Master of Science by Coursework in Nature, Society, and Environmental Governance

• 1. The Social Sciences Divisional Boardprogramme shall electbe forunder the supervision of the courseGraduate a Standing Committee. The Academic Director(s)Teaching and CourseExaminations DirectorCommittee of the School of Geography and the Environment. 

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• 2. Each candidate will be responsiblerequired to the Standing Committee.

• 2. Candidates must follow a course of instruction in HumanNature, GeographySociety, and Environmental Governance for at least three terms full-time.  

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• 3. Candidates must submit three portfolios of work and a dissertation as detailed below, and will,also when entering for the examination, be required to produce a certificate from the Course Director to this effect.

• 3. The examination will consist of:

  • (i) a written examination of one paper in Research Skills andattend two papers in Theory and Analysis and Policy and Governance;

  • (ii) two assessed essays based upon elective courses. 

  • Portfolio These1 - Foundations 

  • 4. Candidates must submit a 2,000 word annotated bibliography by noon on Thursday of week 8 of Michaelmas term and a 3,000 word written assignment by noon on Thursday of week 0 of Hilary term. 

  • Portfolio 2 – Theory and Analysis 

  • 5. Candidates must submit a 10 minute recorded presentation by noon on Thursday of week 8 of Hilary term and a 3,000 word written assignment by noon on Thursday week -1 of Trinity term.  

  • Portfolio 3 – Research Skills 

  • 6. Candidates must submit a 1,750 word dissertation proposal by noon on Thursday of week -1 of Trinity term, a 1,500 word fieldtrip report by noon on Thursday of week 2 of Trinity term, and will make a 10 minute presentation on their dissertation topic during Trinity term. 

  • Dissertation 

  • 7. Candidates must submit a dissertation of no more than 12,000 words by noon on the first Tuesday in September. 
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  • 8. Candidates should refer to the Course Handbook for full details of the requirements for each assessment.  
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  • 9. All assessments must be uploadedsubmitted tousing the University approved online assessmentsubmission platform bysystem. Technical information on the timesrequirements andfor datesonline specifiedsubmissions atis provided in the startCourse Handbook.  
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  • 10. Candidates who fail either assessment for Portfolio 1 will have the opportunity to resubmit in week 5 of Trinity term, candidates who fail any of the courseassessments for Portfolios 2 and 3 will have the opportunity to resubmit and/or make a further presentation in the first week in September.  EachCandidates submission mustwill be accompanied by a declaration indicating that it is the candidate's own work;

  • (iii) a policy brief based upon the fieldtrip undertaken in Hilary Term. The policy brief must be uploaded to the University approved online assessment platform by the time and date specified at the startinformed of the course.exact Thedates submissionfor mustre-submissions/further bepresentations accompaniedafter bythe aexam declarationboard indicatinghas confirmed that itreassessment is therequired. candidate’s own work;

  •  (iv) a dissertation on a subject selected in consultation withIn the supervisor and the Course Director and approved by the Course and Academic Directors.

• 4. Candidates must submit to the Course Director by the endcase of Hilary Term in the year in which they enter the examination, the title and a brief statement of the form and scope of their dissertation, together with the name of a person who has agreed to act as their supervisor during preparationfailure of the dissertation.

  It, this may be (a)resubmitted aeither theoreticalby argumentnoon relatedon toTuesday themesof inweek contemporary1 humanof geographyHilary and/orterm environmentalthe governancefollowing year, or (b) a piece of empirically based research, or (c) an extended treatment of an issue which is intended to be the basis for future research for the degree of M.Litt. or D.Phil. In that case (c), it may be part of a proposal and/or application for further degree study.

• 5. The dissertation shall be of a maximum length of 15,000 words and accompanied by an abstract not exceeding 150 words. The maximum word count shall include footnotes, but exclude appendices, references and the abstract. The detailed format and specification of the dissertation shall be approved by the Standingdeadline Committee,in andclause published7 in the coursefollowing handbookyear.

   
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• 11. The dissertationCandidates must bepresent uploadedthemselves tofor thean University approved online assessment platform no later than noon on the first weekday of September in the year in which the writtenoral examination isif taken.  The submission must be accompanied by a declaration indicating that it is the candidate's own work.

• 7. In the written examination the examiners will permit the use of hand-held pocket calculators subject to the conditions set out under the heading ‘Use of calculators in examinations’ in the Regulations for the Conduct of University Examinations.

• 8. The examiners may also examine any candidate viva voce on the candidate's written papers, dissertation, or both.

• 9. Arrangements for reassessment shall be agreedrequired by the Standing Committee and published in the course handbookexaminers.

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Schedule

• (a) Core courses

  The core courses will be examined under the following heads:

  • 1. Research Skills

    Candidates will be expected to have a knowledge of research methods in social, environmental, and geographical research. These will include qualitative and quantitative methods relevant to contemporary research themes.

  • 2. Theory and Analysis

    Candidates will be expected to have knowledge of relevant debates in human geography and related disciplines concerning the relations between nature and society, science and environmental politics, and global and local political and economic processes.

  • 3. Policy and Governance

    Candidates will be expected to have knowledge of relevant debates and issues concerning environmental policy and governance, and corporate environmental management.

• (b) Elective courses

  Candidates will be expected to show advanced knowledge of two of the elective courses on offer in any one year.