If you already hold a degree or have a background in sustainability, the MSc in Global Sustainable Development is a great distance learning course to take advantage of your previous experience and higher-level learning.

The course aims to:

• Provide a sound, and critical, understanding of sustainable development, particularly with reference to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Show how sustainability is conceived and practiced differently across the globe.
• Show how sustainability is conceived and practiced differently across different sectors, and to critically evaluate how the UN SDGs interact with these sectors.
• Enable students to evaluate the role of individuals, communities, and institutions in delivering sustainable development.
• Foster debate and enable students to express reasoned, evidence-based arguments.

This Master’s degree is delivered through distance learning and starts with a period of gaining a shared vocabulary and set of ideas around sustainability. This leads to investigating the various ways in which we might interrogate and analyse sustainability projects through a range of research methodologies and their associated techniques.

The optional modules will be sector-specific, thus the MSc will investigate the sectoral responses to the sustainability challenge in greater depth. It shows that SDGs interact with a range of social and economic activities in a number of complicated and interconnected ways. This allows you to evaluate projects and progress against sustainability goals more critically.

The Programme finishes with a significant piece of individual research on a topic of your choice.

This programme has been jointly developed and implemented with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). On successful completion of the programme, in addition to your degree certificate, graduates will be awarded a UNITAR certificate of completion.

• Degree: MSc Global Sustainable Development (Part-Time)
• Language: English
• Awarding Body: University of Plymouth
• Duration: 32 months

Compulsory Modules

• MLA719 Debating Sustainability
• MLA720 Researching Sustainability
• MLA727 MSc Research Project

Optional Modules

Choose 3 of 6

• MLA721 Moving With the Times: Using Sport to Address Development Goals
• MLA722 A Cultural Lens on Sustainability
• MLA723 Hungry for Change: Food and Sustainability
• MLA724 Water’s Sustainable Future
• MLA725 Developing Sustainable Energy
• MLA726 Managing Waste for a Sustainable Future

Typically, eligible candidates will have one of the following: 

• Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, in a related subject area 
• Combination of higher education (e.g., Foundation Degree) and demonstrable relevant work experience, evidenced via RPL (Recognised Prior Learning) 

And 

• English language GCSE Grade C or above, or international equivalent 

There are multiple pathways onto the programme, and our Admissions Team is here to help. If you’re unsure about your eligibility, get in touch – we’ll be happy to discuss your experience and explore the best route for you.

Whilst we deliver our programmes from a distance, that doesn’t mean we expect you to achieve everything without a friendly voice to guide you. Our expert team of academics are on hand to support you throughout your studies, whenever you need them the most.

Your MLA College Student Experience team, Abigail White and Charlie Vosper, are the first point of contact for enrolled students who are in need of pastoral support, including requests under the Extenuating Circumstances policy for matters related to their academic studies. Abigail and Charlie are also responsible for monitoring student engagement and academic progression and will contact students directly to offer assistance should they feel that intervention is needed.