Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability has emerged as one of the defining challenges of our time, drawing together ecology, economics, social science, geography, policy and ethics to address the question of how human societies can meet their needs without depleting the natural systems on which all life depends. It is an inherently interdisciplinary subject, because no single discipline has the tools to address the full complexity of climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion and environmental justice on its own. Students of environmental sustainability learn to think across boundaries, integrating scientific understanding with social and political analysis.

At the University of Dundee, you will study this programme over four years full time. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study environmental sustainability in an international context and to understand how different countries and regions approach environmental governance and practice. Dundee is a city with a strong tradition in science and engineering and a distinctive approach to design-led thinking that informs the programme's approach to sustainability challenges.

The typical entry tariff for this programme is around 152 UCAS points.

You will explore the natural science foundations of environmental issues, including ecology, climate science and resource systems, alongside the social, economic and political dimensions of sustainable development. Policy analysis, environmental assessment, lifecycle thinking and sustainability strategy are also likely to feature, giving you a multi-level understanding of how change happens at the level of individual behaviour, organisational practice and public policy. The programme develops both analytical and practical skills, including the ability to communicate complex environmental issues to diverse audiences.

Graduates of environmental sustainability programmes work in a wide range of sectors. Roles in environmental consulting, sustainability management within companies and public bodies, policy development in government and NGOs, environmental impact assessment, and corporate social responsibility are all common destinations. The urgency of the sustainability agenda means that demand for graduates with genuine interdisciplinary expertise continues to grow across private, public and voluntary sectors.

International organisations, development agencies, environmental charities and research institutions also recruit strongly from this background. Postgraduate study in environmental policy, sustainable development, climate science or environmental management is a well-established route for further specialisation.