Page last updated 1 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.
This course is suitable for professionals in an existing communications, campaigning or sustainability role 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 is designed to enable you to develop and evaluate a communication strategy aimed at changing cultural understanding, attitudes and behaviours in regard to sustainable development. The course will introduce you to a range of historically significant campaigns and social movements and it will support you to examine the various ways in which the issue and proposed change is presented across a range of different media forms.You will also be introduced to a range of contemporary case studies which make innovative use of social media in the dissemination of information and in the planning and implementation of significant events and demonstrations.
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.
Participants will engage with a very wide range of resources and examples - from philosophical materials, critical theory, film and documentary photography, manifesto and campaigning handbooks, reports and evaluation materials. You will work in a group with other course participants to research and devise a campaign strategy with a specific focus on identifying and critically evaluating persuasive techniques and approaches.
On successful completion of this course you will be able to:
The courses are taught through a mixture of face-to-face and independent learning, comprising weekly lectures and workshops (over 5 Fridays) and group discussion. The pattern of contact sessions is highly accessible for those who wish to study part-time.
You will be given access to orientation materials with links to a range of resources, archives a nd potential examples and case studies.
Some initial exercises will be set in preparation for the first workshop. Workshop one will immerse you in a range of historical and contemporary case studies of cultural change through a combination of talks, practical exercises and workshop activities.
Workshops two and three will support you to engage in connecting theories and practices of communicating for pro-sustainability change. Through practical exercise you will develop a campaign brief and begin the development of your portfolio and campaign materials.
Workshop three will be based around further practical exercises through which you will finalise campaign materials and devise a presentation. Assessed group presentations will take place three weeks after this.
You will be sharing resources, skills, aptitudes and perspectives with fellow course participants throughout. Staff will be monitoring the progress of the group project through group and individual online tutorials. There will be further opportunities for face to face tutorial support during the scheduled workshops.
The course is structured around five contact days. Students undertake a significant amount of directed and independent study between and after the contact sessions.
To complete the module 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 two assessed elements to the module:
Working in groups, students develop a campaign strategy - they then present this strategy together.
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.
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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 March 2025 | Time | Location |
| Five sessions scheduled over seven weeks, plus weekly reading group sessions | TBC | Frenchay Campus |
All prices are VAT exempt.
| Cohort | March 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.