MSc Green Infrastructure / Course details

MSc Green Infrastructure aligns expertise from geography with that from landscape and environmental planning.

The course is the first of its kind to bring together the theory, practice and evaluation of green infrastructure.

The MSc provides the foundations to understand why we need green infrastructure, alongside an understanding of how we transition from design to implementation.

It is taught by nationally and internationally recognised experts in green infrastructure who will deliver a course that trains graduates with the conceptual, practice-based, and evaluative skills needed to develop green infrastructure in real-world scenarios.

The course benefits from an integration of cutting-edge research by The University of Manchester researchers who are working at the forefront of investment, design and management of urban greening, sustainable drainage, health and well-being, economic prosperity, policymaking and nature-based solutions to urban problems.

Manchester, and the north west of England, also offers an excellent real-world 'laboratory' to test alternative approaches to green infrastructure.

You will engage with policy, practice and communities to gain an appreciation of the range of added benefits that green infrastructure can deliver and develop an understanding of the innovation solutions that it offers.

Working with, and being taught by, green infrastructure practitioners, also provides the course with a clear link between academic thinking and real-world application.

This course has normally included a field trip to explore state-of-the-art green infrastructure schemes and engage practitioners and policy makers.

• Introduce the concept and principles of green infrastructure.
• Develop a critical awareness of the values, benefits and functions of different types of green infrastructure.
• Understand key policies relevant to formation and implementation of green infrastructure.
• Understand the methods and approaches used to assess the performance of green infrastructure.
• Gain practical experience in the monitoring and evaluation of green infrastructure.
• Learn from real-world examples and practitioners of green infrastructure.
• Benefit from a highly interdisciplinary and applied course.

• Geography has been studied at Manchester for more than 125 years, and we're one of Europe's best-equipped universities for the subject.
• We're home to world-class academics and the new Manchester Urban Institute (MUI) .
• Join the Manchester University Geographical Society (MUGS) a society run by Geography students for Geography students.

Important notice: factors affecting fieldwork and placements

The School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) recognises the value of fieldwork and placements. However, the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our priority.

The School will assess on a regular basis the viability of any travel and fieldwork and communicate any significant changes to our students at the earliest possible opportunity.

The role of SEED

• changes to the rules and guidance on travel and activities implemented and published by the UK and overseas governments;
• a risk assessment conducted by or on behalf of the University identifying unmanageable risk;
• changes that enhance the educational value and student experience of the activity;
• changes to the situation of a placement provider (for example, which cause them to be unable to accept students);
• the unavailability of appropriate insurance cover;
• the unavailability of appropriate travel and accommodation and any significant changes to their financial costs;
• where fieldwork and placements are a compulsory element of the Programme, they will be replaced with something academically similar;
• where a trip or placement is not a compulsory element of the Programme, it may not be replaced.

We will consult with affected students at the earliest possible opportunity and explore the options available to them.

The duty of students

Preparation, attendance and conduct

Attendance at preparatory classes is a compulsory pre-requisite of the fieldwork and placements to ensure safety and learning outcomes are met.

Students who do not attend the compulsory preparatory classes may be prevented from participating in the fieldwork or placement. It is the duty of students to discuss any attendance issues with the field course or placement convenor.

Students are representatives of the university during their fieldwork or placement. Behaviour deemed by the convenor to be unacceptable may result in students being sent home.

Where a student is unable to attend or complete the fieldwork or placement (e.g. due to mitigating circumstances), is prevented from attending due to absence from compulsory preparatory classes, or returned home due to poor conduct:

• a suitable alternative assessment will be offered (as appropriate) to ensure that the programme ILOs are met, and that the student is not academically disadvantaged;
• the University accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred by the student in relation to the fieldwork or placement.

Immigration, passport and visa requirements

It is the responsibility of the individual student to ensure they have:

• a valid passport to enter the destination country (including sufficient months prior to expiry);
• a valid visa (where required) and comply with its requirements.

The School cannot guarantee that visas required for fieldwork or a placement will be granted by the relevant authority. Please note that countries may change their immigration and visa regulations at short notice.

Where a student is unable to attend fieldwork or a placement because they do not have the required visa or passport:

• a suitable alternative assessment will be offered to ensure that the programme ILOs are met and that the student is not academically disadvantaged;
• the University accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred by the student in relation to the fieldwork or placement.

You must accrue 180 course credits to achieve the required standard for recommendation to the degree of MSc.

The dissertation, based on an original research project of your own design, accounts for 60 credits.

The remaining 120 credits are based on five compulsory and three optional 15 credit course units.

All assessment for the compulsory course units is coursework-based, with no unseen written exams.

We are one of Europe's best-equipped universities for geography, with numerous laboratories. These include the main teaching laboratory, microscopy laboratory, and sediments and project laboratories.

You can also learn professional skills such as coding and programming specialist, industry-standard software such as image processing, GIS, GPS and cartographic representation.

The University's Main Library is home to the University Map Collection, which comprises about 100,000 map sheets of every part of the world.

For more information visit our Facilities webpage .