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MSc Sustainability

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Introduction

Be part of our next MSc Sustainability cohort and become an 'Agent of Change' in society, business or government. The course is run by ARU’s Global Sustainability Institute and the Eden Project, Cornwall.

Hear more from Dan

MSc Sustainability at the Eden Project and ARU

Dan Ryan, Programme Manager for MSc Sustainability at the Eden Project, discusses some of the highlights of the course, including residential sessions and a work placement.

Why Sustainability at ARU?

  • Designed and delivered as a partnership between ARU and Eden Project, this course is 85% online, with five week-long 'residentials' – two of them at the Eden Project, Cornwall.
  • Undertake a placement in a workplace of your choice to hone your skills as a Sustainability Changemaker.
  • Benefit from experiential, active and peer-to-peer based learning.
  • Customise your degree according to your learning needs and interests. Many assignments are 'free topic', following a set structure but allowing you to focus on a sustainability-related topic of your choice.
  • Flexible entry requirements: we'll consider applicants without a 2:1 honours degree if they can evidence equivalent experience and potential to succeed.

On this Masters degree you'll learn about key sustainability challenges, and how we can address the complexity and uncertainty inherent in them all and make the best possible practical and policy decisions.

This course is available full-time or part-time and is open to graduates from all disciplines. It attracts students of all ages and cultural backgrounds.

As an MSc Sustainability student, you'll gain practical experience of addressing sustainability challenges and meet inspirational leaders who are already doing just that. You'll also practice using your new sustainability skills in a research context and through a 200-hour work placement.

Course options

Course options

UK students can study this course as blended learning (a mix of online teaching (85%) and face-to-face sessions (15%) in Cambridge and Cornwall).

Key facts

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Entry requirements

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Fees and paying for university

Facilities

Outstanding student support

Join our postgraduate student community and:

  • learn from expert staff who will guide your research interests and career development
  • receive full support from our Employability Service, while you're studying with us and after you graduate
  • access support, should you need it, with study skills, health and wellbeing, and more.

Global Sustainability Institute

This course is run by our Global Sustainability Institute (GSI). Their mission is to establish an internationally significant centre of excellence for integrated sustainability thinking and teaching, drawing on the breadth of expertise in ARU to help catalyse change.

Accreditation

IEMA accreditation

This course is accredited by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). As an Approved IEMA University Partner, our course content meets the IEMA internationally-recognised Graduate standard, so you can be sure you're learning the right knowledge and skills to compete in a continuously developing market.

Careers

When our students graduate they take up a wide variety of careers. Some use their prior experience and return to the business or sector they were familiar with, working with their new sustainability perspective to change it from the inside.

Others use the MSc Sustainability as an opportunity to start a new career or as the bridge to a change in career, becoming sustainability leaders in business, charities, governments and education.

Several of our past students have used this Masters as a stepping stone to set up or grow their own sustainable business.

Given the variety of the backgrounds of individuals joining the course, MSc Sustainability graduates move onto very diverse careers in all sectors such as policy, consultancy, research, business, and many others.

Examples of careers post-MSc are:

  • Climate Officer in local government
  • Programme Managers in large sustainability-related organisations
  • Sustainability Consultants in large organisations
  • Sustainability Officers in large organisations
  • Research Fellow at research institutes
  • PhD researchers at universities

Graduation doesn’t have to be the end of your time with us. You could choose to continue your academic career with a PhD in Sustainability at ARU. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and save £400 on your fees.

While you’re studying here and after you graduate, you can access support through our dedicated Employability Service.

Prof Alison Greig

“The MSc Sustainability is designed to give future leaders and decision-makers the tools to make good decisions for the world.”

Prof Alison Greig

Course Leader, MSc Sustainability

More from Alison

Apply now for MSc Sustainability

Want to talk to someone?

Do you have a question that we haven't answered so far? Talk to our application experts. You can also ask our Student Ambassadors about life at ARU.

We're here Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm (please note we close at 3.30pm on the first and third Thursday of the month for staff training), and Friday 9am-4.30pm.

Benefits of postgraduate study

Improve your employability, progress in your career, and take on an intellectual challenge with our flexible postgraduate degrees.

Postgraduate study at ARU