Sustainability Transitions, MSc
Introduction
This programme is designed to train the future generation of innovators and thinkers who have the passion and ambition to deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and become true sustainability leaders which the world needs.
- This course has both January and September start dates.
Study Information
Study Options
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Degree Qualification
- MSc
- Duration
- 12 months or 24 months
- Study Mode
- Full Time or Part Time
- Start Month
- September or January
- Location of Study
- Aberdeen
While societies and economies are embarking on complex transitions to more sustainable practices in order to mitigate climate change and address contemporary environmental challenges, there is a shortage of leaders with appropriate skills and knowledge to take this agenda forward and help make the world a more sustainable place.
Sustainable development – the balancing of environmental, economic and social goals – is the greatest challenge facing the planet today. The transitions to more sustainable forms of production and consumption which organisations, firms, and institutions, as well as entire communities, societies and economies need to undergo to mitigate climate change are, however, far from simple.
Apart from the shift from carbon-intensive systems to less environmentally destructive arrangements based on renewable sources of energy and greener practices, such transitions require corresponding changes in governance structures, institutional frameworks, legal regulations, public perception and consumption patterns.
Moreover, each industry and each community, region, and country faces challenges of a different kind, with the need to reconcile numerous conflicting objectives often remaining the most serious one. Never before has the world needed qualified professionals to lead transitions to sustainability more than now!
To provide students with a comprehensive understanding of what sustainability transitions entail, the programme covers a wide array of topics, addresses challenges faced by different sectors and utilises case studies drawn from different parts of the world – both more and less developed states.
Students are taught not only by academics, but also by experts in a range of fields, including energy transitions, coastal management, land management, tourism, and transport.
The programme includes multiple field trips and visits to organisations that champion sustainable practices, which helps students to engage with government, industry and business.
Available Programmes of Study
The information listed below is the structure followed for September starts. Those that commence the degree in January will study the same courses but in a slightly different order. When a student commences in January, they will undertake the semester 2 courses at the same time as the September cohort of students. The January start students will then study the Semester 1 courses, followed by the summer project.
- MSc
-
Sustainability Transitions
Qualification Duration Learning Mode Study Mode Start Month LocationMSc 12 months or 24 months On Campus Learning Full Time or Part Time January Aberdeen MoreProgramme Fees
Fee information Fee category Cost EU / International students £22,000 Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year UK £10,000 Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year Graduates of the University of Aberdeen are eligible for the Alumni Postgraduate Scholarship, which reduces the tuition fee to £7,000, in line with the current tuition fee loan amount offered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). Please see the following for full terms and conditions: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/funding/653 Semester 1
Compulsory Courses
- The Leadership Challenge (BU5584)
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15 Credit Points
This course provides an opportunity to explore and develop an understanding of your own leadership behaviour. Through workshops, group activities and discussions we investigate how personality, past experience, current situations and culture shape the way each of us behave in a leadership role. Using this information as a starting point we then explore how different leadership theories and approaches can be used as frameworks for developing a deeper understanding of leadership behaviour. You will also have an opportunity to try out a range of practical tools and techniques to assist you in the development of your own approach to leadership.
- Governance and Political Economy of Sustainability (GG5557)
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15 Credit Points
This course will provide students with knowledge of theories of governance in the context of sustainable development. It will focus on the political economy of sustainable development and the political and economic tensions between different institutions, levels of administration and sectors of economy. Students will learn about theories of governance pertaining to the natural environment and sustainable development. They will explore the different institutional scales (e.g. local, national, global) of environmental governance and the processes of decision making for environmental governance. The course will also investigate the tensions between social, economic and environmental objectives for sustainable development.
- Research Methods (GG5516)
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15 Credit Points
Students are introduced to relevant research methods for the analysis of rural, land, property, and environmental resources. The course is the fundamental building block for the substantive dissertation or partnership project that students undertake over the summer. Topics studied in detail include strategy formulation for effective literature review, various methodological approaches, the selection of appropriate methods for carrying out specified research exercises and the production of feasible research proposals and programmes of work.
- Partnerships for Sustainability (GG5571)
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15 Credit Points
Partnerships for Sustainability provides an overview understanding and analysis of the role of partnerships as a means of delivering and governing the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD5506)
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This course, which is prescribed for all taught postgraduate students, is studied entirely online, takes approximately 5-6 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across a number of weeks.
Topics include orientation overview, equality and diversity, health, safety and cyber security and how to make the most of your time at university in relation to careers and employability.
Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Enhanced Transcript as ‘Achieved’.
Semester 2
Compulsory Courses
- Sustainability Project (GG5913)
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60 Credit Points
The aim of the Sustainability Project is to enable students to produce an independent and original piece of work that demonstrates advanced knowledge in a chosen aspect of sustainability transitions. Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to identify, define and develop appropriate research questions, and collect and analyse qualitative and quantitative data to address specific research aims using a range of standard and specialised techniques of enquiry.
Semester 3
Compulsory Courses
- Contemporary Environmental Challenges (GG5056)
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15 Credit Points
This course will introduce students to contemporary environmental issues at various temporal and spatial scales, and will explore associated environmental management challenges. Students will learn about different conceptual and theoretical approaches to the study of environmental challenges and they will explore the key drivers of environmental challenges from local to global scales. Lecturers will draw on their own research experience and use case studies to illustrate many of these issues.
- Rural and Environmental Policy and Law (GG5071)
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15 Credit Points
The course provides an understanding of the role of policy and the law in regulating the use, management, development, planning, acquisition and transfer of land and natural resources. It covers legislation for environmental protection, conservation and designations, at Scottish, UK and international levels. The course also examines access legislation, community right to buy and community-based planning, agricultural holdings, rent reviews and powers regarding compulsory purchase of land. Part of the course is dedicated to a teamwork module to build student skills in communication and engagement, planning and managing work in terms.
- Sustainability Transitions - Challenges and Opportunities (GG5072)
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15 Credit Points
This course will discuss the theoretical (and historical) evolution of the notion of sustainability, discuss various related concepts such as green growth and the green economy, introduce the topic of sustainability transitions as an interdisciplinary issue, explore the theory of sustainability transitions and discuss various technological, political, economic and socio-cultural challenges which transitions to sustainable forms of production and consumption must overcome to be successful.
- Introduction to Energy Transition: Demand, Technologies and Economics (EG504H)
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15 Credit Points
This course gives students an introduction and overview of energy transition, by focussing on the three key areas of demand, technology and economics. It begins with an introduction to the current energy system and the motivation for an energy transition. There follows a characterisation of the key drivers that underpin our social and economic reliance on energy. Subsequently, behavioural measures and technologies to enable the energy transition are examined and assessed according to diverse technical, economic and environmental criteria.
MSc 12 months or 24 months On Campus Learning Full Time or Part Time September Aberdeen MoreProgramme Fees
Fee information Fee category Cost EU / International students £22,000 Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year UK £10,000 Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year Graduates of the University of Aberdeen are eligible for the Alumni Postgraduate Scholarship, which reduces the tuition fee to £7,000, in line with the current tuition fee loan amount offered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). Please see the following for full terms and conditions: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/funding/653
We will endeavour to make all course options available. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.
Fee Information
Additional Fee Information
- Fees for individual programmes can be viewed in the Programmes section above.
- In exceptional circumstances there may be additional fees associated with specialist courses, for example field trips. Any additional fees for a course can be found in our Catalogue of Courses.
- For more information about tuition fees for this programme, including payment plans and our refund policy, please visit our Tuition Fees page.
Scholarships
All eligible self-funded international Postgraduate Masters students starting in September 2025 will receive an £8,000 scholarship. Learn more about this Aberdeen Global Scholarship here.
To see our full range of scholarships, visit our Funding Database.
How You'll Study
Learning Methods
- Field Trips
- Field Work
- Group Projects
- Individual Projects
- Lectures
- Research
- Tutorials
Assessment Methods
By coursework, by written examination, or by a combination of these, as prescribed for each course. Please see individual course entries in the Postgraduate Catalogue of Courses, or departmental documentation, for further details.
Why Study Sustainability Transitions?
- This MSc is designed to train future sustainability leaders who will have the skills, knowledge and passion to make the world a more sustainable place. Anyone with background knowledge of sustainable development and with a strong motivation to help the planet become more sustainable is welcome to apply.
- The nature and composition of teaching on the programme ensures that the skills students learn can be applied globally, across government, industry and business.
- The programme has been designed in close consultation with a range of relevant organisations, agencies and institutions promoting sustainability transitions.
- The programme combines theoretical knowledge on environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable development and sustainability transitions with important practical employment-ready skills such as grant preparation, policy development, and project leadership.
- The programme attracts graduates from a wide range of social and physical science disciplines, including existing managers in the industry, which provides an important platform for knowledge exchange and significantly enhances the learning experience which the programme offers.
- Students are taught by academics from different schools and disciplines, as well as experts in a range of fields, which provides students with access to different pools of academic and professional expertise. Some of our closest external partners include Marine Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, SEPA, UK Government Defra, Zero Waste Scotland, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Council, the Cairngorms National Park and a number of local environmental partnerships.
- As part of the programme, students undertake a ‘sustainability project’ - an independent and original piece of research that demonstrates advanced specialist knowledge of a chosen aspect of sustainability. The project is carried out in collaboration with one of our partner organisations.
- With Scotland being an unquestionable leader in the field of sustainability, and Aberdeen being ‘the energy capital of Europe’, there is no better place to learn about sustainability transitions than the North-East of Scotland. The advantage of being based here also derives from the proximity to some of the most important and geographically varied landscapes in the whole UK.
Entry Requirements
Motivation and understanding of this degree is an important factor in securing admission. Your personal statement/statement of purpose should focus on covering the following points:
- Clear understanding of the degree and its underlying principles;
- Previous relevant experience in relation to sustainability;
- Information on how the degree will help with future career development.
Qualifications
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the University of Aberdeen.
2:2 (Honours) degree (or equivalent) in Agriculture, Business, Ecology, Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Environmental Economics, Environmental Engineering, Forestry, Geography, Geology, Law, Marine Science, Planning, Politics, Sociology, Soil Science, Zoology.
Candidates with degrees in other subject areas will be considered if they can demonstrate interest, aptitude and experience in a field relevant to the application of environmental studies and management.
Please enter your country or territory to view relevant entry requirements.
English Language Requirements
To study for a Postgraduate Taught degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write English fluently. The minimum requirements for this degree are as follows:
IELTS Academic:
OVERALL - 6.5 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 5.5; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0
TOEFL iBT:
OVERALL - 90 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21
PTE Academic:
OVERALL - 62 with: Listening - 59; Reading - 59; Speaking - 59; Writing - 59
Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency:
OVERALL - 176 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 162; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169
Read more about specific English Language requirements here.
Document Requirements
You will be required to supply the following documentation with your application as proof you meet the entry requirements of this degree programme. If you have not yet completed your current programme of study, then you can still apply and you can provide your Degree Certificate at a later date.
- CV
- an up-to-date CV/Resumé
- Degree Certificate
- a degree certificate showing your qualifications
- Degree Transcript
- a full transcript showing all the subjects you studied and the marks you have achieved in your degree(s) (original & official English translation)
- Personal Statement
- a detailed personal statement explaining your motivation for this particular programme
Aberdeen Global Scholarship
Eligible self-funded Postgraduate Taught (PGT) students will receive the Aberdeen Global Scholarship. Eligibility details and further information are available on our dedicated page.
Aberdeen Global ScholarshipCareers
Graduates of this programme will possess analytical, interdisciplinary and problem-solving skills that are in high demand from all employers, from the largest global corporations, supranational NGOs and national, regional and local governments, to small community-based organisations and sustainable businesses.
Consultants from businesses, government development agencies and NGOs who were engaged in drawing up the programme said:
“I am very impressed by the breadth of topics and skills, and the fact that they are so clearly interlinked.”
“...the new MSc looks really interesting and very pertinent in all sorts of ways.”
“I like the way in which the MSc complements technical environmental knowledge by providing participants with the skills they need to engage with the wider world and ... to function as a manager”
What our Alumni Say
Ezequeil Seillant
Hannah Lawson
Analia Araujo Macedo
Rachel Roberts
Parul Baghel
Adam Kench
Deborah Oduro
Theresa Schwarz
Our Experts
- Programme Coordinator
- Dr Piotr Niewiadomski
Information About Staff Changes
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.
Features
Numerous Field trips
Recent trips have included visiting community forestry and local economic development initiatives, decision making in local government and coastal management sites.
Get in Touch
Contact Details
- Address
-
Student Recruitment & Admissions
University of Aberdeen
University Office
Regent Walk
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX