Overview

History

The Department of Climate Change and Policies was established within the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences at Akdeniz University in 2022 and began admitting students in the 2022–2023 academic year.

Educational Objectives

The aim of the program is to train graduates who:

• ►Can integrate and interpret the knowledge they have acquired at the undergraduate level with the knowledge gained in the field of climate change and policies, and are capable of generating new information,
• ►Can develop theoretical and practical solutions for the implementation of global climate policies at the local level,
• ►Can analyze climate-related problems using research methodologies,
• ►Can critically evaluate their expertise-level knowledge and skills on climate change and policies,
• Are aware of global, national, and regional issues and possess investigative and analytical qualities,
• ►Can follow scientific and technological developments, work effectively in teams, and participate in interdisciplinary studies,
• Have ethical, social, professional, and personal responsibility at both national and international levels, and embrace lifelong learning.

Goals

As in the rest of the world, scientific studies aimed at reducing the impacts of climate change and developing adaptation policies continue to increase in our country. Due to its broad scope, climate change is a subject that concerns various scientific fields, particularly agriculture, environment, and economics. Therefore, research and applied studies related to climate change must be carried out through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Issues such as the depletion of natural resources like air, water, and soil, the increasing need for renewable energy resources, the impact of global warming on the tourism sector—an important source of income in our region—and the fight against climate change require the cooperation of experts from Environmental Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Aquaculture Engineering, Landscape Architecture, and other related disciplines. Accordingly, graduate education for individuals seeking to specialize in climate change and policies must be planned and conducted with an interdisciplinary approach.

In this context, the primary goal of the Master’s Program in Climate Change and Policies is to contribute to training the climate change experts needed by our country through the transfer of scientific knowledge by academics from various disciplines within an interdisciplinary graduate education framework. Thus, the program aims to train experts who can scientifically examine climate change and its mitigation from an interdisciplinary perspective and contribute to climate policy development at local, regional, national, and international levels.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. Understand the fundamental principles of Climate Change and Policies, along with key figures, events, and phenomena in the field; analyze theoretical and applied knowledge using statistical methods; and critically evaluate the results.

2. Integrate the knowledge acquired at the undergraduate level with the knowledge gained in the field of climate change and policies, interpret these through an interdisciplinary approach, and use information and communication technologies at an advanced level to generate new knowledge.

3. Solve complex and unforeseen problems in the field of Climate Change and Policies by applying their advanced theoretical and practical expertise and using research methods.

4. Conduct specialized work independently or as a leader or member of an interdisciplinary team, taking responsibility at all stages.

5. Follow current national and international developments in the field of Climate Change and Policies and communicate their academic work to society in written, oral, and/or visual form in a systematic manner, using a foreign language at the European Language Portfolio B2 General Level when necessary.

6. Develop strategies, policies, and implementation plans based on their expertise-level knowledge and skills in Climate Change and Policies, and evaluate the results within the framework of quality processes.

7. Contribute to the teaching and dissemination of social, scientific, cultural, and ethical values in the processes of data collection, interpretation, implementation, and communication, and critically analyze and develop social relations and the norms guiding these relations.