Graduate School of Environment and Sustainability
Help lead a global Greener, Healthier and Fairer revolution by studying one of our world-leading, interdisciplinary Masters degrees here at the University of Exeter, Cornwall.
Make a positive difference to the future of our planet
The Graduate School of Environment and Sustainability brings together experts from across the spectrum of earth and life sciences, engineering, humanities, social sciences and business. Our programmes are all designed with a focus on developing solutions to global challenges and creating a better future for our planet and its people.
We are at the forefront of environmental and social sustainability research, and our programmes draw on that expertise to help our students to build a greener, healthier and fairer future.
A location like no other
Our Cornwall campus
Home to a close-knit community solving some of the biggest issues in today’s world.
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Interdisciplinary Masters degrees in Cornwall
Our programmes are designed to allow you to tailor your studies to your specific areas of interest. You can select from a wide range of modules from across all University Faculties for the most holistic experience.
Critical minerals
From solar panels to mobile phones, lithium-ion batteries to televisions, key elements of our modern lives rely upon specific natural resources buried deep in the ground. And the way to access these materials? Mining. The industry supports roughly 45% of the world’s economic activities and is essential for helping us transition to a net-zero future.
Mining in a socially and environmentally sustainable way is vitally important. Our programmes benefit from excellent links with the local and international minerals industry, and ensure you gain the skills needed for a successful career.
Explore our critical minerals degrees
Courses
Data science
The concurrent crises of health, climate and environment require interdisciplinary solutions underpinned by sophisticated, contemporary understanding and modelling in a data-intensive world.
Our programmes will provide you with an understanding of and confidence in using real-world data and mathematical models to address the big societal issues of the 21st Century. You’ll learn subjects across Data Science and Analytics including network analysis, text analysis and machine vision, as well as social contexts, governance and ethical considerations.
Explore our data science degrees
Courses
Ecology, conservation and evolution
Healthy ecosystems and biological diversity give us all the necessary elements for our survival. They provide food, medicine, shelter and other material goods, and they also help ensure we have clean air and clean water.
Our programmes provide opportunities to build an advanced understanding of evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology and animal behaviour, acquire techniques for monitoring populations and communities, and explore and understand the implications of conservation policy. You can also develop expertise in data-driven perspectives on ecology, evolution, conservation, biodiversity, and epidemiology.
Explore our ecology and conservation degrees
Courses
Environment and human health
Never before has the delicate balance between people’s health and wellbeing and that of the planet come into such sharp focus and our academics are pioneering interdisciplinary research to ensure local, national and global actions are better informed by the needs of both.
On our programmes you can investigate the intricate relationships between contemporary global human health and the environment, explore how factors such as climate change, air pollution, microbes, social inequalities and access to green and blue spaces impact health, and study microbial evolution, and the evolution and ecology of infectious diseases caused by bacterial and viral pathogens.
Courses
Marine environment
Oceans cover three quarters of the Earth’s surface. They drive the global systems that make the planet habitable, impacting rainfall, drinking water, weather patterns, coastlines, much of our food, and even the air we breathe. More than three billion people around the world depend on marine and coastal environments for their livelihoods. Conserving and sustainably using our oceans, seas and marine resources, is essential for ensuring a healthier future for all life on earth.
Our programmes allow you to specialise in a specific area of marine conservation. You will be able to explore the relationships between coastal and marine ecosystems and human activity, examine how environmental sustainability can be achieved while improving social wellbeing and resilience of coastal communities, and learn how to protect marine vertebrate populations.
Explore our marine environment degrees
Courses
Policy and governance
The climate crisis is not just an environmental challenge, but also a social one. Human behaviour is driving climate change, so changes to political, social and economic behaviours must be considered. It is vital to understand how people respond to environmental changes in order to make effective policy decisions and transform awareness into action.
Gain the critical tools and understanding to address environmental challenges and develop solutions that take into account the impact and complexity of issues such as climate change and ecological destruction, environmental inequality and socio-ecological injustice. Explore what environmental justice might look like and how it can be achieved, bringing together key interdisciplinary threads in a holistic approach to exploring these issues.
Courses
Renewable energy
Fossil fuels are the largest contributor to climate change around the world, accounting for more than 75 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. To achieve net-zero and avoid the worst impacts of climate change we need to transition from generating energy by burning fossil fuels, to using alternative sources that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable.
You can be part of this clean, green revolution by studying with us at our dedicated Renewable Energy Engineering Facility (REEF). With access to some of the exceptional on and off-shore renewable energy facilities that Cornwall has to offer, you’ll learn how renewable energy technologies are designed, built and efficiently deployed.
Explore our renewable energy degrees
Courses
You also have the option to choose one of five specialist pathways on the Renewable Energy Engineering MSc - you will receive advice about the pathways once you join us so you don’t need to make any decisions in advance. This will allow you graduate with a specialist degree e.g. MSc Renewable Energy Engineering (Low Carbon Transport).
- Energy Storage Systems
- Low Carbon Transport
- Offshore Energy
- Solar Energy
- Wind Energy
Sustainable development and business
How can we meet the needs of the present without harming the future? Focusing on just one need can have unintended consequences elsewhere and the longer we pursue unsustainable development the greater these impacts will be. To build a greener, healthier, fairer future we must find better ways of doing things, both within business and communities.
Our programmes allow you to study a variety of disciplines such as climate change, policy and governance, and environment and human health, taught by experts in the most pressing sustainability problems. You will focus on seeking solutions to these global challenges, understand the role of business in creating a sustainable future and critically evaluate policy solutions.
Explore our sustainable development degrees
Courses
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Hear from our students, alumni and academics
Hear from more of our students, alumni and academics on our blog
'State of the Earth' podcast
Led by current students, we explore the issues shaping our planet’s future and take a look at the ways in which we can make a positive difference – through advances in technology and engineering, conservation science, health and social policy, business management, ecosystem ecology, and more.
Listen and subscribe via Spotify Apple Amazon and wherever else you get your podcasts!
