 Point Program
Students must complete 200 points including:
- Foundational core (25 points)
- Discipline core (75 points)
- Discipline electives (75 points)
- Professional skills (25 points)
Foundational Core Subjects (25 points)
Students must complete both of:
Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
ATOC30006 | Modern and Future Climate | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ATOC30008 | Atmospheric Processes and Composition | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Discipline Core Subjects (75 points)
Students must complete all of:
Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
ERTH90026 | Climate Modelling and Climate Change | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ATOC90002 | Climate Science for Decision-Making | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ATOC90017 | Advanced Past Climates | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ATOC90004 | Current Topics in Climate Science | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
AND one of:
Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
ATOC90018 | Climate Science Industry Project | Year Long (On Campus - Parkville) |
25 |
ATOC90019 | Climate Science Research Project | Year Long (On Campus - Parkville) |
25 |
Note: ATOC90004 is a capstone subject and should be taken towards the end of the course with either ATOC90018 or ATOC90019.
Discipline Electives (75 points)
Students may take discipline electives from any of the following areas:
- Climate Dynamics
- Climate Change
- Non-Specialised
Climate Dynamics
Completion of this stream requires students to have previously completed Calculus 2 or equivalent.
All of:
Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
ATOC30003 | Tropical Weather and Climate Extremes | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ATOC30004 | Dynamical Meteorology and Oceanography | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ATOC90011 | Convective Clouds and Storms | August (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ATOC90016 | Weather and Climate Extremes | Not available in 2024 | 12.5 |
AND an additional 25 points from the Non-Specialised elective list.
Note: Climate Dynamics requires students to take ATOC30003 and ATOC30004 in the first 100 points of study.
Climate Change
All of:
Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
ENST90004 | Climate Change Politics and Policy | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ENST90033 | Climate Change Mitigation | February (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ENST90034 | Adapting to Climate Change | April (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
EVSC90017 | Global Environmental Change | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
AND an additional 25 points from the Non-Specialised elective list.
Non-Specialised Electives
Student may take up to 75 points from:
Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
ATOC30004 | Dynamical Meteorology and Oceanography | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ATOC30003 | Tropical Weather and Climate Extremes | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ATOC90016 | Weather and Climate Extremes | Not available in 2024 | 12.5 |
ATOC90011 | Convective Clouds and Storms | August (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ATOC90015 | Data Assimilation and Model Improvement | February (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ATOC90010 | Statistics in Climate Dynamics | Not available in 2024 | 12.5 |
SCIE90014 | Renewable Energy | Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) |
12.5 |
EVSC90017 | Global Environmental Change | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
EVSC90014 | Environmental Risk Assessment | Winter Term (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ENST90004 | Climate Change Politics and Policy | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ENST90034 | Adapting to Climate Change | April (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
ENST90033 | Climate Change Mitigation | February (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Note: Students choosing to take ATOC30003 and/or ATOC30004 must do so in the first 100 points of study.
Professionals Skills (25 points)
Students are required to take 25 points from:
Code | Name | Study period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
BUSA90403 | Business Tools: Money People & Processes | September (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
MAST90045 | Systems Modelling and Simulation | Not available in 2024 | 12.5 |
SCIE90005 | Ethics and Responsibility in Science | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
MAST90044 | Thinking and Reasoning with Data | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
MAST90007 | Statistics for Research Workers | Winter Term (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
SCIE90013 | Communication for Research Scientists |
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
SCIE90017 | Science and Technology Internship |
Summer Term (Off Campus)
Semester 1 (Off Campus)
Semester 2 (Off Campus)
|
12.5 |
SCIE90012 | Science Communication | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
COMP90059 | Introduction to Programming |
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
COMP90072 | The Art of Scientific Computation |
Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)
Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
LAWS90203 | Science & AI: Legal & Ethical Challenges | July (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Further study
Students who successfully complete the Climate Science Research Project component within the Master of Climate Science with an H2A (75%) average are eligible to apply for M.Phil - Science and PhD-Science candidature.
Last updated: 9 February 2024