Sustainable Development in Practice - MSc/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate

The full Master's course comprises 180 credits divided into three 60 credits stages: Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, and Master's. Students work incrementally through the three stages and must pass all modules at each stage in order to progress to the next.

The course's structure and content is informed by extensive research with potential employers, as well as publications and policies from organisations including government. Sustainability needs graduates with the knowledge, tools and abilities to bring about pro-sustainability change in a wide range of contexts and settings. The following core modules are indicative of the course structure:

• Sustainable Development: Principles and Practice (15 credits) Explores the fundamental nature, causes and consequences of sustainable and unsustainable development. Practical exercises and projects give you first-hand experience of putting key concepts, frameworks and tools for implementing sustainable development into practice.
• Creating Sustainable Behaviour Change (15 credits) With case studies and examples, you'll explore a range of different theoretical and practical approaches to understanding and influencing pro-sustainable behaviour.
• The Sustainable Organisation: Vision into Practice (15 credits) This module examines the vision of a sustainable business operating in a complex ecosystem with resource constraints, and compares this with the reality of contemporary business. Case studies and project work provide insight into the knowledge and skills necessary to help organisations achieve sustainable strategies and operations.
• Communications Campaigns: Creative Approaches and Tools (15 credits) Analyses a range of historically significant campaigns and social movements, and their implications for pro-sustainability change. The assessment enables you to develop and evaluate a communication strategy for changing cultural understanding, attitudes and behaviour.
• Work-Based Learning (30 credits) You'll gain vital practice-based experience and build your professional network, as we work with you to identify a host organisation relevant to your career aspirations. Past and present hosts include Arup, Bristol City Council, Bristol Food Policy Council, Bristol Green Capital Company, Centre for Sustainable Energy, Common Cause, Eat Drink Bristol Fashion, Forum for the Future, Happy City, Go Bristol, Good Energy, Oxfam, Soil Association and Stride Treglown. You can also opt to work in UWE's Sustainability Team, or gain research experience within one of our Research Centres.
• Master's Project (60 credits) You'll investigate, tackle and report on a specific issue in current sustainability practice, with supervision from specialist subject tutors.

You also choose two 15 credit optional modules from the departmental offering including:

• International Environmental Law
• International Human Rights Law
• Managing Change
• Leading Change
• Leadership
• Sustainable Procurement
• Natural Resources Law
• Interventions for Creativity and Change
• Researching Educational Contributions to Just and Sustainable Societies

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we will inform you.

We use blended learning to teach this course, including:

• Taught sessions on campus, from an interdisciplinary team with expertise in areas such as sustainable development, behaviour change, business management, health and well-being, and media and communications.
• Guided learning, through lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops, visiting speakers, online resources and case studies. A lot of this is collaborative, through group projects, peer assessment and virtual communities including blogs, online discussions and peer-assisted learning.
• Independent study, so you acquire the knowledge to challenge existing perspectives and apply creative thinking and knowledge.
• Work-based learning, involving a six-week professional project.This allows you to apply your sustainability knowledge and skills to a project based with one of our professional partners or in your own workplace.

For more details, see our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Part-time students start the project dissertation during the second year, and complete it in the third year if necessary, with the taught part of the course covering two or three years.

Academic support

Each course has a dedicated course leader. He or she will support you with any academic issues, and be your contact on any other University matters.

The social side of things

The postgraduate society at UWE actively promotes and supports a social network for postgraduate students, which shows them what Bristol and the surrounding areas have to offer.

All core modules are available as short courses.

This course is assessed via a combination of coursework and presentations. You'll take a project-based assessment that focuses on real-world challenges, which will help you build a valuable portfolio of work in pro-sustainability change.

For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.