Everything you need to know...
-
What is the fee?
Home: £9,535 per year
International/EU: £17,155 per year (£1,200 for placement year) -
How long will I study?
4/5 Years
-
Where will I study?
-
What are the entry requirements?
-
What is the UCAS code?
BB28
-
When do I start?
September 2025
-
Placement year available?
Yes
Course summary
- Study the drivers and impacts of the climate emergency, combining multidisciplinary approaches to explore solutions for a sustainable future
- Gain anti-colonial, global perspectives of the varied dimensions of sustainability challenges, from environmental science, ecology, policy and social science
- Combine work placements and innovative classroom learning to develop applied analytical skills for sustainable environmental management
- Build your network with ethical business leaders, international partners and voluntary organisations
- Prepare for the degree with an extra foundation year at the start
This applied course will prepare you to tackle critical global challenges, with specialist knowledge in topics of critical importance. You’ll become a catalyst of change, harnessing practical skills relevant to business, the public sector, research and non-governmental organisations.
This course is professionally accredited by the Institution of Environmental Sciences.
Come to an open day
Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
How you learn
On this course you’re able to specialise in critical areas for green careers, building your education around your ambitions. Crucially, the course is centred on applied, real-world experience, developed through employers, international partnerships, and civic activities within the local community.
Learning and assessment is focused on hands-on, skills-based learning – taking a positive, solutions-based approach to the existential challenges posed by complex connections between the natural world and society. You’ll benefit from both classroom and real-world training – preparing yourself to face a future that demands urgent action.
High-quality teaching will be delivered by academics who conduct cutting-edge research – many of whom have professional experience in the environmental sector. Their specialisms include social patterns of resource consumption, rewilding and ecology, and environmental geoscience.
You learn through:
- Outdoor learning
- Work placements
- Site visits
- Laboratory work
- Residential field trips
- Workshops
- Seminars
- IT sessions
- Lectures
- Online learning
- Debates and discussions
Key themes
This course is designed to ignite your passion for change. With inclusion at its core, the course takes an anti-colonial, international approach to climate, sustainability and environment teaching and learning. By bringing together natural and social sciences, you’ll explore a range of interconnected themes crucial to understanding and addressing the climate and biodiversity emergencies.
Pathway themes include:
- Energy, resources and consumption
- Environmental change
- Sustainable societies
- Nature’s recovery
Within these themes, topics include the energy transition, conservation and habitat management, adaptation and mitigation for a low-carbon future, sustainable waste and resource management, social and environmental justice, and disaster risk reduction.
You’ll also have the opportunity to study and work abroad, with the possibility of funding through the Turing Scheme.
Course-level support
At every level of study, students are given the opportunity to thrive, culturally, personally and professionally. Throughout your learning journey, you’ll experience a range of dedicated support, such as:
- Access to specialist support services to help with your personal, academic and career development
- Access to our Skills Centre with one-to-ones, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments
- Access to support, resources, employer events and opportunities from your Careers & Employability Team
Find out more about our courses, facilities and student community on the SHU Geography and Environment website.
Course leaders and tutors
Applied learning
Your course has been designed to embrace real-world challenges and provide you with the practical skills and knowledge to be successful.
Work placement and study abroad
You’ll have the opportunity to arrange a year-long work placement in between your second and final years. This gives you valuable work experience to prepare you for your future career and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.
A sandwich placement is recognised as the ‘gold standard’ opportunity to apply your knowledge within an industry of your choice, which we expect all our students to aspire to. Your course is designed to give you the knowledge, confidence and readiness to secure and succeed in your placement.
Networking
Throughout the course, you’ll have the opportunity to interact and network with business figures – on employer-guided projects, guest lectures, and careers events. You’ll gain hands-on experience on live projects, working for reputable employers as part of your learning.
You can also take part in coordinated volunteering in the local community and engage with accrediting bodies and staff research projects to further apply your skills in real-world contexts. These are chances to shine, make connections, and build a solid foundation for your future career.
Outdoor learning
This course transcends the confines of the classroom – applied learning and real-world context are key to your future and success. Throughout your degree, your learning is enriched with activities from residential and field visits to natural and urban environments that extend your perspectives.
There are also opportunities to visit key industries providing solutions for the future, which further increase your networking prospects.
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in:
- Sustainability consultancy
- Environmental consultancy
- Ecology and biodiversity consultancy
- Climate change governance and policy
- Energy and resources
- Waste management
- Green infrastructure
- Environmental science
- Geospatial modelling
- Wildlife conservation
- Academic research and think tanks
- Teaching
You can also work in climate and sustainability roles in many other sectors, including law, business, finance and management.
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
We’ve invested over £100m in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries and study spaces designed by our students.
On this course you will have access to:
- A wide range of field equipment for sampling, surveying, measuring and monitoring the natural environment
- Cutting-edge laboratories for analysing environmental materials and contaminants
- An engineering laboratory with a hydraulic flume
- Various Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software packages and technology
- A bespoke resources room for group work, IT work and quiet study
360 tour - Materials Lab
Learn more about your department
Natural and Built Environment Facilities Tour
Take a look around the natural and built environment facilities at Sheffield Hallam University with lecturer Camila Bassi.
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 64
This must include at least 32 points from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications excluding general studies For example:
- CC at A Level
- MPP in BTEC Extended Diploma.
- Pass overall from a T level qualification with D or E from core
- A combination of qualifications, which may include AS levels and EPQ.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- English Language at grade C or 4 or equivalent
- Maths at grade C or 4 or equivalent
ACCESS
- Access to HE Diploma, with at least 45 level 3 credits.
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Module and assessment information for future years is displayed as currently validated and may be liable to change. When selecting electives, your choices will be subject to the core requirements of the course. As a result, selections may be limited to a choice between one of two or more specified electives in some instances.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Contemporary Issues In Social Science 1
Contemporary Issues In Social Science 2
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Building A Sustainable Future
How Did We Get Here? Climate Change From Deep Time To The Anthropocene
Skills And Tools For Tackling Global Environmental Challenges
Under Pressure – The Impacts Of The Climate Crisis
Year 3
Compulsory modules
Climate Change And Sustainability In Research And Practice.
Fieldwork For Global Challenges
Global Climate Emergency
Leave No One Behind: Just Transitions To A Sustainable Future
Year 4
Compulsory modules
Placement
Final year
Compulsory modules
Independent Discovery And Communication
Living Well In A Low Carbon Future
Living With Hazard And Risk
Nature Recovery And Sustainable Resource Management
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students on full-time undergraduate degree courses in 2025/26 is £9,535 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year). These fees are regulated by the UK government and therefore subject to change in future years. We are currently reviewing our tuition fees for the foundation year stage of this course following the Government announcement of fee changes for some foundation year courses and will confirm fees as soon as possible.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Institute of Social Sciences (PDF, 141.3KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
