Those who are curious and passionate about climate change and it threats to society, and are interested in discovering sustainable solutions to climate threats.

The MSc in Climate Change and Sustainability has one intake per year (August).

Applicants seeking admission must have obtained either:

• A Honours degree (Merit/Second Class and above) or the international equivalent (e.g., a four-year Bachelors degree with at least an average grade of B or equivalent) in the subject or related fields; or
• A good Bachelors degree (at least an average grade of B or equivalent) in the subject or related fields; or
• A Bachelor's degree with a relevant Graduate Diploma with a minimum GPA of 3.00; or
• Other qualifications and professional experience in relevant fields subject to approval by the Graduate Studies Division, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
• Applicants who do not have a degree from an English-speaking university, must present evidence that they have attained the basic level of English language proficiency either a TOEFL score of 100 (for the internet-based test) or IELTS score of 7.0. The test must have been taken no longer than two years prior to the proposed date of admission. Exceptions may be allowed on an individual basis.

Full Coursework Track
Full-time students will study over a 8-month period that spans two semesters, which start in Semester 1 (August–November), continues in Semester 2 (January–April).

Project Track
Full-time students will study over a 12-month period that spans three semesters, which start in Semester 1 (August–November), continues in Semester 2 (January–April), and ends in Semester “3” (comprising the two Special Terms and running from May to July). Students will take courses during the first two semesters and undertake a research project during the third semester.

Under normal circumstances, the period of candidature is 12 months of full-time study or 24 months of part-time study from the date of commencement of the course. The maximum period of candidature for the MSc Programme is 24 months of full-time study or 36 months of part-time study from the date of commencement of the course, inclusive of approved leave of absence and medical leave. Leave of absence of up to one year will not be counted towards a candidate’s maximum candidature. Subsequent leave will be considered as part of the candidature.

The curriculum of the MSc in Climate Change and Sustainability programme consists of four core compulsory courses, four elective courses, and a 2-course equivalent research project Core courses will be offered every academic year. Elective courses may not necessarily be offered in the same academic year. All courses are worth 4 Units, except the research project which is equal to 8 course Units. Students must complete 40 Units to complete the MSc programme. 

With effect from the 2025/2026 cohort, students of this programme may also opt for a full coursework programme as follows, and they must make the decision in semester 1:

CCS Timetable
CCS Course Description

Core Courses
CCS5101: Climate Change the Science and the Policy
CCS5102: Sustainability and Climate Change
CCS5103: Political Economy of Climate Change & Sustainable Development
CCS5205: Sustainable Finance

Elective Courses
CCS5104: Methods and Practice in Sustainability
CCS5201: Introduction to Climate Modelling
CCS5202: Climate Risk, Adaptation Pathways and Resilient Worlds
CCS5203: Resilience of Socio-Ecological Systems
CCS5204: Water, Food and Energy Insecurities
CCS5206: How to Live Well on a Damaged Planet
CCS5207: Coastal Vulnerability, Risk and Adaptation
CCS5208: Urban Climate Change
CCS5209: Urban Sustainability Futures
CCS5210: Global Change and the Terrestrial Ecosystems
CCS5211: Air Pollution: Science and Solutions
CCS5212: Critical Approaches to Corporate Sustainability

Students may also select one of the following courses as an elective course:
GE5211: Dynamic Environments
GE5223: Introduction to Applied GIS
GE5229: Political Ecology: People, Power, and Nature

Research Project
CCS5301: Research Project in Climate Change and Sustainability

The assessment for each course will be based on a combination of examination and continuous assessment, specified in each course. A candidate who fails a core course, defined as receiving a F for the course, must retake the same core course during the period of candidature. A candidate is allowed to retake the same core course once. Failure to pass the core course after the second attempt will result in termination of the candidature. A candidate who fails an elective course may be permitted to either retake the same elective course once, or replace the failed course by taking another elective course in a subsequent academic year. Failure to pass the elective course after the second attempt will result in termination of the candidature.

Students who wish to take additional courses or retake a course will be charged based on the workload of a course. The fee will be pro-rated for each course based on the Unit requirement for the programme and the prevailing programme fee for the respective cohort of students. As the full workload requirement for the programme is 40 Units, each 4-Unit course will work out to 10% of the programme fee. With this revision, a student who reads an additional or repeated course in Geography with 4, 8, and 12 Units will be charged 10%, 20%, and 30% of the programme fee, respectively.

A candidate may withdraw from an elective course within the first two weeks of a semester. A candidate who does not withdraw from a course within the said timeframe must be examined in that course unless granted leave of absence by the Head of Department or his/her nominee. The Head, or his/her nominee, will consider each application according to the circumstances of the case.

A candidate who is not granted leave of absence but who withdraws from any course of an examination after a given deadline will be deemed to have sat and failed in that course of the examination. No extension of the maximum period of candidature will be permitted as a result of such failure.

Students are required to complete 40 Units before graduation, including four core courses (sub-total = 16 Units), four elective courses (sub-total = 16 Units) and the research project (sub-total = 8 Units), or four core courses (sub-total = 16 Units) & six elective courses (sub-total = 24 Units).

Tuition fees for AY2026/2027 (includes 9% GST)
The tuition fee for AY2026/2027 is S$57,850 (including GST)¹. Candidates shall pay a S$10,900 non-refundable acceptance fee upon acceptance of the offer of admission, which will subsequently be used to offset part of the tuition fee.

Payment should be made in equal instalments over 2 regular semesters for full-time students and 4 regular semesters for part-time students. There will be a 40% tuition fee rebate if the student is a Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident (regardless
if they are NUS alumni² or non-alumni). There will also be a 20% tuition fee rebate for international students if they are NUS alumni². If there is a company sponsorship, then full fees apply. The rebate only applies if the student is self-financed. 

Fees are programme-based: the full programme tuition remains payable even if completed ahead of the normal schedule (assuming the required 40 units are not exceeded).

Tuition fee for the previous intake, please refer to here.

Tuition Fee Payable

¹ The University reserves all rights to review fees as necessary and adjust accordingly without prior notice. GST is charged at a prevailing rate of 9% from year 2024.
² “NUS alumni” refers to those who obtained from NUS, a full qualification in Bachelor, Graduate Diploma, Master’s or PhD.

In addition, candidates are also required to pay other miscellaneous student fees as decided by the University.

Applicable for cohort AY2024/2025, AY2025/2026 & AY2026/2027
Only for self-financed MSc programmes (not for stackable programme). There is a 40% tuition fee rebate if the student is a Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident (regardless if they are NUS alumni or non-alumni). There will also be a 20% tuition fee rebate for international students if they are NUS alumni. If there is a company sponsorship, then full fees apply. The rebate only applies if the student is self-financed.