PhD in Sustainable Futures

Program Overview

The Sustainable Futures PhD program is an interdisciplinary pathway that prepares researchers to tackle sustainability challenges. It provides a comprehensive understanding of sustainability, integrating social sciences, economics, law, and other disciplines. Graduates are equipped with skills for careers in various sectors, including academia, government, and non-profit organizations. The program draws on expertise from multiple universities, offering a wide range of perspectives and research opportunities.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The interdisciplinary pathway in sustainable futures seeks to produce a new generation of researchers who can address the pressing social issues of sustainability in the face of a growing global population. Sustainability research asks how human wellbeing can be maintained and enhanced in the long term, given rising populations, limited natural resources and a fragile environment. The field, with its clear applied focus and strong strategic future-directed policy implications, has social sciences at its heart. It also requires a broad interdisciplinary approach and an understanding of economics, law, the politics and psychology of sustainability, and the geography and demographics of those affected. We therefore deliberately expose students to a broad range of material to help them appreciate and understand interconnected perspectives and to provide them with skills to work effectively across disciplines.

Careers:

The PhD in Sustainable Futures offers useful preparation for related careers in the public, private or civic sectors, as well as in academia. In the public sector, it may open opportunities in government departments and agencies at international, national and local levels. In the private sector, it provides training and analytical skills of relevance to careers in consultancy or environmental management, for example. University of Bristol University of Bristol Law School School for Policy Studies Global Insecurities Centre The Cabot Institute (which draws together environmental research from across the University). University of Bath Department of Psychology Water Innovation and Research Centre Centre for Research in Education and the Environment Centre for the Analysis of Social Policy. University of Exeter Human Geography Climate and Society Energy Policy Governance, Ethics and Social Justice Law Centre for Energy and the Environment Centre for Rural Policy Research Climate Change and Sustainable Futures research theme. The University of the West of England Centre for Transport and Society Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Urban Environments.

UK: full-time £4,758 per year UK: part-time £2,379 per year Overseas: full-time £20,700 per year For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.