Human hands holding a small green earth globe.

BSc(Hons) Environment and Sustainability *

Entry year
2025/26
Course code
FJ17
Application
UCAS
Level
Undergraduate
School
School of Architecture and Environment
Tariff points
112
Campus
Frenchay
Duration
Three years full-time; four years sandwich
Delivery
Full-time; sandwich
Programme leader
Dr Sara-Jayne Williams and Dr Rosamund Portus

* subject to final UWE Bristol approval

This course is open for applications.

Introduction

Join a university that’s been awarded Institution of the Year by the Green Gown Awards for its work towards sustainable futures. Gain a strong grounding for an environmentally focused career and learn essential skills for the future, from environmental systems to the human impacts on them.

Accreditations and partnerships:

Why study environment and sustainability?

Environmental challenges, such as climate change and plastic waste, are big on the global agenda. The urgency surrounding these issues means there’s now a growing need for competent, qualified environmental and sustainability professionals.

Government bodies, organisations and communities emphasise sustainability and ‘green skills.’ This degree will enable you to work across subjects and showcase a broad professional skillset, preparing you for a wide range of environmentally and sustainability focused careers.

Why UWE Bristol?

BSc(Hons) Environment and Sustainability will appeal to you if you're passionate about the environment and want to make a difference in the world. You’ll explore environmental factors affecting the world as well as the relationships, impact and responses this has on people and society.

At UWE Bristol, you’ll be part of a university that’s recognised for its commitment to environmentally sustainable futures. You’ll study in Bristol, a city renowned for its global leadership in sustainability and its pioneering environmental efforts and initiatives.

Drawing on our strong links with employers, you'll benefit from placements, live project briefs, site visits and guest lectures throughout your course. You’ll connect with internal and external experts and future employers, engage with the department's research centres and go on field trips to link your learning to real life experiences.

Where can it take me?

This course will give you a diverse skillset, including data analysis, project management, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), environmental reporting and working with diverse communities. These skills are well suited to careers in the environmental sector, such as roles in environment and sustainability focused careers.

You could also go onto work with businesses, technology companies, charities, NGOs or local or national government, or pursue postgraduate study.

Structure

Content

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

Year one

You'll study:

All pathways

  • Air, Land and Water: Fundamental Processes
  • An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing
  • Analysing Environmental Change
  • Engaging People, Communities and Institituions
  • Environmentalism, Society and Governance
  • Sustainable Technologies.

Year two

You'll study:

All Pathways

  • Applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  • Professional Development
  • Researching Human Geography.

Biodiversity Pathway

  • Air, Land and Water: Data and Models
  • Ecology
  • Environmental Assessment.

Climate Change Pathway

  • Air, Land and Water: Data and Models
  • Climate Change: Challenges for the 21st Century
  • Environmental Assessment.

Rivers and Coasts Pathway

  • Air, Land and Water: Data and Models
  • Understanding Coastal Dynamics
  • Understanding River Dynamics.

Sustainability Pathway

  • Environmental Assessment
  • Environmental Management in Organisations
  • Environmental Psychology in the Community.

Placement Year

If you study on the four year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work placement after year two. You'll also complete a placement learning module.

See the Placements and Fees sections for more information.

Final year

You'll study:

All Pathways

  • Environment and Behaviour
  • Managing Air Quality
  • Practising Waste Management.

Plus:

  • Extended Independent Project* or
  • Independent Project and Professional Experience*.

*If you complete the placement year you won't study these modules.

Biodiversity Pathway

  • Biogeography and Conservation.

Climate Change Pathway

  • Hazard and Disaster Management.

Rivers and Coasts Pathway

  • Managing Rivers and Coasts.

Sustainability Pathway

One of the following optional modules:

  • Advanced Geographical Expedition
  • Decolonising Environmental Management
  • GIS and Remote Sensing Applications
  • Planning Global Cities
  • Water and Energy Futures.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.

Learning and Teaching

With experiential learning and problem-solving at its core, the course includes plenty of interactive sessions, practical content and exercises built into the modules.

Gain essential knowledge and skills for working in the environmental field. These include using information from academic research and policy to inform future environmental practices and conducting environmental assessments and consultancy.

You’ll also handle environmental data, make recommendations about issues such as energy and resource management, champion participation and inclusion and develop your communication.

Learn to use a wide variety of research, management and assessment tools, including those designed to make business and development activity more sustainable.

As well as networking events and live client briefs, you'll study professional development modules to build your knowledge and skills and engage with future employers.

Peer support and learning is encouraged, and you'll have many opportunities to collaborate with other students from your course.

See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Study time

You'll spend at least 12 hours in scheduled contact time a week, as well as time with your personal tutor.

The Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme is also available, offering you extra support from students in the year above.
 

Assessment

We want you to build, and be able to, showcase a wide range of skills. This is why we use varied assessments, including blogs, podcasts, reports, presentations and working on real-life environmental, case-based problems.

Much of the work has an applied focus, so you’ll be working on the kind of tasks demanded of you in practice.

Learn more about assessments.

Features

Professional accreditation

This course is accredited by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) and the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).

Placements

Students who get work experience tend to graduate with better degrees. Experience also hones your skills, industry knowledge and professional network, making you a sought-after graduate.

If you choose the four-year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work or study abroad placement after Year two.

We also offer summer internships through our many links with Bristol's well-established environmental sector.

You'll get help to find your placement and support throughout from department staff and our award-winning careers service.

Fieldwork

Field trips are an important part of this course. You'll go on two residential trips, one in the UK in Year one, and another in Europe in Year two.

The trips offer a fantastic opportunity to understand the nature of environmental challenges in different locations, and to see first-hand the mitigation and management tools applied in response to them.

Study facilities

Learn in modern teaching rooms, labs and computer facilities with a range of industry-standard software, supported by large-format printers and scanners and expert technical support staff.

You’ll also have access to four specialist laboratories: Earth sciences, Environmental change, Surveying technology, and Spatial analysis, all complete with the latest equipment.  This allows you to test water quality and soil mechanics, investigate historic environments, carry out level surveys and much more.

Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.

Take a personalised virtual tour of Geography and Environmental Management and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.

Life

Accommodation

An excellent range of options for all of the Bristol campuses and the city centre.

Bristol

A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.

Sports, societies and activities

There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.

Health and Wellbeing

We provide support in the way you need it.

Campus and facilities

Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.

Careers

Careers / Further study

On our BSc(Hons) Environment and Sustainability degree, you’ll unpick the science that lies behind the core environmental challenges affecting the world today. These include the impacts of climate change, rapid urbanisation and insecurities and risks surrounding water, waste management and energy.

Explore the competing demands placed on global environments and trace the growth of environmentalism and green politics. You’ll learn about broad interventions, including policy and legislation, including those designed to make business activity more sustainable. 

The course incorporates the emerging disciplines of science communication and environmental psychology. This means you'll look closely at how peoples' attitudes, relationships and behaviour can help, or act to frustrate, environmental action. You’ll also identify the stakeholders, tools and techniques needed for brokering and delivering positive, lasting change.

Build strong transferable skills in research, data analysis, geographical information systems, project management, presentations and report writing, preparing you to pursue your career after you graduate.

These skills are well suited to many positions within the environmental sector, such as roles in sustainability or energy management. You’ll also have the transferable skills to find roles in businesses, technology companies, charities, NGOs or local government.

For those keen to take their studies further, postgraduate study is another option. As a graduate from our BSc(Hons) Environment and Sustainability, you’ll be eligible to apply for our MSc Environmental Management, MSc Environmental Consultancy or MSc Sustainable Development in Practice.

Get inspired

Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and help to find you graduate jobs, placements and global opportunities.

We can also help find local volunteering and community opportunities, provide support for entrepreneurial activity and get you access to employer events.

Visit our employability pages to learn more about careers, employers and what our students are doing six months after graduating.

Fees*

Supplementary fee information

*The UK Government recently proposed that tuition fees for Home students will increase by 3.1% to £9,535 from 1st August 2025. This increase is subject to Parliamentary approval and the vote is expected to take place later this year.

Any tuition fee which is impacted by this change will be updated following approval.

Please see GOV.UK for further information.

Your overall entitlement to funding is based on how long the course is that you're registered on.

Standard funding is allocated based on the standard number of years that your course lasts, plus one additional year.

You'll apply for funding each year that you study and Student Finance will take into account how long the course is in each year that you apply. So if you register for the four year course and then transfer to the three year course, the number of years you can apply for funding will change. Student Finance will reassess your funding based on how many years you have been in study, not just those years for which you received student finance.

Always seek advice before taking any action that may have implications for your funding.

Learn more about funding.

Additional costs

This refers to items you could need during your studies that aren't covered by the standard tuition fee.

These could be materials, textbooks, travel, clothing, software or printing.

Learn more about costs.

Entry

Typical offers

  • Tariff points: 112
  • Contextual tariff: See our contextual offers page.
  • GCSE: Grade C/4 in English and Mathematics, or equivalent.
  • English Language Requirement:

    International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
    *The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Please visit our English language requirements page.

  • A-level subjects: No specific subjects required.
  • EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: No specific subjects required. For information on required Guided Learning Hours please see our minimum entry requirements page.
  • Access: No specific subjects required.
  • Baccalaureate IB: No specific subjects required.
  • Irish Highers: No specific subjects required.
  • Welsh Baccalaureate: We accept tariff points achieved from the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales in conjunction with other Level 3 qualifications.
  • Cambridge Technical: No specific subjects required.
  • T Levels: No specific subjects required.

Entry requirements

International applicants

For country specific entry requirements please find your country on the country information pages. If you are an international student and do not meet the academic requirements to study this course, you can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College.

If you are applying to study at UWE Bristol and require additional support to meet our English language requirements, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Read more about our pre-sessional English Programme.

Read more about entry requirements.

How to apply

Read more about undergraduate applications.

Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.

For further information

Unistats

UWE Main Campus

Apply now Apply Ask a student Ask Book an open day Open day