BSc Environmental Management and Sustainability

With this BSc Environmental Management and Sustainability degree, you will explore the scientific and socio-economic issues behind sound environmental management, while developing your professional and scientific skills.

Land is facing increasing conflicts related to its management for different purposes. These include food production, renewable energy, protection of soil and water resources, nature conservation, urban development and the provision of space for recreation and tourism.

Taught by the Department of Sustainable Land Management, our BSc Environmental Management and Sustainability degree enables you to build on your interests and prepare for a career in this area. 

During this degree you will learn about the technical, scientific and socioeconomic aspects of environmental issues, and develop methods for tackling them. The course focuses on the needs of employers and you will develop your professional skills alongside your scientific knowledge, using exercises such as mock consultancies. Additionally, you will carry out a short industry placement and have the chance to study abroad.

You'll be able to tailor this course to suit your specific interests by selecting from a range of optional modules. You will be taught by staff from a number of Schools and Departments across the University, covering subjects such as human geography, environmental science, ecology, economics and international development.

The University of Reading has been at the forefront of research into sustainability and the environment for many decades. You'll be based in a school that is ranked 1st in the UK, and is one of the top 20 universities in the world, for Agriculture and Forestry (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2023).

Our staff are actively engaged in research and tailor their teaching to reflect the changing trends and emerging technologies within the sector. You will also benefit from our small class sizes.

Our BSc Environmental Management and Sustainability course shares some modules with environmental and ecology courses offered by other departments and you will be able to tap into their specialist knowledge.

There is a strong practical element to the course and many modules offer frequent field trips. The University of Reading's award-winning campus is home to over 1,000 different animal species and is extremely useful for learning fieldwork skills. It offers multiple habitats for study, including meadows, lakes and semi-urban areas, and allows you to step straight from the classroom to the field.

The University's large farms provide access to farmland and woodland environments, as well as the River Thames. The course includes two compulsory residential field courses, which will give you exposure to the management of sustainability in coastal and urban environments in the UK and Netherlands. During the final year you will carry out an independent project, and will normally be embedded within one of the School's research groups, working alongside leading academics. Our specialist areas include land management, biodiversity conservation, climate change and food security.

You will carry out a one-week mini placement year in an organisation related to environmental management or sustainability. This will provide you with valuable experience of professional work, as well as enabling you to develop your professional, research, survey, data analysis and presentation skills.

Alternatively, you can choose our four-year BSc Environmental Management and Sustainability with Placement Year course, which incorporates a year-long professional placement at an environment based organisation.

The Department has a dedicated member of staff in charge of placements, who can provide you with advice and support. 

As part of your degree, you could choose to spend two weeks, a term, or an academic year abroad.

We have links with a number of universities around the world, and our students have recently studied in countries such as Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia and the USA.