Page last updated 4 November 2024
This course can count towards a postgraduate qualification in Sustainable Development in Practice
The School of Architecture and Environment offers a portfolio of short courses that focus on the urgent challenges faced by organisations, communities and government in effecting sustainable change in individual behaviour, business practice and wider society.
The courses are suitable for professionals in existing sustainability roles who need to update their knowledge and skills, as well as career changers and recent graduates who are looking to build and differentiate their CV in the highly competitive sustainability sector.
This course explores the nature of human behaviour within the context of the promotion of environmentally sustainable, low carbon and healthy behaviour. The historical context of the term 'behaviour change' will be examined in terms of changing political relationships between the individual, the state and civil society. A range of different theoretical approaches to understanding behaviour will be studied and evaluated within the context of the promotion of a range of sustainable, pro-social and pro-environmental behaviours. A range of case studies and examples of government tools and strategies for promoting behaviour change will be critically examined.
Indicative topics covered include:
The philosophical, ethical and ideological underpinnings of current discourses on behaviour change including central concepts such as autonomy, free will, self determination, choice, responsibility, structure and agency
Participants are expected to have a first degree at 2.2 level or above (or equivalent), or alternatively have industrial experience.
If you are a non-UK student you will need to show your valid passport on entry to the UK. Please check your eligibility to visit and study in the UK here. If you are a non-Irish EU national currently resident in Ireland please contact us for further advice.
If English is not your country's first language, you will be required to provide evidence to show you meet the UK Border Agency and the University's minimum English Language requirements.
We strongly recommend that you speak to the course tutor prior to the course if you are unsure about your suitability to complete the assessment.
This course forms one module of the MSc Sustainable Development in Practice. They may be taken separately or combined to build towards a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or MSc Award if desired.
Please note that if your enrolment in this course is with the aim of completing a Sustainable Development in Practice Award, you will also need to select the Sustainable Development in Practice Framework when completing the online booking form.
What do I get out of it?
By the end of the module the student should be able to:
What does it cover?
This course is structured around three themes:
Perspectives on individual and community change: This topic examines some of the main theories and models that attempt to understand behaviour change from the perspective of social psychology. Theories and models including Social Cognitive Theory, Self-efficacy model, Health Belief Model, Theory of reasoned action, Theory of planned behaviour and the Transtheoretical model (Stage of Change) will be introduced and analysed through examples and case studies to give insight into their strengths and limitations in practice. Practical sessions will give students hands-on experience of designing theory-driven interventions for pro-sustainability behaviour change.
Wider social and political perspectives on "behaviour change": This topic will introduce students to a range of different perspectives on behaviour change and the potential that they offer for designing effective solutions to the challenge of creating wide-scale social change in relation to sustainability. Students will be introduced to approaches to behaviour change that are underpinned by behavioural economics. As part of this Students will consider how such approaches (including the popularised 'Nudge thesis') have influenced policies developed by the UK government's Cabinet Office Behavioural Insights team. Such approaches will be critically compared with alternative sociological perspectives that attempt to understand behaviour as the manifestation of underlying 'social practices'. This topic will also look at social marketing and the debates that surround the influence of this field on understanding behaviour change.
Integrated and non-mainstream approaches to "behaviour change": This topic introduces a further layer of perspectives on the subject of behaviour change. The topic starts with a session focused on the role of emotions and unconsciousness - both at individual and collective levels and how this may help us understand, for example, such phenomenon as climate change denial. We will then consider 'values and frames', a contemporary and increasingly influential approach to addressing action on sustainability. This topic concludes with a workshop on the vices and virtues of adopting an integrated approach to the field.
Each of these themes are taught by a team of expert practitioners in the field, thereby ensuring students benefit from both theoretical and practice-based insights.
The courses are taught through a mixture of face-to-face and independent learning, comprising weekly lectures, workshops and group discussion.
The pattern of contact sessions (five continuous Fridays, all day) is highly accessible for those who wish to study part-time.
This is a highly participative course. Delivery methods are primarily experiential and participant centred, engaging you in practical exercises, personal study, and critical reflection upon the relationship between theory and practice.
The course is structured around five contact days, which take place on consecutive weeks.
You will undertake a significant amount of directed and independent study between and after the contact sessions. To complete the course and assessment (if taken), we recommend students allocate approximately 150 hours including taught sessions and personal study time. This is only a guideline and will depend on the participants' motivation and learning abilities
Participants who wish to receive credit for their learning can undertake the assessed project at the end of the course. On successful completion, the course credits may then be used towards one of our postgraduate qualifications in Sustainable Development in Practice
You may also use the credit towards one of UWE Bristol's postgraduate qualifications in Integrated Professional Development.
To achieve accreditation for this module, you will need to successfully complete a project in which you apply different perspectives on behaviour change to explain or account for the sustainability issue, and inform practical approaches to address the sustainability issue.
Formative assessment will be carried out throughout the course by setting regular tasks for students that will assess their grasp of the material covered. Tasks will be reviewed as part of the sessions.
UWE Bristol is superbly equipped with libraries and computer labs, and an excellent campus environment.
Find out more about the facilities and resources UWE Bristol has to offer.
Take a personalised virtual tour of the Geography and Environmental Management facilities and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.
This course is planned to run again in 2025. Course dates, updated fees and online booking forms will be published here in the summer of 2024. Please complete our online enquiry form below to be notified once these details are made available.
| Cohort - 2025 TBC | Time | Location |
| Five one-day sessions, scheduled over six weeks, plus weekly reading group sessions | TBC | Frenchay Campus |
All prices are VAT exempt.
| Cohort | February 2025 |
| UK participants | £792* |
| International participants | £1,333* |
*Fees displayed are based on 2023/24 entry and are an indication only. Please note there might be a small increase for 2024/25. Please complete our online enquiry form below to be notified once these details are made available.
For information on fees, managing your money and determining your fee status, please go to our fees and funding pages.
Course location
UWE Bristol, Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY.
This course is planned to run again in 2025. Course dates, updated fees and online booking forms will be published here in the summer of 2024. Please complete our online enquiry form below to be notified once these details are made available.
To make an enquiry: Enquire Now
As this module carries university accreditation, please note that once you have submitted your booking form, you will be required to provide the following supporting information for the Programme Leader to review and formally accept your application as required by the university:
If you would like further information about this course or about the postgraduate qualifications in Sustainable Development in Practice, please contact the Programme Leader: Dr Georgina Gough /+44(0)117 32 87139.