The programme
Sustainability from the bottom up – learn practical skills and apply them in real world settings
The MA in Sustainable Development Advocacy is an intensive programme which runs full-time over one year and part-time over three years. It is a highly innovative course with experiential learning at is heart. You will be learning through masterclasses, live projects and work placements in real settings. Core taught sessions will enable you to develop the in-depth knowledge necessary for you to construct powerful evidence based arguments. As a result students will gain the skills that are attuned to the needs of employers and will be equipped to be competent, professional sustainability leaders.
This is a practice-based programme and the teaching and learning methods include work-based learning, teamwork, debates, presentations, field visits and project research. Assessment is by coursework which is varied and relevant to the development of your professional skills.
You can find out more about each element by clicking on the links to the left.
Masterclasses
The masterclasses are a chance to hear from, and challenge, some of the leading thinkers and practitioners in the field of sustainability: from big business to local authorities, from entrepreneurs to scientists, from writers to farmers. Students lead discussions on the topics and issues arising from them.
Past speakers have included:
- Holistic Thinking and Examples in Practice – David Lorimer
- Leadership or Advocacy in Sustainability – Professor Bart McKettrick
- Pesticides Action Campaign – Georgina Downs
- Advocacy and Leadership – Satish Kumar, Editor, Resurgence magazine
- Permaculture – Andy Goldring, Director, Permaculture Association
- Ecological Footprinting – Nicky Chambers, Director, Best Foot Forward
- Industrial Ecology & the NISP approach – Adrian Murphy, Technical Director, National Industry Symbiosis Project
- The Global Dimension – Ange Grunsell, former Director of Education for OXFAM Sustainable land management best practice
- Sustainable land management best practice – David Curtis, Duchy of Cornwall and sustainable communities
- Energy futures for the West Midlands – Richard Davies, Director, Marches Energy Agency
- The Sustainable Corporation - Richard Heathcoate, Sustainable Development Manager, Scottish & Newcastle
- Sustainable Agriculture – Mark Measures, Bulmer Foundation
- Towards a sustainable food system - Peter Norton, Bulmer Foundation
- Triple Bottom Line Accounting – Dave Marshall, Bulmer Foundation
- The Psychology of Consumption – Paul Maiteny, The Open University
- Sustainability in Architecture and Construction – Mary Roslin ARIAS
Placements
Each student undertakes three one-month placements, when they will work on sustainability projects in a variety of organisations. Students choose three of these four, one month long, placements with local, regional and/or National organisations and should expect to undertake a piece of work in the role of a professional consultant to their chosen organisation.
- Policy, standards and advice
- Business
- Media and Campaigning
- Community and Social
As well as achieving personal and programme learning outcomes, students contribute to the work of their host organisation. This could mean writing and presenting a paper, working on a biodiversity action plan, organising and holding a community meeting, writing articles or briefings, drafting an environmental policy statement, surveying stakeholders’ views, shadowing senior staff or working on a funding proposal.
These three placements are great additions to your CV and also offer networking and possible job opportunities. Several of our alumni have gone on to work with one of their placement hosts. Some of the organisations that have hosted placements include:
The dissertation project
We add the word ‘project’ to the dissertation element of the programme to emphasise that this self-directed piece of work, like the rest of the programme, is practical and addresses a real need or concern. The focus of your project will depend on your area of interest, and many of our students work with organisations or groups who could be stakeholders in the outcome.
The dissertation project is a great chance to pursue your own specific interest and in previous years students have engaged with a wide variety of subjects, such as a feasibility study for a flour mill in Herefordshire to support local food production, an assessment of the interest in and possibility for sustainable procurement within Welsh festivals, the development of a local food curriculum for higher learning, increasing access to the River Wye, the potential for increasing cider tourism to the county and creating a website and podcasts to explore local myths and stories related to the land.
You’ll produce a 5,000-word academic literature review of your subject, as part of a 15,000-word report on the project itself which might include details and summaries of events that you have organised, interviews, and case studies, as well as your methodology, results and recommendations. The dissertation project is a great opportunity to get an in-depth understanding of an area that you are particularly interested in and may want to work in the future.
You can find some of the papers relating to previous dissertation projects in the ‘The Hub’ section of this site.
Team task
Whatever your area of interest or future work aspirations, it’s almost certain that you are going to have to work with a diverse range of people. The team task element of the programme has been designed to develop your collaborative working skills.
Each small team works on a real, live sustainability project for a client. Not only will you be assessed on the project’s output for the client and your team’s professionalism, but you will also be assessed on your personal contribution to the team and your ability to reflect on the dynamics of how your team works Due to the programme’s ability to attract a wide range of people from a wide range of backgrounds, you could be working with people with very different approaches and from very different disciplines.
Past team tasks have included mapping out wildlife corridors for an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conducting a survey on recycling attitudes and behaviours for a local authority, assessing an outdoor education centre’s potential for becoming financially, environmentally and socially sustainable, and inputting into a review of sustainable transport in the county.
Central to the programme is the development of skills that will enable you to turn your ideas and principles into action. Tutor profiles
Programme lecturer Dr. Nancy Oakes – n.oakes@worc.ac.uk Dr. Nancy Oakes has a BSc (Hons) Horticultural Science and PhD Agriculture (Crop Protection) from the University of Reading, an MA (Distinction) in Environmental Policy & Management from the University of Gloucestershire and a PGCE from the University of the West of England. She is also a member of the Association of Applied Biologists. Nancy was subject leader for Rural Land Management at Hartpury College for ten years before joining the Bulmer Foundation. Her teaching and research interests encompass ecology and conservation, and land management for environmental sustainability and natural resource management. Nancy has undertaken environmental consultancy work for the Hereford and Gloucester Canal Trust, and for Tewkesbury Town Council, and carried out research and feasibility studies for on-farm sustainability projects in water harvesting and anaerobic digestion. Her current research interests are in the effects of no-till on soil properties, the soil ecosystem and crop growth. |
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Fees & eligibility
A sustainable future will be built by people from all backgrounds and disciplines, so we consider students with good degrees from a wide variety of subjects. More importantly, we also look for candidates who demonstrate a passion for sustainable development, as well as advocacy and leadership potential.
Applications from individuals who have no formal qualifications but can evidence an equivalent of prior learning or achievement in the workplace are also welcome.
Fees for 2010/11 are set at £4500 for EU-based students (full time) and c.£8000 for international students. Fees for the part time course are set at £1500 per year over three years. This is an intensive programme and might require some movement throughout the region and nationally to attend work placements.
Apply
Applications for September 2010 are still being taken, and you may now register your interest in the 2011-2012 presentation, please contact the Programme Leader and we will send you details. For further information please contact the Bulmer Foundation on 01432 294112 or info@advocatingchange.org.uk.