Courses

MA & BSc Sustainable Development

• Introduction
• Programme Aims
• Degree Structure
• Contact Information

Introduction

The Sustainable Development (SD) Undergraduate Programme is a unique Programme, not only within the UK, but globally.  This interdisciplinary programme is coordinated from the School of Geography and Geosciences but topics are taught from schools across the University.  The first graduates qualified in 2008. The Sustainable Development Programme is now considered Scotland's flagship higher education degree programme related to sustainability, and was recently showcased by the Scottish Government as an example of good practice within Scotland's contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The Programme has also been used as a case study by other universities that are interested in establishing sustainability programmes.

In 2009 the SD programme won the 2009 Green Gown award for best UK Course promoting sustainability. The Green Gown Awards recognise exceptional initiatives being taken by universities and colleges across the UK to become more sustainable. With sustainability moving up the agenda, they have become established as a prestigious recognition of the achievements within the further and higher education sector, as well as the environmental sector.

Development of the SD Programme was driven by global concerns, Scottish sustainability demands and strong staff, student and management support at the University of St Andrews. The Programme Coordinator and secretarial support reside in the School of Geography and Geosciences.  However, staff from a total of ten Schools and from Estates teach on the Programme and external experts provide additional input. The SD Programme is designed to provide approximately half of the credits required for the degree in SD, through core interdisciplinary SD subjects, with the remainder made up from partner subject areas. This enables you to explore SD issues in an interdisciplinary environment whilst developing the academic skills and expertise in a single discipline area that is desirable at undergraduate level.

There are numerous options for pathways in the Sustainable Development Programme. A Pathway is defined largely by the partner subject area that you choose to specialise in along with SD. You should identify from First year your chosen partner subject areas, although you can usually choose two options in your first year and later decide which you wish to pursue further. Obvious and relevant pathways would have you link SD core modules with modules from geography, social anthropology, biology, chemistry, economics, management, history or international relations. However, there is also potential to develop a pathway based partly on career choice. There is no Joint Honours with Sustainable Development because SD modules act as prerequisites to other School Honours modules and the Programme is designed to offer more flexibility than a rigid structure would allow. The partner subject / pathway model allows a student to specialise in a single discipline, to take advantage of the interdisciplinary SD learning but to still take one or more additional modules related to a specific career path.

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Programme Aims

The Sustainable Development programme aims to:

• impart an understanding of the complexity, origins and plurality of the definitions of sustainable development;
• develop critical understanding of the problems, and the sources of the problems, facing today’s society and environment;
• develop the skills to identify and promote sustainable pathways and processes;
• encourage students to pursue specialist learning in a partner subject of choice together with interdisciplinary learning in core SD modules;
• Promote teaching, learning and undergraduate research using education practices commensurate with ‘sustainable development education’;
• Enhance personal responsibility as a global citizen

Principles of the SD Degree Programme

The SD Programme is a response to call for the UN Decade for education for sustainable development (2005-2014).  Teaching and learning are designed to be transformative rather than transmissive, with assessments organised to allow students to develop different skills. 

The principles of the SD programme are:

• Interdisciplinarity plus single discipline excellence
• Local to global focus
• Contemporary issues
• Critical perspectives
• Linking theory to practice and developing range of skills

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Degree structure

Students who register for or intend to register for the SD Programme as their degree intention (MA or BSc) take all of the core SD modules as described below. These students also take selected partner subject modules. Students doing other degree programmes can participate in the first and second year SD modules.

SD1002 provides an introduction to the issues facing our society and suggests directions along which we could travel for a more sustainable future.   The module Sustainability: ensuring our common future, uses case studies to illustrate sustainable solutions to pressing global issues.  Staff from different Schools teach on the history of the concept of sustainable development, environmental protection, international policy agreements, the geopolitics

of water use, carbon management and alternative fuels, recycling, global warming, economic growth indicators, and ethics. Students choose two continuous assessment topics from a range of options across this spectrum.

SD2001 allows students to explore environmental and ecological aspects of sustainable development in a module that explores ecosystem functions and services, anthropogenic effects on ecosystem functions and services, uses of technology in environmental management and conservation and protection strategies.

SD2002 In Semester 2, students investigate more social and economic aspects of sustainable development, critically assessing the development of the sustainability paradigm, further exploring historical contexts, then examining methods for the measurement, management and regulation of

sustainable development, studying the relationships between trade, business and sustainability, probing social justice issues and finally looking at the critical perspectives to sustainability and development offered by anthropological approaches. Throughout this year, students are assessed on essays, seminars on relevant topics of their choice, a poster presentation and a social audit.

In Honours, SD3001 and SD4001 offer case studies which relate to sustainability and /or development. Case studies may vary annually and are selected to cover a range of contemporary issues in sustainable development (see framework below). They are also presented from a range of perspectives, largely discipline based but with varying focus on academia/research, practice and policy. Finally, they are designed to facilitate the transfer of skills appropriate for research in sustainable development issues.

SD3002 offers students the opportunity to explore research paradigms and to write an academic essay on a topic of their choice under broad contemporary themes. This module is largely independent research with little structured lecture time.

SD4002 is a 60 credit, year long module in which students carry out an independent research dissertation on a topic of their choice and under supervision of a supervisor of their choice, usually within their partner discipline area. Dissertation topics vary widely from theoretical to practical. Some students choose to do their fieldwork overseas during the vacation.

Framework of contemporary issues

UN’s five priority areas:

• Water and sanitation
• Energy
• Health
• Agriculture
• Biodiversity

Cross cutting themes:

• Research and education

• Policy and decision making

• Markets, institutions and governance

• Changing behaviour

• Values, philosophies and ethics

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Contact Information

For further details about this course, please contact:

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