MA Education for a Sustainable Environment

Fees for entry in 2027 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2026 were as follows:

• MA (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £13,700
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £29,400
• MA (full-time distance learning)
  UK students (per annum): £13,700
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £29,400
• MA (part-time distance learning)
  UK students (per annum): £6,800
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £14,700

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

• Learn more about - student finance options for UK students .
• Learn more about - fees and finance for international students .
• Graduates of The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University can receive a 10% discount on their master's degree tuition fees as part of our Manchester Alumni Loyalty Discount scheme.

The dissertation must be completed as a single 12000 word, 60 credit dissertation, which may have an empirical, conceptual, evaluation, or professional focus. The following is indicative of these four possible foci.

• 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 aim of the dissertation element of the MA is for each individual student to engage in independent and in-depth study of one, or two closely related, aspect(s) of Education for a Sustainable Environment.

Learning Outcomes

During semester 1 and 2, all core course units will raise students’ awareness of how they each contribute to their overall professional and academic development, and thus also prepare them for the larger independent and in-depth dissertation element of the MA

Students will be allocated an individual dissertation supervisor during semester 2. In addition, they will be part of a dissertation supervision group, usually led by their allocated supervisor. Students will have six meetings focused on their dissertation, normally consisting of:

• Three individual supervision meetings with their supervisor.
• Three group supervision meetings.

Dissertation supervisors will offer feedback on an outline of students’ dissertation project, give advice on ethical approval processes where appropriate, and provide feedback on two substantive chapters of the final full length or two-part dissertation.

Students will also have at least three whole-programme meetings with their Programme Director(s) (or a nominated academic member of staff), addressing the academic and presentation requirements/expectations of their dissertation work and dissertation.  

• knowledge and critical understanding of sustainability education research, theory, policy, practice and areas of debate.
• advanced knowledge and deeper understanding of specialist issues in their chosen areas of study.
• awareness of the importance of different contexts of sustainability education (e.g., educational, governmental, non-governmental and voluntary sectors), including also interactions between these sectors.
• an understanding of the implications of the above for education and research in local and global contexts.

Depending on the focus of the dissertation project:

• systemically explore issues related to sustainability education, as informed by research, theory, practice and current debates.
• critically analyse and synthesise ideas from diverse sources (research, theory, practice and issues of debate).
• explore, analyse, evaluate and critically reflect on aspects of professional practice in sustainability education.
• systematically define, focus and explore issues of research interest or relevance to a past, current or future sustainability education context, and analyse and interpret findings through small scale empirical study.

Depending on the focus of the dissertation project:

• realize in educational practice, sustainability values, understandings and an ethical stance.
• create action learning spaces so that learners/communities have voice, participation and leadership in addressing sustainability related challenges.
• analyse sustainability education needs within specific teaching, learning and training contexts.
• evaluate, adapt and develop sustainability education curricula, syllabi, teaching activities, and learning materials.
• use technological resources and technology-supported approaches to sustainability education and research
• teaching, learning and training contexts.
• evaluate, adapt and develop sustainability education curricula, syllabi, teaching activities, and learning materials.
• use technological resources and technology-supported approaches to sustainability education and research.
• design, plan and carry out research to inform sustainability education

• new or enhanced skills in written academic presentation and information processing (on- and offline).
• autonomy and enhanced metacognitive strategies with regard to study skills and further professional development and/or academic study.

In Turnitin, and normally within 30 working days of assignment submission