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2016/17 Undergraduate Programme Catalogue

BSc Sustainability and Environmental Management

Programme code:BS-ENV/SEMUCAS code:F7M0
Duration:3 Years Method of Attendance: Full Time
Programme manager:Dr Julia Martin-Ortega Contact address:j.MartinOrtega@leeds.ac.uk

Total credits: 360

Entry requirements:

England and Wales
Normally 3 GCE A-levels at grades ABB, including two from biology, chemistry, economics, English, environmental science/studies, geology, geography, history, law, mathematics, physics, politics, sociology. Other subjects may be considered.

Scottish Highers
Normally ABBBB, including two from biology, chemistry, economics, English, environmental science/studies, geology, geography, history, law, mathematics, physics, politics, sociology. Other subjects may be considered.

International Baccalaureate
Normally 34 points overall, with 16 at the Higher Level, including two from biology, chemistry, economics, English, environmental science/studies, geology, geography, history, law, mathematics, physics, politics, sociology. Other subjects may be considered.

School/Unit responsible for the parenting of students and programme:

School of Earth and Environment

Examination board through which the programme will be considered:

School of Earth and Environment

Relevant QAA Subject Benchmark Groups:

The relevant QAA Benchmark is Earth sciences, environmental sciences and environmental studies (2007) QAA 151 02/07, specifically in relation to environmental studies (appendix 3c)

Programme specification:

Sustainability is at the core of how governments, societies and researchers now think about the environment and our place in it. The environment is important to everyone, but our demand for natural resources and the waste that our lifestyles generate means that it is under increasing pressure. For this reason, there is demand for literate and numerate graduates who possess a thorough understanding of the environmental, economic and social implications of the decisions that we make and the strategies we use to find sustainable solutions to environmental problems.

BSc (Hons) Sustainability and Environmental Management is designed to sit at the interface between human activity and the environment. The programme draws on disciplines such as environmental science to develop knowledge and skills in the science that underpins our understanding of sustainability. At the same time, teaching in areas such as business, economics and policy means that students are able to understand and evaluate societies' role in and interaction with changes in the natural world. Teaching on the programme draws on the skills and expertise of one of the largest groups of environmental and social scientists in the country whose research is tackling some of the major sustainability challenges we face.

The programme has been designed with a core Sustainability and Environmental Management pathway. Throughout, these modules draw on the research of the Environmental Change and Sustainable Development (ECSD) group in SRI, with case studies in food security, ecosystem services and dryland management. The environmental management modules cover skills in environmental science at level 1, tools and techniques in planning and policy at level 2, and risk management at level 3, drawing on research and scholarship in risk and the extractive industries, and decision making by BOSS and the Economics and Policy for Sustainability (EPS) research groups. At level 1 there are also two core modules drawn from environmental science (SOEE1034) and environmental social science (SOEE1450) to ground students in the interdisciplinary nature of the programme.

The four pathways in the programme will equip students for particular sectors, although many of the skills they will develop will also cross sector boundaries. Students should choose one pathway to pursue in the second and third years of their degree, although some deviation from the pathway structure is permissible (e.g. additional skills modules) subject to programme leader approval. The Business and Sustainability pathway will equip students for positions in the private sector, for example, in corporate social and environmental responsibility roles. The Sustainable Infrastructure pathway allows students to specialise in transport and energy, equipping them to work in policy and planning departments as well as with corporations within these sectors. The Managing Ecological Resources and Environmental Science and Management pathways build ecological and environmental science skills alongside the sustainable development knowledge required for roles within the consultancy sector. Students from across the programme will be well placed for jobs with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in environment and development.

Throughout the programme there are opportunities for students to develop key competencies and skills (e.g. interview skills, fieldwork and laboratory skills, presentation and writing abilities), as well as developing the ability to reflect on and appreciate the limitations of current knowledge and approaches to sustainability and environmental management. Teaching will be delivered through a variety of means, from lectures to fieldtrips. Fieldwork is an important aspect of teaching and so students will get the opportunity to put methods into practice during fieldtrips. Teaching across the modules also makes use of small group discussions/seminars to help students to engage in deep learning.

Ple ase note that this BSc degree programme is accredited by the Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).


Year1 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules.

Students must pass SOEE1110, SOEE1381, SOEE1450, SOEE1460 and SOEE1480 (if they are studying this module) to progress to second year. Students who want to take the Business and Sustainability Pathway in second and third year must pass SOEE1390. Students who want to take the Sustainable Infrastructure Pathway in second and third year should pass TRAN1011. Students who want to take the Managing Ecological Resources Pathway in second and third year should pass SOEE1180. Students who want to take the Environmental Science and Management Pathway in second and third year must pass SOEE1280.

SOEE1110Sustainable Development: Concepts and Case Studies20 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SOEE1180Environment and Ecology10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE1280The Atmosphere of Planet Earth10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE1381Skills for Environmental Social Science10 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SOEE1390Introduction to Business, Environment and Corporate Responsibility
Pre-requisite for: SOEE2310
20 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SOEE1450Environmental Politics and Policy10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE1460Environmental Science for Environmental Management
Pre-requisite for: SOEE2170
20 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
TRAN1011Challenges in Transport and Mobility10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Optional modules:

Candidates WITHOUT A-Level Maths or AS Level Maths with a grade of A-C or equivalent will be required to study SOEE1480 'Mathematics for Earth and Environmental Scientists' as a compulsory module. If taken, SOEE1480 is Pass for Progression.

If you are not required to study SOEE1480, you may choose up to 10 credits of optional SOEE modules or up to 10 credits of Discovery modules, subject to timetabling constraints and approval from the programme leader.

Students who have completed A-Level Maths or with AS Level Maths at Grade A-C or equivalent should NOT enrol in SOEE1480.

SOEE1480Mathematics for Earth and Environmental Scientists10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Discovery modules:

Candidates who are not required to study SOEE1480 'Mathematics for Earth and Environmental Scientists' may choose up to 10 credits of optional SOEE modules or up to 10 credits of Discovery modules, subject to timetabling constraints and approval from the programme leader.


Year2 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

SOEE2032Personal Development for Careers in the Environmental Sector10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE2371People, Sustainability, and the Environment20 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SOEE2570Research in the Environmental Social Sciences30 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SOEE2670Environmental Impact Assessment10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE2680Environmental Policy and Governance10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Optional modules:

Students must select one of the following pathways, and study all of the modules from their chosen pathway. Students may substitute one 10 credit module from their pathway with a Discovery module or another optional SOEE module, subject to timetabling constraints and approval from the programme leader.

Business and Sustainability Pathway

SOEE2310Tools and Techniques for Business, Environment and Corporate Responsibility
Pre-requisite for: SOEE3270
20 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SOEE2355Energy Transitions: Technologies, Markets and Policy10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE2610Economics and Sustainability
Pre-requisite for: SOEE3750
10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Sustainable Infrastructure Pathway

SOEE2355Energy Transitions: Technologies, Markets and Policy10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE2610Economics and Sustainability
Pre-requisite for: SOEE3750
10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
TRAN2020Transport Land Use and Development10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
TRAN2041Transport, Energy and Environment10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Managing Ecological Resources Pathway

SOEE2160Climate Change: Science and Impacts10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE2165Climate Change: Society and Human Dimensions10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE2170Water Quality
Pre-requisite for: SOEE3286
10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE2690Managing Biodiversity10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Environmental Science and Management Pathway

SOEE2160Climate Change: Science and Impacts10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE2165Climate Change: Society and Human Dimensions10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE2460Contaminated Land Studies: Integrating Business Skills and Science in Consultancy10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE2481Atmospheric Pollution from Local to Global Scales
Pre-requisite for: SOEE3431
10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Skills Module
Students may opt to study this module instead of a 10 credit module from their chosen pathway.

SOEE2650GIS for Geoscientists10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)


Year3 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

SOEE3030Environmental Research Project40 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SOEE3112Environmental Risk: Science, Policy and Management10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE3770Sustainable Futures20 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SOEE3780Sustainable Development in Practice10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Optional modules:

Students must continue the pathway studied in year two, and study all of the modules from their chosen pathway, except for the Sustainable Infrastructure Pathway, where there is more choice. Students may substitute one 10 credit module from their pathway with a Discovery module or another optional SOEE module, subject to timetabling constraints and approval from the programme leader.

Business and Sustainability Pathway

SOEE3202Sustainable Consumption10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE3270Business and Sustainable Development10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE3630Strategic Energy Issues10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE3750Sustainability Economics in Practice10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Sustainable Infrastructure Pathway

Students must enrol for SOEE3270 and SOEE3630 and select 20 credits from TRAN3031, TRAN3070 and TRAN3060

SOEE3270Business and Sustainable Development10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE3630Strategic Energy Issues10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
TRAN3031Public Transport Policy and Practice10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
TRAN3060Travel Activity and Social Analysis20 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
TRAN3070Healthy Cities: Transport and Health10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Managing Ecological Resources Pathway

BLGY3241Conservation Biology10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
LAW3135Law and the Environment II: Development and Nature Conservation10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE3286Catchment Processes and Management20 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Environmental Science and Management Pathway

LAW3131Law and the Environment I: Pollution Control10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE3410Atmosphere and Ocean Climate Change Processes10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE3431Atmospheric Pollution: Causes, Impact and Regulation10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE3760Terrestrial Biosphere in the Earth System10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Skills Modules
Students may opt to study either or both of these modules with approval from the programme leader.
Note that the fieldtrip for SOEE3690 takes place in the summer between years 2 and 3.

SOEE3521Earth and Environmental Sciences into Schools10 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
SOEE3690Advanced Fieldwork: Principles of Environmental Ecology10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Last updated: 31/08/2016

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