Program Overview

Many of the greatest challenges facing societies around the world today relate to environmental concerns—from climate change to food and energy security, the need to achieve sustainable and resilient forms of economic development, sustainable use of natural resources, pollution or biodiversity loss. The discipline of environmental economics is central to our understanding of these challenges and to the framing and evaluation of appropriate policy responses.

This course will equip students with the skills to address these challenges through a unique combination of theoretical and applied subjects.  These are delivered through small group teaching by academics as well as industry and policy experts. This guarantees a practical focus that is further strengthened through work placements in related companies or research institutes in Ireland or abroad, including for example with the UN Climate Change and Universities Partnership Programme.

The programme is specifically targeted to provide students with employability skills that are relevant to shape and influence future public policy, conduct environmental evaluations, lead research projects, work in a business or consultancy role, with international development and aid agencies or continue education through further academic study.

The aims of the MSc in Global Environmental Economics are to equip graduates with the following skills:

• Understand and analyse global environmental issues from an economic perspective
• Critically evaluate and inform future public policy in relation to the environment
• Advanced knowledge of economic methods used to analyse environmental problems
• Understand global interlinkages of environmental problems and how these differ around the world
• Effective communication skills and be proficient with various media