Sustainability and Ecology (Taught)

Masters in Sustainability and Ecology

Explore how we can protect and rehabilitate nature whilst maintaining essential ecosystem services on our MSc Sustainability and Ecology.

Great changes have occurred in human society in the past 200 years, but much of this has come at the expense of the natural systems and species that keep us all alive and healthy. Even in remote environments, evidence of anthropogenic pollutants shows that nowhere remains unaffected.

During this course you will gain a scientific understanding of the issues surrounding the protection and rehabilitation of nature, essential or useful ecosystem services and explore solutions.
Taught at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), situated in a UNESCO Biosphere, you'll have easy access to a wide range of habitats, including woodlands, wetlands, high mountain pasture and woodland, heathland, riverine, coastal and transitional waters – many of which are represented at CAT itself. Students will be able to choose modules which will explore landscape management and local habitat management practices and also evaluate the potential values and limitations of habitat restoration, rewilding, biodiversity, conservation, and urban green infrastructure.

How is the course taught?
Our MSc programme is taught either by distance learning or through residential blocks in one of the most imaginative environmental buildings in the UK, or in a mixture of the two.

What qualification will you receive?
Successful completion of the programme MSc Sustainability and Ecology at the Centre for Alternative Technology leads to the award of Master of Science (MSc) by LJMU. The programme is also available to study as a Postgraduate Certificate and as a Postgraduate Diploma. This course is created and delivered by CAT and validated by LJMU.

Modules include
Introduction to Sustainability and Adaptation
Sustainability and Adaptation Concepts in Practice
Ecological Assessment
Restoration Ecology
Ecosystems and Ecosystem Services
Introduction to Politics and Economics of the Environment
Food Production and Consumption
Cities and Communities
Sustainable Materials in the Built Environment
Sustainable Food Production: Techniques and Practices
Work-based Project
Applied Research Design
MSc Dissertation

Why study at CAT?
Studying at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) is a truly unique experience. For over 50 years CAT has been at the forefront of the environmental movement, pioneering low-carbon living and renewable technology. At the Graduate School of the Environment (GSE), students benefit from our extensive practical and academic knowledge, graduating with the skills needed to become leading players in the sustainability sector. Find out more about our facilities here.

Hands-on, flexible and immersive learning
At CAT, hands-on practical learning takes place side by side with academic study, group work and lectures during residential on-site block learning weeks taught at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), an immersive learning environment. Nestled in a disused slate quarry on the edge of the Eryri National Park, CAT is a living laboratory for practical, sustainable solutions. It contains some of the most innovative and renowned environmentally conscious buildings in the country, as well as one of the most diverse range of installed renewable technologies, on site water and sewage treatment, sustainably managed woodland and acres of organic gardens. It is a flexible degree with a choice of modules, each 8 weeks long, taken over one year or two – meaning the degree can be part time. It is a masters degree designed to give you the best possible experience whilst also meshing neatly with the pressures of modern professional and family life.

Is this the course for you?
Interested in studying this course? Join us for our next open day or contact us.