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The programme engages with the most pressing issues and challenges confronting people, communities and institutions including climate change and sustainability. Environmental change, climatic change, clashing beliefs and concurrent economic overconsumption and stagnation require new ways of thinking about development and global governance.

Students will get an opportunity to engage, explore and analyse various processes that have led to climate change through examining the history of international development for instance.

How are development challenges defined and turned into practical strategies and who’s interests are served and who is excluded? Students will be able to take courses that grapple with questions like; are those escaping natural disasters helpful or hurtful, how do climate-induced displacement intertwine with migration and mobility policy?

Ultimately, the programme builds and strengthens critical skills for analysing these development processes and inequities, exploring development issues in a range of different social, historical and political contexts.

At the beginning of first year, I was overwhelmed and unsure if I could juggle academic demands with other responsibilities. But the flexible structure of the online International Development programme at Edinburgh quickly gave me the tools and confidence I needed. A highlight for me is the weekly peer engagement via the discussion board, where I am consistently challenged by the depth of knowledge and perspectives from other scholars. Meaningful and guided feedback in my undergrad was rare, so the supportive, improvement-focused comments from faculty are incredibly affirming. A year in, I am more organised, confident, and feel genuinely seen as a learner.

Euphrasia Atieno, Online Scholar

Find out more about the MSc International Development:

Food security is concerned with the availability, access, and utilisation of safe, nutritious and sustainable food to all, especially vulnerable groups within society.  

The Global Food Security and Nutrition programme provides opportunity for students to develop a knowledge and understanding of different food production systems and their ability to meet the food and nutritional needs of the growing Global Population, in the context of climate change, limited resources and sustainable development.  

Students get to explore the interconnection and interrelationship of different food systems, the environment, biodiversity and climate change, human and planetary health with consideration to the potential of different solutions that address the challenges that exist.

The programme has deepened my understanding of food systems and the socio-economic, political, and environmental factors that shape nutrition globally. Its well-structured modules-covering nutrition for food security, sustainable food production, and frameworks for assessing food systems equipped me to drive meaningful change. The learning outcomes align with urgent global challenges such as climate change, pollution, and the achievement of all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. This programme fits perfectly with my future mission to work in the humanitarian sector, supporting vulnerable communities in achieving food security. It has also inspired me to launch SHATEC HUB, an initiative to help smallholder farmers in Machakos, Kenya thrive through precision farming.

Simon Makau, Online Scholar

Find out more about the Global Food Security and Nutrition:

Global Challenges program is directly related to sustainability and climate change through its emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach, addressing root causes, understanding irreversible changes from human activity, recognising inequality and social justice, connecting health and the environment, acknowledging the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, and considering overpopulation and poverty – all of which are key components of the sustainability and climate change agenda.

Studying Global Challenges as a Post Graduate Diploma student at the University of Edinburgh has been truly transformative for me. I am particularly drawn to the programme’s interdisciplinary and holistic approach as it does not just focus on one issue but equips us to understand the interconnections between climate change, inequality, health, technology, and more. Each module has challenged me to think critically, ask deeper questions, and develop innovative, context-driven solutions. What makes it the perfect fit for me is how it empowers me as a Social Worker, not just academically but practically, to respond to any global challenge with confidence and clarity. I now see myself as a Global Challenges Social Worker and changemaker with a toolkit that is both broad and deeply rooted in real-world understanding.

Michel Rutendo Mandiopera, Online Scholar 

Find out more about the MSc Global Challenges:

The aim of this programme is to give students the skills to understand and tackle climate change. 

We draw widely on the latest research in several climate change related fields including from an economic, ecological, business and energy perspective. New approaches for adapting to a warmer world and managing resources sustainably will be examined with an emphasis on interdisciplinary analysis.

Students will develop the skills and knowledge to engage critically with climate change discussions and challenges to help transition toward a resilient, low-carbon future.

The Climate Change Management programme has been deeply enriching. Coming from the energy and environment sector, I understood the value of clean energy, but this course helped me see the deeper why. I now understand the drivers of climate change beyond what I experience in Nigeria, such as rising greenhouse gas emissions, unsustainable land use, and global policy gaps. It has added urgency and clarity to my work, expanded my perspective, and sense of purpose. This course is more than theory; it is a call to act.

Simisola Sobowale, Online Scholar

Find out more about the Climate Change Management programme:

One Health sits at the interface between human, animal and ecosystem health. As such, it is a fast-evolving subject area, well suited to preparing professionals looking to address the wide range of intractable and complex health challenges of the 21st Century.

Through the programme, you will develop a range of the essential One Health competencies essential for working across disciplines.

The interactions between climate change, loss of biodiversity, disease emergence and other key issues affecting health and sustainability are discussed throughout the programme, making graduates very well placed to work in these fields.

As a distance learner, I expected to feel a bit removed- but honestly, it has never felt that way. The weekly sessions made the material come alive, and learning and interacting alongside other scholars kept me engaged and curious. Feedback here is not just about grades, it is about growth, analytical thinking and building confidence. There’s always someone willing to help or listen, which has made this programme feel close, even from far away. It’s the kind of learning that meets you where you are and moves with you thoughtfully and purposefully toward what’s next. 

Edgar Onyango, Online Scholar

Find out more about the MSc One Health:

The circular economy has an emphasis on resource efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste reduction, sustainable consumption and production, integration of renewable energy, closing material loops, and promoting long-term resilience—all crucial aspects of addressing the sustainability and climate challenges we face.

Find out more about the MSc Circular Economy:

The climate emergency brings an urgent awareness of the inter-relationships between land and human development. The pervasive exploitation of natural systems means populations face fundamental challenges for their future. Sustainable Lands and Cities brings together people who are committed to creating, shaping, and conserving sustainable communities.

Find out more about the MSc Sustainable Lands and Cities:

Climate change poses an existential threat to humanity, from which no one is immune.

The Social Justice and Community Action programme positions climate change as a social injustice, explores the emerging discourse of climate justice, and the convergence of action on climate, sustainable development, and social justice.

To do this work, students connect climate justice to ideas of liberty, equality, citizenship, and democracy, and to real world practice contexts located in grassroots activism, sustainable community development, public policy development and implementation, and organisational management.

Find out more about the Social Justice and Community and Action programme:

A sustainable future is a future where people, living beings, and the planet can flourish together. 

Planetary Health is about achieving the highest attainable health, wellbeing and equity across the world by attending to all of those human systems – the political, social, economic, and environmental systems alongside all of the earth’s natural systems. Planetary Health emphasises the absolute interconnection of all life – human, animal and the wider natural world – and the effects and consequences of the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.  

At the heart of Planetary Health studies is acknowledging that humans have been responsible for driving the triple crises, but we can also bring about the necessary changes.  

Students on the Planetary Health online programme will develop the knowledge and skills required to promote sustainable livelihoods, learning how to protect human and natural systems and tackle the drivers of climate crises, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Find out more about Planetary Health:

Over the next 30 years, over $100 trillion will be invested globally in infrastructure as the pace of change and impacts from climate change accelerate across the planet. Planning and forecasting for resilience and adaptation is paramount for many countries. 

This programme is built around interdisciplinary thinking, developing creative and critical approaches to building and adapting future infrastructure, recognising the data skills needed to address complex social challenges, and the application of knowledge to live projects.

Find out more about Future Infrastructure, Sustainability and Climate Change:

The programme centres around the complex relationships between human populations, wildlife, and ecosystems, with sustainable, interdisciplinary approaches to addressing the biodiversity and climate crises being an integral part of our course content. 

We have a diverse range of both compulsory and elective courses, some of which focus explicitly on climate and sustainability issues, for example:

• Ecosystem Health and Sustainability
• Climate Change Policy and Practice
• Ecosystem Resilience and Extreme Events. 

However, climate change impacts and sustainability are considered throughout most of our courses in the context of other pressures on biodiversity and ecosystem health. 

Additionally, our programme’s ethos is to equip students with the skills and confidence to effect wider global change, whether it be helping existing professionals to:

• secure senior roles in specialist areas
• realise their ambitions to change careers
• take a more active role in promoting the value of nature in their communities and workplaces.

Find out more about Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health:

Changes in global health and infectious diseases around our interlinked planet are integrally related to issues of climate change and sustainability. 

The WHO has identified climate change as a direct threat to global health. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress alone. Climate change has the potential to undermine decades of progress in global health. 

The themes of climate and sustainability are common threads woven across many different courses across our programme. This integrated approach highlights the interdisciplinary impact that changes in climate will have on infectious disease risk and spread.

Our programme maintains a global perspective, actively seeking out research to share with students from across the world with a focus on the Global South, highlighting quality research outputs from diverse authors. The global populations likely to be most affected by health issues related to climate live in the Global South and it is essential to ensure that research from these areas is central when discussing these themes.

Find out more about Global Health and Infectious Disease:

The Data-Driven Breeding and Genetics programme aims to equip students with the skills to address the climate crisis through sustainable genetic improvement programmes.

Our courses address sustainable breeding practices across species and kingdoms, increasing knowledge and understanding of methods and tools needed to address global challenges such as food security, environmental sustainability, and adaptation to the changing climate. 

The courses provide students with analytical, computational and critical skills to design and implement breeding programmes in plants and animals that enhance sustainability and resilience in food, raw materials and fuel production systems, potentially achieving progress in all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Find out more about Data-Driven Breeding and Genetics:

Find out about the eligibility criteria to apply to our on-campus and online postgraduate scholarships with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Edinburgh.

Application timelines for the 2026/27 on-campus and online postgraduate scholarship with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Edinburgh.

The selection process for applications is based on the following criteria:

• Academic merit of the candidate that qualifies for admissions to the University of Edinburgh 
• Track record as a transformative leader and service within their community
• Quality of application in line with the Program's theme of climate justice.
• Potential impact on the development of the applicant’s home country.
• Applicants who have faced  significant barriers to education (social, financial, personal, practical or health related).

To help your application journey, we have gathered together a list of frequently asked questions on the application, interview and offer stages of both the on-campus and online postgraduate scholarship with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Edinburgh.