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MSc Environmental Sustainability

MSc Environmental Sustainability. Simon Allen and Marc Metzger School of GeoSciences University of Edinburgh. Web: http://www.ed.ac.uk/pg/32 Email: simon.allen@ed.ac.uk. Origin and profile of the MSc programme. Launched by interdisciplinary sustainability centre First cohort 1997/98

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MSc Environmental Sustainability

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  1. MSc Environmental Sustainability Simon Allen and Marc MetzgerSchool of GeoSciencesUniversity of Edinburgh Web: http://www.ed.ac.uk/pg/32Email: simon.allen@ed.ac.uk

  2. Origin and profile of the MSc programme • Launched by interdisciplinary sustainability centre • First cohort 1997/98 • Admits up to 35 students per year • Diverse academic backgrounds and nationalities • 379 graduates to date • Employment destinations: • Environmental consultancy • Public sector agencies • Non-governmental organisations • Local authority and community organisations • Education and further research

  3. Part of a suite of MSc programmes Programmes led and organised by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)

  4. Structure of the MSc programme • Semester 1 • Core: Principles of Environmental Sustainability (Allen) • Option course 1 • Option course 2 • Semester 2 • Core: Case Studies in Sustainable Development (Metzger) • Option course 3 • Option course 4 • May to August • Dissertation research project

  5. Principles of Environmental SustainabilitySemester 1 core course • Context setting, ‘big picture’, provides interdisciplinary integrating framework • History of sustainability as an idea • Focuses on core principles: • Holism, integration and systems thinking • Environmental protection • Equity • Participation and governance • Precautionary principle • Polluter pays principle • Analytical and conceptual • Assessed by essay and exam

  6. Case Studies in Sustainable DevelopmentSemester 2 core course • ‘Solutions’ oriented • External speakers, mainly practitioners • Case studies covering varied sectors and scales • ‘Hands-on’ element: group projects with Social Responsibility and Sustainability department • Food / waste / resource efficiency • Energy / travel / procurement • Student and staff engagement • Skills element: communication outside of academia • Assessment • Group presentations • Policy briefs

  7. Option coursesStudents choose two per semester Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)School of Social and Political Science

  8. Dissertation15 weeks, up to 20,000 words • Most students choose their own research topics • Some collaborative projects with external organisations Word cloud showing 100 most frequent words in 379 dissertation titles (produced using Wordle)

  9. How is interdisciplinarity achieved? • Following the key questions and arguments wherever they lead, without recognising disciplinary boundaries • Being open minded and valuing other perspectives • Recruiting a diverse group of students • Encouraging discussion and social interaction • Listening to students and soliciting their ideas • Sharing courses with other MSc programmes to achieve breadth • Building relationships with other parts of the university and external organisations

  10. Challenges - academic • Breadth versus depth • Lecturers and external contributors • Pitching material at the right level • Reading materials • Varying interpretations of sustainability • Where are the boundaries? • Assessment • Disciplinary differences in language and worldview • Disciplinary differences in epistemology • Theory and abstraction may be valued more thanapplication and practice

  11. Challenges - organisational • Choice / complexity versus efficiency • Timetabling • Dissertations • Finding suitable and willing supervisors • Covering all the students’ interests • Expectations of host organisations • Applied versus theory-driven topics • Working against academic culture • Emphasis on research excellence favours specialisation

  12. Challenges - students • Recruitment: applicants have varied understandings of ‘Environmental Sustainability’ • Lack of relevance of case studies to overseas students • Shift in student interests from characterising‘the problems’ to finding ‘the solutions’ • Differing levels of personal engagement with sustainability • Staying positive in the face of unsustainability • The need for envisioning a sustainable future

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