The BSc in Sustainability is an innovative undergraduate degree that aims to equip its graduates with the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to address sustainability challenges by combining environmental, social and economic perspectives. After a common first year, each student will retain an interdisciplinary perspective throughout their degree, but will elect to focus on:

Sustainability with Environmental Science OR Sustainability with Social Sciences, Policy and Law OR Sustainability with Business and Economics

The programme is based on the following principles:

• Interdisciplinarity – in-depth knowledge within a core or focal discipline, complemented by a range of perspectives and skills from others. Specific modules and activities to foster an interdisciplinary approach and outlook.


• Flexibility – capacity to choose between broad areas, core disciplines and combinations of modules.


• Applicability and employability – grounding in the real-world application and uptake of new ideas, innovations and policies and the processes by which this occurs.


• A global perspective – the programme reflects UCD’s global outlook and the need for international partnership in addressing global environmental challenges.

1 - articulate clear awareness and understanding of critical global sustainability challenges
2 - critically discuss evolving theory, concepts, policy and the ethics and values of sustainability
3 - apply a holistic, interdisciplinary and practical approach to sustainability
4 - demonstrate competence in a range of research and analytical methodologies
5 - deploy well-developed critical and intellectual skills in innovative and creative approaches to unfamiliar or dynamic contexts and problems
6 - exhibit the knowledge and skills needed to develop a career in sustainability and environmental management, including communication, project planning, project management and interdisciplinary teamwork skills
7 - become engaged, solution-focussed global citizens with capacity for lifelong learning

You may apply to study abroad for the Spring trimester of Stage 3.
The BSc Sustainability has a range of universities within and outside Europe that it currently partners with to offer students exchange opportunities.
Please visit the UCD Global Exchanges page here to find further information about the application process.

Graduates will enjoy careers as consultants, managers and advisers in large organisations and private businesses. An interdisciplinary education in sustainability theory, policy and practise will equip you to work in areas such as renewables, clean technology management and energy efficiency, or advise industries on social and environmental strategies. Many opportunities also exist in international organisations such as the UN, the European Environment Agency and the European Commission, government departments and state agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Parks and Wildlife Service and in local authorities and Non-Governmental Organisations.

Kirsten Southard
Programme Manager, BSc Sustainability
UCD Science Office
Room E1.09, O'Brien Centre for Science
Belfield, Dublin 4
Email: sustainability@ucd.ie

Students are required to complete 50 credits of programme (core/option) modules. In addition to eight Core modules, students must take two Programme Core or Option modules. They must satisfy the requirements in list (A) before making choices from lists (B) and (C). Students can choose 10 credits of elective modules.

Students are required to complete 50 credits of programme (core/option) modules. Students can choose 10 credits of elective modules.

Stage 4 modules to be confirmed

Module ID	Module Title	Trimester	Credits
Stage 2 Core Modules
CHEM20090	Chemistry for Biology	Autumn	5
GEOG20230	Intro: GIS for Sustainability	Autumn	5
GEOG20240	Sustainability: Research Tools	Autumn	5
MATH10230	Mathematics for Agriculture I	Autumn	5
DEV20130	Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals	Spring	5
ECON10010	Principles of Microeconomics	Spring	5
MKT10720	Marketing: An Introduction	Spring	5
SCI20040	Careers and innovation in sustainability	Spring	5
Stage 2 Core Modules
Stage 2 Options - A)MIN0OF: Students must take two Programme Core or Option modules in total. If not previously taken in Stage 1, CHEM10050 and GEOG10140 must be taken in Stage 2. Students must satisfy this requirement before making choices from lists (B) and (C) below.
GEOG10140	Mapping a Sustainable World	Autumn	5
CHEM10050	Basis of Organic and Biological Chemistry	Spring	5
Stage 2 Options - A)MIN0OF: Students must take two Programme Core or Option modules in total. If not previously taken in Stage 1, CHEM10050 and GEOG10140 must be taken in Stage 2. Students must satisfy this requirement before making choices from lists (B) and (C) below.
Stage 2 Options - B)MIN0OF: Students who completed one or both of the modules in list (A) in Stage 1 may select up to two modules from the following list or from list (C).
AESC10010	Land Use and the Environment	Autumn	5
BIOL10140	Life on Earth	Autumn	5
GEOG20150	Quaternary Environmental Change	Autumn	5
GEOL20180	Geoscience perspectives on the UN Sustainable Development Goals	Autumn	5
GEOL20250	Crystals to Sedimentary Rocks	Autumn	5
GEOL20110	Global Environmental Change	Autumn and Spring (separate)	5
GEOL20230	History of life on Earth	Autumn and Spring (separate)	5
GEOG20060	Weather, Climate and Climate Change	Spring	5
GEOL10040	Earth, Environment and Society	Spring	5
Stage 2 Options - B)MIN0OF: Students who completed one or both of the modules in list (A) in Stage 1 may select up to two modules from the following list or from list (C).
Stage 2 Options - C)MIN0OF: MATH10290 Linear Algebra for Science can be taken by any student, including those who achieved less than H3 in Maths in LC.
MATH10290	Linear Algebra for Science	Spring	5
Stage 2 Options - C)MIN0OF: MATH10290 Linear Algebra for Science can be taken by any student, including those who achieved less than H3 in Maths in LC.
Stage 3 Core Modules
LAW30440	Environmental Law and Policy	Autumn	5
SCI30110	Sustainability Project	Autumn	5
BIOL30030	Working with Biological Data	Spring	5
ECON20160	Economics of the Environment	Spring	5
Stage 3 Core Modules
Stage 3 Options - A)5OF: Select five modules from the following:
BSEN30240	Waste Management	Autumn	5
BSEN30360	Life Cycle Assessment	Autumn	5
ENVB30010	Systems Ecology	Autumn	5
ENVB30020	Wildlife Conservation and Fisheries Management	Autumn	5
GEOG20040	Rivers, Estuaries and Coasts	Autumn	5
GEOL20180	Geoscience perspectives on the UN Sustainable Development Goals	Autumn	5
ZOOL30050	Diversity of Invertebrates	Autumn	5
CHEM20110	Env & Sustainable Chemistry	Spring	5
ENVB20050	Principles of Environmental Biology & Ecology	Spring	5
ENVB30100	Ecological and Environmental Microbiology	Spring	5
FOR20110	Forests, Climate and Carbon	Spring	5
GEOL30340	Low Temperature Geochemistry	Spring	5
GEOL30380	Geomaterials and Geoenergy	Spring	5
ZOOL30060	Biogeography and Field Biology	Spring	5
Stage 3 Options - A)5OF: Select five modules from the following:

		Award		GPA
Programme	Module Weightings	Rule Description	Description
BHSCI016	Stage 4 - 50.00% Stage 3 - 50.00%	Standard Honours Award	First Class Honours	3.68	4.20
			Second Class Honours, Grade 1	3.08	3.67
			Second Class Honours, Grade 2	2.48	3.07
			Pass	2.00	2.47