MSc Global Challenges (Online Learning)
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Introduction
The deadline to apply for September 2025 entry is Monday 14 July 2025.
With almost 8 billion people on earth and rising, how can we all live well without compromising the life support systems of our planet?
This unique and cutting-edge programme will enable you to tackle global problems in a multidisciplinary way. It will equip you to address causes, consider preventative approaches, and implement suitable responses.
We live in an increasingly complex, often contradictory, fast-changing world:
- we have experienced unprecedented economic growth but inequality grows between and within nations
- we know more than ever about the natural environment, yet we may be on the cusp of irreversible changes caused by human activity
- more people than ever before are living longer, healthier lives, while billions suffer from hunger, malnutrition and disease
Climate change, natural disasters, political instability, conflict and wars, mixed in with overpopulation, poverty and underinvestment in low-income countries are leading to a range of challenges on a scale and at a frequency not experienced before.
Challenges of migrating and vulnerable populations, emerging and re-emerging diseases, humanitarian crises and unprecedented urban development need a multidisciplinary approach with sustainability at the heart of it.
Our MSc Global Challenges is a multi-level online programme that offers distinct qualifications following successful completion of each of the three stages. It is made up of three postgraduate certificates which you can study in any order. Together they give you a lens on the drivers and causes of the different global crises we are facing, and strategies and tools to implement solutions and work in partnership with those who are leading change.
- Aims
Studying all three stages gives you a comprehensive insight into the global challenges and develops and broadens your skills and knowledge to tackle them effectively. As you progress through the programme you will integrate your learning from each certificate you study, adding depth and richness to your experience.
- Structure
Our MSc in Global Challenges allows you to study flexibly at a pace that suits you. You can complete the three stages in any order you wish.
There is no dissertation element: each postgraduate certificate provides opportunities for you, in discussion with academic staff, to develop innovative projects as part of your assessment.
The MSc comprises three Postgraduate Certificates:
- PgCert Global Environment Challenges
- PgCert Global Health Challenges
- PgCert Global Development Challenges
You can study any one of the above individual Certificates as a standalone programme. You can also choose to study all three. Successful completion of all three of these Certificates leads to the award of the MSc in Global Challenges.
The MSc in Global Challenges is normally completed over three to six academic years and is awarded by the School of Social and Political Science.
- Career opportunities
This programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed for work with:
- governments
- non-government organisations (NGOs)
- international aid organisations
- United Nations agencies
- the private sector
- universities
- other research institutions
The transferable skills you gain in areas such as communication and research will give you an edge in the employment market, whatever your career.
- Online learning
Due to the highly flexible nature of this programme, it is an excellent way for those with professional or family commitments to gain a further qualification with minimum interruption or to introduce students to a virtual learning environment.
Our award-winning online learning technology is fully interactive, enabling you to communicate with our highly qualified teaching staff from the comfort of your own home or workplace.
You will learn through a mix of online methods, including video lectures, study guides, self-directed and guided reading, and a range of interactive online reflection and discussion activities. You will be part of a vibrant and supportive virtual community.
Our online students not only have access to Edinburgh’s excellent resources, but also become part of a supportive online community, bringing together students and tutors from around the world.
Studying online at Edinburgh
- Reading recommendations
If you're looking to get started on some provisional reading before your course begins, we recommend the following:
- Agarwal, B. (2014). Food sovereignty, food security and democratic choice: Critical contradictions, difficult conciliations. Journal of Peasant Studies, 41(6), 1247-1268.
- Banerjee, S. B. (2008). Corporate social responsibility: The good, the bad and the ugly. Critical sociology, 34(1), 51-79.
- Moyo, S. (2007). Land in the political economy of African development: alternative strategies for reform. Africa Development, 32(4).
- Ouma, S. (2014). Situating global finance in the land rush debate: A critical review. Geoforum, 57, 162-166.
- Sen, G. (2019). Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment: Feminist Mobilization for the SDGs. Global Policy, 10, 28-38.
- Wilson, K. (2017). Re-centring ‘race’ in development: Population policies and global capital accumulation in the era of the SDGs. Globalizations, 14(3), 432-449.
- How to apply
Tuition fees
Award Title Duration Study mode MSc 3 Years Part-time Tuition fees MSc Up to 6 Years Part-time Intermittent Study Tuition fees
Student stories
Hear why our online MSc Global Challenges student Christina Samson decided to study online with the University of Edinburgh. Learn how she has struck her ideal work-study balance.
Hear more from our students and graduates about studying with us: