At the core of the MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy is the concept of sustainability transformations, which is approached from a multidisciplinary perspective. The programme builds on over twenty years of graduate-level teaching in environmental policy and urban topics within the Department of Land Economy, and over nine years of delivering part-time professional education.

Participants develop the skills to analyse complex sustainability challenges using tools from complementary fields, including:

• economics and public policy
• law and governance
• urban planning
• complex systems

These areas form the programme’s core analytical lenses and are applied across international (e.g., changing geopolitics of energy, climate change negotiations), transnational (e.g., energy markets, carbon trading, contractual practices, innovation strategies), and domestic contexts (e.g., regulatory frameworks, macroeconomic implications of energy choices, urban planning). Participants graduate from the course with a strategic, 360° view of the forces shaping a sustainable future.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate a 360° strategic understanding of climate, environmental, and urban policies and their relevance for sustainability transformations.
• Identify the short, medium, and long-term drivers of sustainability transformations.
• Discuss the political economy of energy and climate change, including market structure, regulatory intervention, subsidies, taxes, and carbon pricing.
• Explain the different dimensions of the global challenges around degrading ecosystems and loss of biodiversity.
• Critically understand the complex factors surrounding the low-carbon transition, including technology innovation, market dynamics, geopolitical drivers, and environmental constraints.
• Discuss the main drivers of demographic trends at the global level and how they can be addressed at the local level (e.g., in cities).
• Describe the complex links between climate change, biodiversity loss, public policy, and sustainable cities.

The MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy is aimed at senior, mid-career, and high-potential early-career professionals who want to shape the policies and strategies driving the global sustainability transformation. The part-time, hybrid format allows students to continue their professional careers while studying.

It is suited, among others, to those working in:

• Government and public policy – developing and implementing strategies on climate change, environmental protection, and urban development.
• International organisations and NGOs – addressing cross-border environmental challenges, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable cities.
• Private sector and consultancy – advising on energy transitions, carbon markets, ESG strategies, and sustainable infrastructure.
• Urban planning and the built environment – designing resilient cities and sustainable urban systems.
• Law and governance – navigating environmental regulation, climate agreements, and complex governance frameworks.

Ideal candidates will bring professional experience and a desire to work at the intersection of policy and practice. Many will be looking to expand their expertise beyond their current specialism, ground and consolidate their experience, gain a multidisciplinary perspective, and develop the strategic insight needed to lead change in government, business, and civil society at local, national, and global levels.

The MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy is delivered through a blend of online distance learning and attendance at five in-person residentials over the two years of the course.

There are eight weeks of residentials in total, three two-week residentials in Year 1 and two one-week residentials in Year 2. The dates of these sessions are indicated below.

Held in Cambridge, with the option to stay in one of the University’s historic Colleges, the residentials are intense and stimulating periods of study. They combine lectures, workshops, and presentations from academics and sector leaders, with a strong emphasis on real-world case studies, practical applications, collaborative projects, and group discussions. Each residential also includes site visits or field trips, reinforcing the programme’s policy- and practice-focused approach. Read more about past residentials here, here, and here.

These immersive sessions foster a collaborative environment where students learn from peers, gain fresh perspectives from academic faculty and guest speakers, and build valuable professional networks. The course is highly interactive, and the face-to-face format ensures a rich, engaging, and rewarding educational experience.

The residentials in 2026–28 will take place as follows:

• Residential 1 | Monday 21 September to Friday 2 October 2026. Arrive on Sunday 20 September 2026.
• Residential 2 | Monday 5 April to Friday 16 April 2027. Arrive on Sunday 4 April 2027.
• Residential 3 | Monday 5 July to Friday 16 July 2027. Arrive on Sunday 4 July 2027.
• Residential 4 | Monday 6 December to Friday 10 December 2027. Arrive on Sunday 5 December 2027.
• Residential 5 | Monday 3 April to Saturday 8 April 2028. Arrive on Sunday 2 April 2028.

The MSt in Climate, Environmental and Urban Policy programme has a modular design.

There are three core assessed modules (CEUP1 to CEUP3), an assessed methods and methodologies module (CEUP7), and three applied modules (CEUP4 to CEUP6), out of which students select one for assessment as their specialisation stream. Another key component of the course is a 12,000-word research dissertation, which participants complete over the two years with support and guidance from faculty.

An indicative summary of modules and topics is included below. We reserve the right to revise the distribution and coverage of the modules to accommodate refinements to the material and/or shifting priorities in the sustainability transitions agenda.

This course brings together concepts, expertise, and case-study applications from different disciplines to provide a 360° view of the scientific and societal implications of sustainability transformations. Climate change, the risk of ecosystem collapse, and the transformation of urban systems are all redefining the rules of social organisation in which governments, civil society, and businesses evolve. This profound transformation cannot be understood from a single perspective. It requires systems analysis of highly complex processes based on the tools of a range of disciplines and practice areas.

The MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy provides a research-informed and practice-infused training in the scientific, regulatory, and economic dimensions of sustainability transformations, with topical focus on climate change and energy, biodiversity and ecosystems, and the transition of urban systems. It is unique in the range of disciplines it mobilises and the focus on gaining a comprehensive, strategic view of ongoing sustainability transformations.

Course fees

£15,738 per year (£31,476 total) for Home and Overseas students in 2026–28, covering tuition and University and College membership fees.

Other costs

Students are expected to cover their own costs of travel, accommodation, and subsistence during the residential sessions in Cambridge.

In addition, all new students will be required to deposit a £250 Churchill College membership bond, refundable against their final College bill.

Churchill College accommodation

Student accommodation can be booked at Churchill College during the residentials for students registered on the course.

The rate for a standard single room with shared bathroom facilities in 2026 is £70.35 + VAT per night, including breakfast and full service of bedrooms. Rates for 2027 and 2028 have not yet been confirmed.

Ensuite rooms may also be booked subject to availability.

Funding, scholarships, and loans

While there are currently no scholarships or funding opportunities specifically allocated to the MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy, you can find more information about sources of funding for postgraduate study on the University’s Postgraduate Study website and by exploring the Postgraduate Funding Search tool. Please make sure to filter for part-time study, as the MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy is offered exclusively on this basis.

Visit the University’s external funding and loans page for information about external scholarships and government financial support.

If you are a UK learner, you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from Student Finance England to help with the course fees and living costs while you study. For further information on the Master’s loan and eligibility criteria, please visit the GOV.UK Master’s loan website.

It is also anticipated that some applicants to the course will seek full or partial funding from their employer.

Please note that this course is not eligible for funding from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme, due to being offered exclusively on a part-time basis.

Applicants for this course should normally hold a relevant UK 1st or good 2:1 honours degree or its overseas equivalent. If your degree is not from the UK, please check the international qualifications page on the University’s Postgraduate Study website to find the equivalent for the country in which you studied.

Students joining the MSt course are also expected to have at least three years’ experience in a relevant professional setting, such as such as government, consulting, intergovernmental or non-governmental organisations, energy, finance, investment, conservation, legal services, planning, or one of the more general environment-related professions. In some cases, candidates may have a professional qualification in the discipline.

Those applicants who do not meet the standard entry criteria but have alternative qualifications or experience and the potential to bring valuable assets to the programme will be evaluated on an individual basis and may be required to supply further materials in support of their application.

Potential applicants are also advised to consider carefully their capacity for balancing personal and professional commitments before submitting an application.

If you are not from a majority English-speaking country, you may need to submit evidence that you meet the University’s English language requirement before you can be admitted onto the course. Please refer to the English language requirements page on the Postgraduate Study website if you are unsure whether or not you are required to supply language test scores.

The following minimum test scores can satisfy the English language requirement:

• IELTS (Academic), IELTS for UKVI Academic, IELTS One Skill Retake, or IELTS Online: an overall minimum score of 7.5 with no individual element lower than 7.0
• TOEFL iBT or TOEFL Home Edition: an overall minimum score of 110 with no individual element lower than 25
• C1 Advanced: Grade A or B with an overall minimum score of 193 and no individual element lower than 185, plus an assessment by the University Language Centre
• C2 Proficiency: Grade A, B, or C with an overall minimum score of 200 and no individual element lower than 185

If you are subject to a language requirement, you are strongly encouraged to submit your language test results at the same time as your initial application.

You are required to submit a personal statement and research proposal as part of the application process. The personal statement should bring out why you want to study, what you hope to get from the course, and how you will contribute to the learning of others.

For the research proposal, there is no minimum or maximum word limit. We recommend that you aim for somewhere between a few paragraphs and a side of A4. The proposal is simply to give those reviewing the applications a sense that you understand what might be required. Be sure to include a compelling research question, a short overview of relevant literature (ideally academic sources with prior research that may inform your chosen topic), and some thoughts about how you would conduct the research. If invited to attend an interview, you would be expected to elaborate upon these initial ideas in a brief but thoughtful manner.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the details of two referees; these should be senior people acquainted with your work who are able to comment on your academic and/or professional suitability for the course. At least one reference should be academic. If this is not possible, two professional references may be accepted. You should not nominate as a referee someone who is a close friend or family member.

You will be asked to provide email addresses for your referees so that they can submit their references via the online referencing system. It is therefore important for you to check that your referees are willing and able to provide a reference for you before you submit your application form. Please supply professional or institutional email addresses for your referees and note that a failure to do so may delay the processing of your application.

You should advise your referees to include the following information:

• How long they have known you and in what capacity.
• Their opinion of your experience, achievements, professional interests, and the capabilities which you will bring to the course.
• Whether they believe you have the academic and analytic skills to successfully study at master’s level.
• Whether they believe you will fit well on a master’s level course concerned with climate, environmental, and urban policy, requiring both group work and individual research.
• Whether they consider you to have the enthusiasm, commitment, and determination necessary to complete the course successfully.

If your referees are unable to use the online referencing system, or do not have professional or institutional email addresses, please contact the Professional and Continuing Education MSt Admissions Office for further assistance.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a letter of support from your employer, confirming that you may have time away from work as necessary to attend the residential sessions in Cambridge. If you would prefer to supply this letter at a later date, please upload a placeholder document in this slot instead.

Applications for the course are reviewed in batches. Candidates whose applications pass the initial review stage will be invited to attend an online interview, after which point an offer of admission may be issued.

Given the desire to ensure that a diverse mix of skills and backgrounds are represented within the cohort, final decisions on applications may not be taken until after the closing date for all applications.

We advise that applications are made as early as possible, particularly applications from candidates not meeting the standard academic requirements for the course, as these are likely to take longer to process.

A Master of Studies (MSt) is a part-time degree awarded at the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. Cambridge does not have an MSc award and, at Cambridge and Oxford, a Master of Arts (MA) is an honorary qualification. For students who attend the University of Cambridge and undertake Master’s-level study there are two main options: the Master of Philosophy (MPhil), which is awarded for full-time Master’s-level study, and the Master of Studies (MSt), which is awarded for part-time Master’s-level study. They both have the same gravitas and are recognised as the same level of degree.

The MSt has benefits when compared the MSc or MPhil for people already established in their careers. It allows you to develop your professional and academic interests for career progression, diversification, and/or personal development. Most MSt students will have several years of experience in the field prior to undertaking the programme and will work full-time alongside their studies.

MSt programmes are academically rigorous postgraduate programmes, usually undertaken over two years. They incorporate a significant taught element, and a research project and associated dissertation. Taught elements are normally broken down into discrete modules and research projects may be work-related, if appropriate. 

MSt programmes are not simply full-time programmes studied on a part-time basis. They are specifically designed as part-time programmes, to be flexible and accessible to accommodate the needs of working professionals. The modular structure of consolidated teaching blocks enables those living further away from Cambridge, including international students, to undertake an MSt. 

The MSt may also be a stepping stone to doctoral study provided that your performance reaches the required standard.

The MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy is delivered by the Department of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge. Students who successfully complete and pass the course are awarded a degree from the University of Cambridge. The degree is conferred in person or in absentia at a Degree Congregation, or graduation ceremony, held in the historic Senate House, where members of the University have graduated since the eighteenth century. After graduating, students are entitled to use the letters MSt (Cantab.) after their name.

Yes. All students enrolled in the MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy become lifelong members of a Cambridge College, gaining access to pastoral support, facilities, and the full Cambridge experience. More information about the College system is available on the Postgraduate Study website.

For this course, membership is arranged with Churchill College, unless an applicant has a prior affiliation with a different College that they wish to have taken into account. Membership of Churchill College offers access to accommodation, meals, leisure facilities, libraries, IT resources, common rooms, academic and pastoral support, student societies, lectures, exhibitions, and other events. Many students also enjoy exploring Cambridge’s diverse restaurants and cafés alongside formal and informal College dining. Students formally join Churchill College at a Matriculation ceremony during the first residential.

Yes. Matriculation marks the formal admission of a student to membership of both the University and the College. It is an agreement to comply with the regulations of both institutions. During the Matriculation ceremony, new students are officially welcomed to Churchill. This is an important occasion which students are expected to attend. The ceremony is followed by a celebratory dinner to mark the occasion, offering a chance to meet other incoming students and staff at the College. Confirmed arrangements will be sent to new students before the start of the first residential.

Absolutely. The MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy is designed specifically for working professionals, including those living outside of Cambridge or overseas. Delivered in a flexible, part-time format, the programme combines distance learning via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with eight residential weeks across five teaching blocks: three residentials of two weeks in Year 1, followed by two one-week residentials in Year 2. We arrange College accommodation for these periods, which focus on taught sessions, collaborative and project work, site visits, and supervisions. Between residentials, students undertake self-study, complete assignments, and attend optional online sessions. This modular structure makes the course accessible to those balancing study with professional commitments.

Yes. As a matriculated student, in addition to the dedicated course Moodle (a Virtual Learning Environment or VLE), you will have full remote access to the University’s online library resources, including many electronic textbooks and a wide range of peer-reviewed journals. Cambridge University Library is one of six legal deposit libraries in the UK and Ireland, giving you access to an immense collection of published material. You will also be able to register for hybrid or online training courses offered across the University in areas such as research methods, computing, and professional development.

Information on visa requirements for part-time degree courses where attendance is required for short teaching sessions, such as the MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy, is available from the International Students website. These courses are not eligible for student visa sponsorship due to the structure and attendance arrangements. Please read carefully through the information provided by the International Students’ Office on studying part-time and attending Cambridge for short periods of study.

The MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy is a valid route to studying for a PhD degree. Students wishing to apply for continuation to the PhD would normally be expected to attain a minimum overall mark of 67 and a dissertation mark of 70.

We build each cohort of the MSt in Climate, Environmental, and Urban Policy to be diverse in professional background, age, gender, and geography, with around 16–18 students per year. Participants range widely in age, although are typically between their mid-20s and early-50s. Most importantly, they bring expertise from a wide spectrum of professions that are involved, to different degrees, in urban, climate, and/or environmental policy topics, including planners, government officers, lawyers, consultants, financial analysts, and engineers.

Students join us from organisations such as the UN and its programmes, Bloomberg, Arup, WEF, national departments and ministries, municipal agencies, several leading news outlets, as well as international and boutique firms and independent consultancies. Many bring substantial international experience, with recent cohorts representing over 25 different countries and all continents but Antarctica.

Past cohorts have included, for example: a journalist for international news broadcaster seeking to strengthen their expertise on the topic; an analyst for an investment bank; a consultant who encounters sustainability topics at work and wants to strengthen their understanding and knowledge for more effective practice.

Applications for the course are reviewed in batches. Most applications will be reviewed within 12 weeks. If you haven’t heard back in 12 weeks, you are welcome to email the MSt Business Office at mstceup@landecon.cam.ac.uk to check on the status of your application.

Candidates whose applications pass the initial review stage will be invited to attend an online interview, after which point an offer of admission may be issued. Given the desire to ensure that a diverse mix of skills and backgrounds are represented within the cohort, final decisions on applications may not be taken until after the closing date for all applications.

Once your place on the course is confirmed, the MSt Business Office will contact you with payment options. You may choose to pay the full fee upfront or sign an agreement permitting you to spread the cost through a termly payment plan.

MSt course fees are divided into Year 1 and Year 2. Year 1 fees must be paid in full by the end of the academic year in order to progress to Year 2.