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

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

Applicants seeking admission must have obtained either:

• A bachelor’s degree in the subject or related fields; or
• A bachelor’s degree with a relevant Graduate Certificate with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
• Candidates with other qualifications and experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis, 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. Exceptions may be allowed on an individual basis.

Applicants should provide one letter of reference from an academic in the case of a recent graduate (graduated in the three years prior to application) or from a recent/current employer in the case of an applicant who graduated more than three years prior to the time of application.

Please refer to instructions available via the link: Application Management Portal

These instructions include guidance on how to assign a referee/upload a referee’s statement.

Full-time students will study over a 12-month period that spans two semesters, which start in Semester 1 (August–November), and continues in Semester 2 (January–April).

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 Graduate Diploma in Climate Change and Sustainability programme consists of three core compulsory courses, and three elective courses. 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. Students must complete 24 course Units to complete the Grad. Dip. programme.

CCS Timetable
CCS Course Description

Core Courses
CCS5101: Climate Change the Science and the Policy
CCS5102: Sustainability and Climate Change
CCS5104: Methods and Practice in Sustainability

Elective Courses
CCS5103: Political Economy of Climate Change & Sustainable Development
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
CCS5205: Sustainable Finance
CCS5206: How to Live Well on a Damaged Planet
CCS5207: Coastal Vulnerability, Risk and Adaptation

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 24 Units before graduation, including three core courses (sub-total = 12 Units), three elective courses (sub-total = 12 Units).

For AY2026/2027
The cost of each course of this programme for AY2026/2027 will be S$5,785 (including GST).
The entire cost of the Graduate Diploma (six courses in total) will be S$34,710 (including GST).

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

For AY2025/2026
The cost of each course of this programme for AY2025/2026 will be S$5,615 (including GST).
The entire cost of the Graduate Diploma (six courses in total) will be S$33,690 (including GST).

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