Sustainability with Social Sciences, Policy & Law

This degree subject focuses on the social, legal, governance and justice dimensions of sustainability. Progressing towards sustainability to ensure a healthy planet and human wellbeing requires significant societal adaptation and behavioural change. How we can encourage the required transformations to ensure that new policy and legal frameworks deliver outcomes and that environmental protection is coupled with the quality of life considerations, is a core focus of this degree subject. If you are interested in human behaviour and change, social equity, wellbeing, institutions, policy, humanenvironment interactions and interdependence, then this is the degree subject for you.

Sustainability with Social Sciences, Policy & Law is one of the degree subjects available through the common entry Sustainability course.

Students study a common first year for the three Sustainability degree subjects and at the end of first year, students choose their degree major. Assuming students meet all the academic requirements, students are guaranteed their degree major, which they study in second, third and fourth year. Each year has a range of interesting core (compulsory) modules related to each of the three areas of sustainability, as well as option modules in your degree major. Indicative modules included are as follows:

First Year

In first year you study core modules focusing on sustainability concepts and skills, along with core and option modules from each of the three degree subjects. Modules include:

• Introduction to Sustainability
• Sustainability Challenges
• Principles of Scientific Enquiry
• Practical Statistics
• Mapping a Sustainable World
• Environmental Change & Policy
• Business in Society
• Economics

Second Year 

• Sustainability: Research Tools
• Careers and Innovation in Sustainability
• Human Rights & Social Justice
• Introduction to GIS for Sustainability
• Quantitative Research Methods
• Sociology of the Environment
• Environment, Social Policy & Human Wellbeing
• Chemistry
• Microeconomics
• Cities in a Global World

Third Year 

In third year, you will participate in Sustainability In Action – an immersive week-long international field course in the Autumn – and have opportunities including an overseas exchange for one trimester (Spring) and/or a substantial internship (Summer). Other modules on offer include:

• Environmental Management
• Applied Ethics
• Global Historical Geographies
• Global Inequalities
• Principles of Environmental Biology & Ecology
• Social Policy, Social Justice and the Environment
• Marketing: An Introduction

Fourth Year

In your final year, you will participate in a team-based interdisciplinary research project on a sustainability challenge, as well as to complete an independent piece of research. You will also deepen your knowledge within your degree subject and have the opportunity to focus on particular aspects of sustainability such as gender justice, environmental assessment, sustainable cities, and communities, and European environmental policy.

There will be opportunities to apply for exchange programmes and an international field trip is a core component of the third year experience. In previous years, students have travelled to Copenhagen for this module. Students will also have the opportunity to apply for international internships with relevant industries and employers. Placements are secured through a competitive process.

Graduates from this degree subject will have highly developed analytical skills, methodological and research competency, flexibility and the ability to deal with complex problems requiring interdisciplinary solutions. These attributes are in significant demand in the public and private sectors. For example, corporate businesses, private consultancy firms, banking and education, as well as in civil society organisations, state agencies, think tanks and transnational organisations such as the UNDP, European Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, and Teagasc. Students will be well equipped to undertake further study at Masters and Doctoral levels in a range of disciplinary areas.

• Level 5/6 QQI-FET
• Open Learning Entry Route
• Mature Entry Route
• DARE Entry Route
• HEAR Entry Route

UCD Science Office

You can contact the UCD Science Office in the following ways:

• Submit your query using our dedicated Contact Form.


• Drop into the office in the UCD O'Brien Centre for Science, Science East, Room E1.09. Our office opening hours are 10am to 4pm (during term time).