MSc Green Economy

Core units
 

• Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services: Examine the scientific principles for ecosystem services, how they link with ecosystem function and their relationships with biodiversity. Key ecosystem services that will be considered include food and water, regulating flood and disease control, cultural services such as spiritual, recreational, and cultural benefits, and nutrient cycling. You'll explore how ecosystem services production can be measured and mapped, the distribution of beneficiaries, different approaches to valuation and potential links with the green economy. Key emerging issues include potential trade-offs between ecosystem services and between ecosystem services and biodiversity.

• Carbon Management: Increasing concern about the potential impacts of global climate change, attributable primarily to human activities, has placed the issue of carbon management at the top of the international policy agenda. You'll examine the science underpinning the process of climate change and how this might be addressed through adaptation and mitigation measures, based on an understanding of the global carbon cycle.

• Environmental Law & Social Justice: Justice in a complex world, environmental policy and law decisions have implications for the environment and the people that live in and rely on it. In this unit we'll explore the legal and policy dynamics and the factors that influence environmental social justice outcomes in environmental policy debates, and identify how social justice considerations can be incorporated more effectively into environmental policy.

• Frontiers of Sustainability Science: Sustainability science has emerged in recent years as a new scientific discipline, at the interface between environmental science and sustainable development. Key objectives include understanding of the dynamics of human-environment systems, easing the design, execution and evaluation of practical interventions that promote sustainability in particular places and contexts, and improving links between research, innovation, policy and management. You'll develop a detailed knowledge of sustainability science and advanced literature-based research, evaluation and reporting skills. You'll also learn to use your knowledge to solve problems.

• Green technology & Renewable Energy: In the context of global climate change and the consequent need to phase out using fossil fuels, developing renewable energy sources has become one of the main drivers of the green economy. Green technology developments can also improve efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while reducing the ecological footprint of human activities. However, such technologies can also have negative environmental impacts and become the focus of social concern. This unit examines environmental and social impacts of different technologies; to critically evaluate which approaches might truly be considered ‘green’. It will consider the main environmental, political and socio-economic drivers for the development of green technology, and examine how these challenges are being met through scientific and technological innovation.

• Sustainable Development in Practice: Understand how the scientific principles for sustainable development can be executed in practice. You'll consider the international policy for sustainable development, and evaluate the extent to which policy targets and goals have been achieved to identify any lessons that might be learned. This will include considering how sustainability can be measured, for example through using indicators. The practical execution of sustainable development's principles will then be explored through a series of real-world case studies, relating to a variety of different locations and focusing on different economic sectors.

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in a required subject. Required subject: Geography, Ecology, Environmental Science, Economics, Politics, Psychology or Sociology.

Applicants without a required subject will be considered.

For post-experience and professional qualifications, there may be additional entry requirements set by the association or institute that ultimately administers the qualification in question. The qualification description on the course information pages should tell you what these are but please get in touch with the Future Students Enquiry team if you are in doubt.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:
 

• IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

​Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:
 

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.
• Accommodation and living costs. 
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas) if this is part of your course of study. 
• Travel costs for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable).
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study.
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

As a Green Economy graduate, you will be prepared to undertake roles such as: 
 

• Green Economy Adviser
• Carbon Management Adviser
• Ecotourism Operations Adviser
• Academic Researcher.