Program Overview

Our BSc Global Sustainability course is focused on solving real-world problems and will enable you to develop solutions to sustainability challenges. This is an innovative, highly relevant and interdisciplinary degree for the future.

You will study the interaction of humans and nature at the local, regional and global level, whilst acquiring the data handling skills needed for a future career in sustainability. You will be trained with the knowledge and skills to tackle the most complex problems we face for the future of our planet.

Based in our School of Life Sciences, this course cuts across disciplines. There will be contributions and optional modules from in other subject areas including economics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and politics. We harness the diverse and world-leading expertise across the University of Essex to provide you with the tools to really make a difference in our future society.

The grand challenges we will tackle include the interacting climate, biodiversity and nature crises, as well as pollution, inequality and social justice.

Together, we will understand appropriate responses to, and management of, these challenges. You will study the relationship between the environment, human cultures and values, while working with stakeholders in the analysis, resolution and communication of complex issues.

This diverse expertise offers a huge range of opportunities for study and work, and at Essex we give you the flexibility to shape your degree to suit your interests.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad (see below).

Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are adaptable and mature.

If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university.

Our students currently study abroad at universities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Germany and Sweden.