Through embedded learning, specialist units, and enrichment opportunities, students see how sustainability connects to their studies and future careers. Our strong links with industry and the wider community mean students can apply their knowledge in real-world contexts – making an impact now and building the skills to lead change throughout their careers.
Example units include:
Within the departments of Mechanical Engineering and Electronic & Electrical Engineering, we’re launching the third year of our transformed undergraduate courses. These all include compulsory, assessed units in Sustainability which provide students with the technical, transferable skills that prepare them for the workplace.
In Chemistry, as part of our Green Chemistry Commitment, we teach green chemistry and sustainability. These include lectures on toxicology and how chemicals affect human health and the environment. Students also develop laboratory skills to design greener alternatives to chemical processes.
In Computer Science, students in our Software engineering units work on a project in a set problem domain, one of which is sustainability. Through the project, students specify, test and evaluate software, and consider the ethics of the software they create.
In Life Sciences, our assessed Grand Challenge unit allows students to work in teams on a challenge which could include:
- climate change
- microbial evolution
- flooding
- captive breeding programmes
- viral transmission and mutation
In the School of Management, some of our assessed undergraduate units include:
- Business, society and law, where students learn how business decisions reflect social and environmental concerns
- Corporate responsibility, which teaches students to evaluate corporate actions across various principles, including ethics and sustainability
- Sustainable operations management, which provides students with the tools to measure an organisation’s sustainability performance
Postgraduate courses in sustainability
After undergraduate study, some students choose to pursue further study in a specialised area of sustainability to target a specific future career.
For these applicants, we offer several postgraduate degree courses with an advanced focus on sustainability. Among others, our specialisms include:
- Decarbonisation
- Sustainability and Management
- International Development, Social Justice and Sustainability
- Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
