Global Development and Sustainability

Global sustainable development studies at Bath Spa University are designed to examine relevant geographical concepts and apply geographical methods and techniques to real-world problems.

You’ll learn principles in physical and human geography throughout your degree, which you’ll apply to the study and solving of development issues.

The course is designed to let you specialise through your module choices. There’s a strong vocational focus, with opportunities for you to undertake an extended work placement and an industry-relevant project. If you decide to take the four-year version of the course with Professional Placement Year option, you're particularly encouraged to opt for an overseas work and/or research placement.

Year one
We introduce you to the theories and realities of global development and sustainability issues. You’ll acquire the foundational Geography skills to equip you to develop your interests and skills in these fields.

Year two
In your second year, you’ll acquire more specialist knowledge and skills in topics and research methods relevant to professional practice. Your research skills are developed through an extended research project in the spatial development module where you’ll apply your growing mastery of your subject to real-world problems and issues.

You’ll also start to plan for your career options, with opportunities to undertake a work placement or to volunteer overseas.

The optional field trip to India offers a unique opportunity to explore development and sustainability themes in a real-world context. On this trip, you’ll examine environmental hazards and development, wellbeing and social inequalities, and the legacy of colonialism. Please note that some of our field trips may incur an additional expense on top of your course fees.

Year three
In your final year, you’ll continue to specialise. You’ll also develop your skills as an independent scholar by undertaking primary research that will enable you to demonstrate both the academic and transferable skills you’ve acquired on the course.

An optional field trip to Barcelona examines urban regeneration, social inequalities and urban sustainability. There is also the opportunity to undertake a community placement and project as part of your studies.

You’ll experience a variety of assessment methods throughout your degree. These include essays, project reports, presentations, posters, video-clips, field-craft assessments, reflective items, time-constrained tests and examinations. These are designed to give you a rich and diverse skill-set, and be of real benefit in pursuit of your chosen career.

Good teaching is important to us; our graduates rate highly the quality of teaching on the course. In our friendly department you’ll benefit from small classes, specialist expertise, and up-to-date technologies, including ArcGIS and GPS survey instruments. You’ll experience lectures and workshop or seminar-based teaching, with small groups that enable discussion about specific topics.

You’ll have the opportunity to study in a wide range of locations around the world. Our students have completed Erasmus+ and Exchange programmes in countries including Australia, Finland and the USA.

We’re committed to giving you a relevant, interesting and useful degree, and fieldwork is integral to this. Fieldwork helps you to put your learning into practice and gives you experience with working in teams and in unfamiliar environments.

There are various field days during modules as well as residential fieldwork opportunities overseas, currently to Northern India, Zambia and Spain. Please note that you will have to make a financial contribution towards these residential study visits.

There are opportunities to undertake work placements in your second and final years – this is an excellent way to gain experience in the workplace.

Guest speakers from industry contribute to the learning experience throughout the course. This engagement with potential employers will help you make those all-important career decisions when you graduate.

There are prizes awarded each year in recognition of excellence in the core modules. This culminates with the Excellence in Global Development and Sustainability Prize, recognising the best overall performance in the compulsory modules in the final year of study.

There are lots of ways you can make a difference. Your global sustainable development career could take many forms; whether in research, as a development practitioner, consultant or in policy reform. After graduating, you could pursue roles in government or non-government organisations (NGOs), local, regional and international organisations, and sectors such as education, charity and not-for-profit, business, and overseas development. You may also choose to continue your studies; perhaps on our MSc Environmental Management.

Whatever your aspirations, our aim is that the real-world experience you gain on this course will set you up to take on diverse challenges – and thrive.

This optional placement year provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Before your Professional Placement Year, you'll work to secure your placement, constructing a development plan with your module leader and your placement coordinator from our Careers and Employability team.

On your return to University for your final year, you'll submit your Placement Portfolio, detailing your development on your placement.

You'll be taught on Newton Park campus, with access to a range of facilities including:

• ‘Natural Laboratory’
  Our location at Newton Park, nestled in a parkland valley setting just outside Bath, is a beautiful and unique 'natural laboratory' in which to pursue environmental education and we make the most of the setting.
• Newton Park library
• Commons building
• Virtual Learning Environment
• Specialist resources and dedicated Subject Librarian
• Writing and Learning Centre
• English Language Unit.

We have all the latest technologies, learning resources and Geographic Information System (GIS). You’ll have access to IT suites with geographical software including ArcGIS.