Global ecological change caused by human activities has led to an increasing awareness that the earth’s natural resources are limited. To ensure a sustainable source of the basic raw materials for human survival – food, water and shelter – our natural resources must be managed according to fundamental ecological principles. New policies and practices are continually being adopted in response to global change. As is clearly evident in media presentations and in changing A-level curricula, these problems are moving higher up the national consciousness. These issues affect every continent and can best be addressed, therefore, through a ‘One World’ approach that recognises the global importance of all natural resources.

 

The main aims of this programme are to provide an understanding of the biological and socio-economic factors that contribute to differences in the ecological footprint of diverse societies around the world, and to teach students how to apply the analytical and practical skills required to bring about ecologically sound sustainable management of our changing environments at the regional, national and international level.

 

The Natural Resources Institute is renowned internationally for its accomplishments in the promotion of economic and social development in both developing and developed countries. The level of expert training offered by NRI staff in the design and application of policy and practice in sustainable management of natural resources is unique in the UK.

Who should study this programme?

We encourage recent school graduates and mature students to apply if they are interested in pursuing a career as: advisers to local and international businesses on reducing carbon footprints and investments in food/biofuel production; urban and rural planning and regeneration; environmental impact assessment; carbon and ecological footprinting consultancy; and local/overseas governmental and nongovernmental organisations or commercial companies concerned with resource management, waste reduction and recycling.

Year 1

• Ecology of Social and Environmental Global Change
• Earth’s Dynamic Systems
• Science and the Environment
• Society, Economy and Sustainability

Year 2

• Management of Agricultural Systems
• Modelling and IT
• Sustainability: An Interdisciplinary Perspective
• Research Methods and Project Management Skills

Optional Sandwich Year

Final Year

• Research Dissertation
• Six options chosen from:
• Climate Change and Risk Assessment;
• Ecological Footprinting;
• Biofuels v. Food Production;
• The Yield Gap Between Developing and Developed Countries;
• Global Imbalance in Livelihoods Opportunities;
• Global Health Risks and Disease Epidemiology;
• Ethics and Sustainability of World Trade;
• Organic Agriculture

Career opportunities

Graduates are likely to go on to further postgraduate study, or a career related to local jobs in industry and global climate change management; government, private company or self-employment consultancies on carbon neutral planning, ecological footprinting, and ecosystem assessment; UK governmental agencies, such as DFID, Defra, the Environment Agency and English Nature; NGOs, such as FARM-Africa and Oxfam; development banks, such as the World Bank Young Professionals; and international civil service agencies, such as the UN and the EU.

 

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