Sustainable Development

Entry requirements

All applicants are considered individually on merit although we usually require a 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline.

Which disciplines are considered relevant?

Qualifications in the following disciplines are automatically considered to be relevant:

Geography, Human Geography, Environmental Studies, International/Global Development, Planning (Urban, Rural and Regional), Politics, International Relations, Sociology.

If you have qualifications in another subject, please explain in your application how they will support you in your study of sustainable development.

What makes a good application?

In your personal statement, please tell us about:

• your motivation for pursuing this programme at the University of Exeter
• your educational background and how it will support your study of sustainable development
• any work or voluntary experience that is relevant to the programme
• your interests and career goals

What happens next?

If you receive an offer from us, you’ll be invited to an offer-holder visit day where you can find out more about the Centre for Geography and Environmental Science and meet some of the academics who will be teaching you.

Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.

Months of entry

September

Course content

• This interdisciplinary course explores environmental, social and economic sustainability challenges from local to global scales.
• Enhance your career and employment prospects by studying both the theory of sustainable development and its implementation in a range of contexts.
• Examine international policies, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and specific policy areas such as climate change, energy, human health, wellbeing and environmental governance.
• Study at the Penryn Campus in Cornwall: a living laboratory with diverse marine and terrestrial habitats, a wealth of natural resources, and creative and resilient communities.
• Join our vibrant postgraduate community benefiting from research-inspired teaching and access to outstanding facilities.

MSc Sustainable Development provides a unique opportunity to study sustainable development from a multi-disciplinary perspective, critical for understanding and tackling complex sustainability challenges. The programme involves a practical and problem-based approach to learning, offering a grounding in the principles that underlie sustainability and their implementation in a range of professional and practical contexts.

You will be taught by expert staff who are active researchers in sustainability and environmental social science.

Information for international students

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

Fees and funding

The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships*.

For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.

University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship

We are pleased to offer University of Exeter alumni beginning a standalone taught Masters degree (eg MA, MSc, MRes, MFA, LLM, PGCert, PGDip) or research degree (eg MPhil, PhD) with us a scholarship towards the cost of their tuition fees. These scholarships are worth 20% of the first year tuition fee for students enrolling on a postgraduate taught or research programme of study in 2025/26. Full details can be found here.

*Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.