Resilience and Urban Living MRes

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The programme will give students a broad-ranging, yet grounded understanding of how individuals, organisations, enterprises and / or communities can cope with external stresses and disturbance as a result of rapid social, political, economic or environmental change. These changes also include core societal challenges including demographic change, security and terrorism, climate change and sustainability.

Given that the concept of resilience has become central to academic and policy debates, students will be uniquely placed to identify, explain and offer appropriate responses to the challenges facing individuals, communities and practitioners alike who may be living or working in urban areas.

Course fact file

Type of Course: Combined research and taught

Study Options: Full time, part time

Duration: 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time

Start date: September

Details

The programme combines expertise from Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Science, Civil Engineering and Psychology, and is truly multidisciplinary. You will interact with other students from across the social sciences and thereby gain a unique breadth of academic research, teaching and key transferable skills.

Download the MSc/MRes Resilience and Urban Living leaflet

Why study this course

This courses will give students a broad-ranging, yet grounded understanding of how individuals, organisations, enterprises and communities can cope with external stresses and disturbance as a result of rapid social, political, economic or environmental change.

Uniquely, the programme combines expertise and ongoing research within Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Science, Civil Engineering and Psychology. Such an approach provides a rounded and integrated perspective in order to explore the material nature of the built environment and the social, economic, cultural factors underpinning urban living.

Modules

  • Research project – 120 credits

Resilience – focused modules

  • Resilience, Energy and Urban Living – 20 credits
  • Problem-based methods for Urban Resilience – 20 credits

Social Research module

  • Research Design – 20 credits

This research-based programme comprises of an extended research project focused around the two resilience-focused modules listed above. The project takes the form of an extended literature review on one or both of those modules and forms a final dissertation worth 120 credits. It requires a substantial piece of independent research and which can be conducted – where relevant and appropriate - within an individuals’ place of employment.

The two ‘subject-substantive’ resilience-focused core modules are worth another 40 credits, with the ‘Problem-based methods for Urban Resilience’ providing those following the MRes – where required – with appropriate research methods training. Students will then complete their studies with a ‘Research Design’ module from the generic university-wide MA in Social Research. This module will enable students to develop an appropriate research design for their project and consider, evaluate and interpret the value of the varied forms of evidence that they may collect. Such activity would also be integrated into resilience-specific training provided through the two ‘subject-substantive’ modules.

Fees and funding

Standard fees apply

Learn more about fees and funding

International students please note: This is a band D (Postgraduate Research) course

Scholarships and studentships 
Scholarships may be available, contact the Postgraduate Administrator on +44 (0)121 414 6935 or email g.coldicott@bham.ac.uk. International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home government.

For further information contact the School directly or get in touch with the Student Funding Office via the online enquiries system.

Entry requirements

Normally a good Honours degree or equivalent in Geography, Urban Planning, Civil Engineering or a related discipline.

Learn more about entry requirements

International students

Academic requirements

We accept a range of qualifications, our country pages show you what qualifications we accept from your country.

English language requirements

You can satisfy our English language requirements in two ways:

How to apply

When clicking on the Apply Now button you will be directed to an application specifically designed for the programme you wish to apply for where you will create an account with the University application system and submit your application and supporting documents online. Further information regarding how to apply online can be found on the How to apply pages

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Learning and teaching

Our students benefit hugely from the diversity of activity undertaken by staff within Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. Our extensive research and consultancy work ensures that our teaching is relevant, up-to-date and research-led, while losing none of its intellectual rigour. As well as having access to professional journals within the school, students can also use the University’s main library and the increasingly large variety of learning materials and library research services (e.g. WebCT) via the internet. The teaching emphasis is on participative approaches to learning that enable students to reflect critically on important current debates in the practice and principles of resilience and urban living.

Assessment methods

A variety of assessment methods are used, including written essays, seminar and group presentations, seminar papers and a dissertation.

Related research

Employability

From an employment perspective, students who complete the programme will be able to seek employment in a wide range of professions across the public, private and ‘third sector’ (and both within the UK and beyond), including urban and community regeneration, local and regional planning, environmental management, sustainable development, civic design and civil engineering.

For those students wishing to continue with their studies, the programme provides a suitable basis for both international and EU / home students to apply for registration for a higher degree in human geography, environmental management, urban and regional planning / regeneration and civil engineering.