Sustainable Development

Overview

The MSc/PGDip/PGCert Sustainable Development  from SOAS University of London  provides a theoretical basis for understanding the evolution, meanings and use of the concept of sustainable development and it will help you to gain practical research experience. You will also acquire the skills needed to understand current environmental, development and sustainability issues and debates.

The global community faces problems of poverty and profound environmental change that are interconnected in complex and dynamic ways. As the Sustainable Development Goals acknowledge, in an increasingly integrated world, any development agenda must be a global one with shared responsibilities for all countries. However, the idea of sustainable development, that underpins the post-2015 development agenda, is also a controversial concept that requires critical examination.

It is clear that solutions to the challenge of sustainable development require holistic, integrated and co-ordinated actions across a very wide range of sectors, and will increasingly require a multidisciplinary approach. This programme aims to provide students with a broad grounding in the main concepts associated with sustainable development, but also provides the opportunity to specialise in one area in greater depth.

The aims of the programme are:

• to provide students with the skills necessary to analyse and interpret current issues and debates related to sustainable development
• to enhance knowledge and understanding for decision- and policy-making on sustainable development issues
• to enhance students' critical, analytical, and integrative skills for responding to sustainable development challenges
• to provide research training and experience in relation to sustainable development.

Career

Graduates of this programme will have a wide range of backgrounds and will typically find work in:

• government ministries and other public sector organisations concerned with policy analysis in the fields of sustainable development and environmental planning

• international organisations, such as UN agencies, concerned with the sustainability of economic change

• Non-governmental organisations NGOs

• private sector organisations concerned about the social and environmental impact of their operations

• consultancy organisations providing advice on issues of sustainability

• applied research and teaching in institutions of research and higher education.