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

Students’ performance will be reviewed at the end of the academic year. Students who fail 50% or more of their registered modules, and who fail to progress to the next stage of their programme, will be identified under the UCD Continuation – Academic progress policy. Students’ performance will continue to be reviewed in subsequent trimesters and students will be invited to meetings with the College of Science office for support and guidance.

Where the rate of progression and performance over two academic years is deemed unacceptable, a case will be submitted to the Governing Board for review. A recommendation for discontinuation may be the outcome of this review.

As Stages 3 and 4 have the most dynamic components of the programme, and the material studied previously may no longer be relevant, a student who has been away from the programme for a significant period should be required to register again to Stage 3. The upper limit for completion of Stages 3 and 4 should be six years if they choose to do 120 credits with 20 in each year.

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 must take 50 credits of programme (core/option) modules. The remaining 10 credits must be used for electives and/or option modules.

Students must take 50 credits of programme (core/option) modules. The remaining 10 credits must be used for electives and/or option modules. Students must ensure by the end of their degree that they have at least 100 credits from Level 2 and above, of which at least 40 credits must be Level 3 and above. It is important to bear this in mind while choosing options and/or electives in Stages 3 and 4.

Students must take BMGT20050 Business Across Borders in Autumn.

Students are required to complete 60 credits of programme (core/option) modules. Students must ensure by the end of their degree that they have completed at least 100 credits from Level 2 and above, of which at least 40 credits must be Level 3 and above. It is important to bear this in mind while choosing option modules in Stage 4.

Students must take 5 credits from the Social Sciences, Policy & Law specialisation options. Students must take 5 credits from the Environmental Sciences specialisation options. Students can choose to take an additional 5 credits from either of these option lists; this means that students can choose to take two 5 credit modules or one 10 credit module from Social Sciences, Policy and Law or Environmental Sciences option lists. The remaining credits must be selected from Business & Economics option modules.

SBUS30280 Business Internship Summer (5 credits) is listed as an option module but is not possible to select it yourself. It will be added to your Autumn module registration manually by staff once you have successfully completed the module.

Module ID	Module Title	Trimester	Credits
Stage 2 Core Modules
ECON10030	Introduction to Quantitative Economics	Autumn	5
GEOG20230	Intro: GIS for Sustainability	Autumn	5
SUST20010	Sustainability: Research Tools	Autumn	5
ACC10060	Introduction to Accounting	Autumn and Spring (separate)	5
ECON10010	Principles of Microeconomics	Spring	5
MKT10720	Marketing: An Introduction	Spring	5
SUST20020	Careers, Communication and Innovation in Sustainability	Spring	5
Stage 2 Core Modules
Stage 2 Options - C)MIN1OF: All students must take either CHEM00010 or CHEM10050. Students must take CHEM00010 if they did not complete Leaving Cert Chemistry or if their LC Chemistry grade is lower than H5/O1. Students who achieved H5/O1 or higher in LC Chemistry should take CHEM10050. Students who completed CHEM00010 or CHEM10050 in Stage 1 should contact sustainability@ucd.ie to register for an additional option module.
CHEM00010	Introductory Chemistry	Autumn	5
CHEM10050	Basis of Organic and Biological Chemistry	Spring	5
Stage 2 Options - C)MIN1OF: All students must take either CHEM00010 or CHEM10050. Students must take CHEM00010 if they did not complete Leaving Cert Chemistry or if their LC Chemistry grade is lower than H5/O1. Students who achieved H5/O1 or higher in LC Chemistry should take CHEM10050. Students who completed CHEM00010 or CHEM10050 in Stage 1 should contact sustainability@ucd.ie to register for an additional option module.
Stage 2 Options - D)MIN10CR: Students must take 50 credits of core and option modules. The remaining 10 credits must be used for electives and/or option modules.
BMGT10160	Global Marketplace	Autumn	5
BMGT10170	Inside Organisations	Autumn	5
ECON20060	Irish Economy: Policy Making in a Global Context	Autumn	5
ECON20080	Economic Policy Analysis	Autumn	5
ECON20040	Statistics for Economists	Autumn and Spring (separate)	5
BMGT10060	Introduction to Management	Spring	5
BMGT10150	Project Management	Spring	5
ECON20120	The Economics of the European Union: Institutions, Policies and Crises	Spring	5
ECON20130	Economic History: From the Middle Ages to the Second World War	Spring	5
Stage 2 Options - D)MIN10CR: Students must take 50 credits of core and option modules. The remaining 10 credits must be used for electives and/or option modules.
Stage 3 Core Modules
ECON20010	Intermediate Microeconomics I	Autumn	5
FIN20040	Foundations of Finance	Autumn	5
GEOG30820	Development Geographies	Autumn	5
SUST30020	Sustainability in Action(SUST)	Autumn	5
BMGT20050	Business Across Borders	Autumn and Spring (separate)	5
BMGT20150	Sustainable Operations & Supply Chain Management	Spring	5
ECON20160	Economics of the Environment	Spring	5
ENVB20050	Principles of Environmental Biology & Ecology	Spring	5
Stage 3 Core Modules
Stage 3 Options - B)MIN10CR: Students must take 50 credits of core and option modules. The remaining 10 credits must be used for electives and/or option modules.
BMGT10160	Global Marketplace	Autumn	5
BMGT10170	Inside Organisations	Autumn	5
BMGT30100	Leadership and Change Management	Autumn	5
BMGT30330	Governing International Trade, Finance, Climate and the Internet	Autumn	5
BMGT30430	Doing Business in the Global South	Autumn	5
ECON20060	Irish Economy: Policy Making in a Global Context	Autumn	5
ECON30410	Development Economics	Autumn	5
ECON30520	R for Economists	Autumn	5
MKT30040	Consumer Psychology	Autumn	5
MKT30170	Brand Management	Autumn	5
ECON20040	Statistics for Economists	Autumn and Spring (separate)	5
ECON30130	Econometrics: Applying Statistics to Economic Data	Autumn and Spring (separate)	5
BMGT10150	Project Management	Spring	5
BMGT20080	Consulting with NGOs	Spring	5
BMGT20100	Developing Future Leaders	Spring	5
BMGT20160	Business and Social Enterprise	Spring	5
BMGT20210	Business and the European Union	Spring	5
ECON10020	Principles of Macroeconomics	Spring	5
ECON20130	Economic History: From the Middle Ages to the Second World War	Spring	5
ECON20180	Intermediate Microeconomics II	Spring	5
ECON30190	Public Economics: Government Spending, Taxation and Public Choice	Spring	5
ECON30260	The Economics of the Transport Sector	Spring	5
Stage 3 Options - B)MIN10CR: Students must take 50 credits of core and option modules. The remaining 10 credits must be used for electives and/or option modules.
Stage 4 Core Modules
SUST40050	Interdisciplinary Project	Autumn	10
BMGT30220	Supply Chain Management	Spring	5
ECON30600	Economics of Climate Change	Spring	5
Stage 4 Core Modules
Stage 4 Options - B)1OF: Students must select 1 module from this list.
BMGT30100	Leadership and Change Management	Autumn	5
BMGT30330	Governing International Trade, Finance, Climate and the Internet	Autumn	5
BMGT30430	Doing Business in the Global South	Autumn	5
MKT30040	Consumer Psychology	Autumn	5
MKT30170	Brand Management	Autumn	5
BMGT20180	Wellbeing and Work	Spring	5
BMGT20190	Introduction to Negotiations	Spring	5
HRM30060	An Introduction to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion	Spring	5
HRM30140	Climate Change & Business Sustainability	Spring	5
MIS20090	Design Thinking	Spring	5
MKT30090	Marketing Communications: Content and Campaigns in the Digital Age	Spring	5
Stage 4 Options - B)1OF: Students must select 1 module from this list.
Stage 4 Options - D)MIN5CR: Students must take 5 credits from the Environmental specialisation options. Students must take 5 credits from the Social Sciences, Policy & Law specialisation options. Students can choose to take an additional 5 credits from either of these option lists; this means that students can choose to take two 5 credit modules or one 10 credit module from either the Environmental Sciences or Social Sciences, Policy & Law option lists.
GEOG30860	Environmental Assessment	Autumn	5
GEOL40450	Environmental Geoscience	Autumn	5
GEOL20110	Global Environmental Change	Autumn and Spring (separate)	5
BSEN40110	Advanced Air Pollution	Spring	10
FOR20110	Forests, Climate and Carbon	Spring	5
Stage 4 Options - D)MIN5CR: Students must take 5 credits from the Environmental specialisation options. Students must take 5 credits from the Social Sciences, Policy & Law specialisation options. Students can choose to take an additional 5 credits from either of these option lists; this means that students can choose to take two 5 credit modules or one 10 credit module from either the Environmental Sciences or Social Sciences, Policy & Law option lists.
Stage 4 Options - E)MIN5CR: Students must take 5 credits from the Social Sciences, Policy & Law options. Students must take 5 credits from the Environmental Sciences specialisation options. Students can choose to take an additional 5 credits from either of these option lists; this means that students can choose to take two 5 credit modules or one 10 credit module from either the Environmental Sciences or Social Sciences, Policy & Law option lists.
GEOG30860	Environmental Assessment	Autumn	5
LAW30470	International Human Rights Law	Autumn	5
SOC30560	Global Inequalities	Autumn	5
GEOG30840	The Urban Environment	Spring	5
GEOG30940	Global Risks and Resilience	Spring	5
SPOL41120	Sustainable Futures and Public Policy	Spring	10
Stage 4 Options - E)MIN5CR: Students must take 5 credits from the Social Sciences, Policy & Law options. Students must take 5 credits from the Environmental Sciences specialisation options. Students can choose to take an additional 5 credits from either of these option lists; this means that students can choose to take two 5 credit modules or one 10 credit module from either the Environmental Sciences or Social Sciences, Policy & Law option lists.
Stage 4 Options - F)MIN5CR: Students must take 5 credits from the Social Sciences, Policy & Law specialisation options. Students must take 5 credits from the Environmental Sciences specialisation options. Students can choose to take an additional 5 credits from either of these option lists; this means that students can choose to take two 5 credit modules or one 10 credit module from Social Sciences, Policy and Law or Environmental Sciences option lists. The remaining credits must be selected from Business & Economics option modules. SBUS30280 Business Internship Summer (5 credits) is listed as an option module but is not possible to select it yourself. It will be added to your Autumn module registration manually by staff once you have successfully completed the module.
BMGT30100	Leadership and Change Management	Autumn	5
BMGT30330	Governing International Trade, Finance, Climate and the Internet	Autumn	5
BMGT30430	Doing Business in the Global South	Autumn	5
ECON20060	Irish Economy: Policy Making in a Global Context	Autumn	5
ECON30410	Development Economics	Autumn	5
ECON30520	R for Economists	Autumn	5
MKT30040	Consumer Psychology	Autumn	5
MKT30170	Brand Management	Autumn	5
SBUS30280	Business Internship Summer	Autumn	5
ECON30130	Econometrics: Applying Statistics to Economic Data	Autumn and Spring (separate)	5
BMGT20180	Wellbeing and Work	Spring	5
BMGT20190	Introduction to Negotiations	Spring	5
ECON30190	Public Economics: Government Spending, Taxation and Public Choice	Spring	5
ECON30260	The Economics of the Transport Sector	Spring	5
ECON30500	Field Experiments Social Sci	Spring	5
HRM30060	An Introduction to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion	Spring	5
HRM30140	Climate Change & Business Sustainability	Spring	5
MIS20090	Design Thinking	Spring	5
MKT30090	Marketing Communications: Content and Campaigns in the Digital Age	Spring	5
Stage 4 Options - F)MIN5CR: Students must take 5 credits from the Social Sciences, Policy & Law specialisation options. Students must take 5 credits from the Environmental Sciences specialisation options. Students can choose to take an additional 5 credits from either of these option lists; this means that students can choose to take two 5 credit modules or one 10 credit module from Social Sciences, Policy and Law or Environmental Sciences option lists. The remaining credits must be selected from Business & Economics option modules. SBUS30280 Business Internship Summer (5 credits) is listed as an option module but is not possible to select it yourself. It will be added to your Autumn module registration manually by staff once you have successfully completed the module.
Stage 4 Options - G)0OF: Students who did not take these modules in Stage 3 (or an equivalent module while on exchange) must take them in Stage 4.
ECON30610	Economics of Natural Resources	Autumn	5
ECON20160	Economics of the Environment	Spring	5
Stage 4 Options - G)0OF: Students who did not take these modules in Stage 3 (or an equivalent module while on exchange) must take them in Stage 4.

		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