Sustainability and Environmental Management

Passionate about the environment? Learn innovative strategies in sustainability and environmental science for resource management and impact reduction, building a career in consultancy, risk management and policy.

This degree is perfect for students who are passionate about making a positive difference for the planet. You’ll learn about sustainability principles, environmental science, and how to use these to develop strategies that benefit both people and nature.

This degree can open doors to careers in corporate sustainability, environmental policy, resource management, and green consultancy. In your first year, you’ll study topics like sustainable environments, past environmental challenges, and current issues. In the second year, you’ll dive deeper into subjects like systems thinking and the circular economy. By your third year, the focus will shift to developing your independent thinking, understanding how different stakeholders play a role, and applying your knowledge to real-world problems.

You also have the option to take a placement year or study abroad between your second and third year. The university's Talent Team will help you find internships, job placements, or study opportunities with top environmental employers, giving you practical experience and helping you build valuable career skills. This year-long opportunity will help you apply what you've learned in the classroom to real-world situations and prepare you for a career in sustainability.

Why you should study this course?

• Our Environment degree courses are designed with a strong focus on careers and employability. You can choose a four-year "sandwich" degree, where your third year offers the chance to do a professional work placement or study abroad.

• You’ll have the opportunity to work towards becoming a Chartered Environmentalist by meeting the Graduate-level requirements of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).

• Teaching is hands-on, inclusive, and practical, using the university’s modern facilities like labs, the Simulation Centre, and the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) suite. You’ll also get to do fieldwork both locally and internationally, along with external visits.

• If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to help you meet learning outcomes, such as virtual fieldwork, desk-based research, and activities in the Simulation Centre.

This course includes a sandwich (placement year) option.

For the most update to date course details, please visit our website.

Course Modules

This course has a common first year. This enables you to work alongside students doing similar courses to you, to widen your knowledge and exposure to other subject areas and professions. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other students, so you can share your insights and experience which will help you to develop and learn.

If you discover an interest in a specific subject you have studied, upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degrees with another course in your common first year (subject to meeting progression requirements).

Year 1 Modules
*) Field and Research Skills for People and Environments - 30 credits
*) Dynamic Earth and Society - 30 credits
*) The Human Environment - 30 credits
*) Natural and Environmental Resources - 30 credits

Year 2 Modules:
*) Advanced Geospatial and Field Techniques - 30 credits
*) Climate change: Science, Society and Solutions - 30 credits
*) People, Planet and Profit - 30 credits
*) Environmental and Social Impact Assessment

Placement Year
There’s no better way to find out what you love doing than trying it out for yourself, which is why a work placement* can often be beneficial. Work placements usually occur between your second and final year of study. They’re a great way to help you explore your potential career path and gain valuable work experience, whilst developing transferable skills for the future.

If you choose to do a work placement year, you will pay a reduced tuition fee* of £1,250. For more information, please go to the fees and funding section. During this time, you will receive guidance from your employer or partner institution, along with your assigned academic mentor who will ensure you have the support you need to complete your placement.

Final Year Modules
*) Power, Resistance and Justice - 30 credits
*) Organisational Responsibility in a Globalised World - 30 credits
*) Circular Economies and Sustainability - 30 credits
*) Undergraduate Research Dissertation - 30 credits

Year three aims to bring you to the level to enter the world of work by consolidating your knowledge and skills from year one and two.

In year three, you will develop more advanced knowledge and skills to do with: geoinfomatics, quaternary environments, and nature-based climate solutions, amongst others.

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated. For full module information please visit the course page on the Coventry University website.