MA Education for a Sustainable Environment

The University holds regular open days , where you will have the opportunity to tour the campus and find out more about our facilities and courses.

You will find out more about the School of Environment, Education and Development, our resources, and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have.

Please submit the following documents with your completed application form:

• copies of official degree certificates and transcripts of your previous study, showing the subjects taken and grades obtained. If these documents are in languages other than English, please provide official translations;
• your CV;
• copies of English Language Certification, such as IELTS, TOEFL or Pearson test score report;
• a personal statement.

All applications must include a personal statement. This statement plays an important part in the admissions decision. In the personal statement, you should introduce yourself, state why you are interested in Sustainability Education, and explain how doing this MA degree can benefit you professionally and/or how it can benefit your own home community and/or your country. The personal statement should be approximately 500 words in length.

Ensure that you enclose all the necessary documents to avoid any delays.

The MA Education for a Sustainable Environment provides you with knowledge, insights and competencies to become effective and creative practitioners, policy makers, researchers and communicators in the field of sustainability education. 

Situated in the School of Environment, Education and Development, the course offers an environment for interdisciplinary exploration of the interconnected ecological, economic, political, historical and social dimensions of local and global sustainability challenges. It will enhance your critical awareness and knowledge of the relationship between education and a sustainable environment to support learning and research in communities, ethically and responsibly. 

This MA has been designed for educational practitioners and policy makers, addressing the need to integrate sustainability education as a learning outcome in formal, informal and professional education settings. You will become part of a research-oriented international community, working with expert tutors, practitioners, and 'movement makers' equipping you with the skills to realise this integration in practice.

This MA programme employs a creative blended pedagogy to encourage sustainability and flexibility. In this unique MA, on-campus and distance students attend classes together and at the same time using video conferencing tools. For on-campus students this is not only a Manchester-based programme, with physical classes to attend, but also an opportunity to interact directly and in real-time with students located in other parts of the world. Distance students attend the same scheduled classes, using online tools, and this provides opportunities to interact with Manchester-based students and teaching staff directly and in real-time. All while benefitting from our long-standing heritage - Education has been a discipline of study at Manchester since 1890.

The course is taught by world-leading researchers who focus on the realities of professional practice through social sciences, including but not limited to:

• Susan Brown (co-Programme Director): Sustainability and Ecological Literacies; Digital Sustainability, Literacies and Ethics;
• Dr Juup Stelma (co-Programme Director): Ecological and Systems Theory; Language Education; Professional Development;
• Dr Sandra Ajaps : Environmental Education; Civic Engagement; Indigenous Knowledge Systems;
• Prof Julian Williams : Sociocultural Activity Theory; Community Activity; Mathematics Education;
• Dr Ivy Taslima:  Sustainability education in context; Indigenous research methods; Educational technology in developing contexts;
• Dr Marcellus Mbah: Climate change adaptation education, community engagement, service learning and indigeneity.

The MA programme is taught using a blended model that allows each student to decide whether they will study online or onsite. For the core units, the blended model includes:

• All substantive content is provided in the form of self and group-study electronic accessible materials;
• Students, wherever they are located, will 'attend' the same classes. Digital technologies, such as live video conferencing, will be used to facilitate these blended classes. Since online students are expected to engage synchronously (in real time) with the onsite students, they need to be available (online) at scheduled times;
• Staff-student 'contact time' which will consist of 'F2F' sessions made up of a combination of lectures and reflective activities designed to extend knowledge and understanding.

Elective units also have all substantive content available in electronically accessible materials, and students gain access to sessions through video-conferencing technology. The opportunities to interact with onsite students and staff will be dependent on the particular pedagogy employed by the elective unit.

Course units are delivered through lectures, tutorials, group work, case-based approaches, and enquiry-based learning. Comprehensive training is provided in the use of electronic resources.

We encourage both individual and co-operative learning and research and hope to foster an ethos of lifelong learning.

We aim to build on the expertise of our students, many of whom are experienced education professionals, and who bring with them a wealth of knowledge and practical experience from a range of different countries.

Assessments will be real-world oriented, will emphasise real-world impact and communication of results. Assessment of the core course units will encourage group-based work, including the dissertation stage. Students will have the opportunity to choose from options for each assessment as they build a portfolio that can help them in their future work. 

The form of assessment varies by course unit and may include written assignments (reports and/or critical reviews), portfolios, presentations and practice-oriented activity. The MA values formative feedback from tutors, peer-peer feedback, and feedback from professionals in the field.

The dissertation element of the MA is worth 60 credits and may be completed as a traditional 60 credit dissertation, and this may have an empirical, conceptual, evaluation, or professional focus. Alternatively, participants may satisfy the dissertation requirement through the completion of two linked parts, each one addressing one of the four listed foci. Indicative dissertations, or dissertation parts, include: 

• a research project and report (building on the earlier completed 'Planning and Piloting Research in Sustainability' course unit) (Empirical);
• theorising an aspect of sustainability education in a particular context, or more broadly (Conceptual);
• an evaluation of the current state of sustainability education practice, policy and/or research in a particular setting (Evaluation);
• a context-specific and/or client-based sustainability education project (Professional).

The course is taught by the Manchester Institute of Education (MIE) which has its own Student Hub. Here you'll find all your teaching staff and support staff as well as a place to relax with fellow students.

MIE is based in the University's Ellen Wilkinson building, which is centrally located on the University's Oxford Road campus, close to the Main Library, Alan Gilbert Learning Commons and the Students' Union.

Manchester Institute of Education (MIE) graduates go on to shape education policy and practice. This MA is designed to develop careers in the area of Sustainability Education, including taking on new or more senior professional roles related to sustainability education in educational, government, private and/or voluntary/non-government sectors.

Graduates from the programme should be prepared and able to take on leadership, practitioner, research and professional roles in:

• formal and informal educational settings;
• professional learning and training settings;
• media and communications training roles;
• local, national and international governmental and NGO organisations;
• academic and other research settings.

Careers support

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .

Careers support for international students

The Careers Service provide specialist resources, advice and events for international students to help with career planning and making the most of your time while studying in Manchester.

• Working in the UK after study
• Working during study
• Professional and alumni networks for international students

Global networks

The University of Manchester is proud to have the largest global alumni community of any campus-based university in the UK.

International alumni groups are a great way to keep in touch with fellow Manchester graduates in your country, and provide an opportunity to build professional and social networks.