Welcome to the School for Cross-faculty Studies

Established in 2016, the School for Cross-faculty Studies forms part of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Warwick. The School consists of three divisions:

• Global Sustainable Development;
• The Institute for Global Sustainable Development
• Design Studies; and
• Liberal Arts.

Our programmes

The School is home to the University of Warwick’s increasing range of transdisciplinary degree programmes. These currently include our undergraduate and postgraduate Liberal Arts and Global Sustainable Development courses:

• BA Liberal Arts
• BASc Global Sustainable Development (a single honours degree and 12 joint honours degrees)
• MASc Global Sustainable Development
• MASc Community, Engagement, and Belonging

All of our programmes offer core and optional modules led by staff in the School. Our modules are designed to be interactive learning experiences, placing our students as collaborators and co-creators in the classroom. Our programmes are also designed so that our students can take modules from other departments across the University. This enables students in the School to benefit from different learning styles and perspectives, enriching their responses to problems and allowing them to challenge and question solutions.

Our programmes of study lead to the very best employability outcomes for our graduates using teaching and learning techniques which equip students with a range of relevant skills. Each of our degrees includes an integrated skills development programme designed to give students the opportunity to develop core competencies in skills which employers tell us are needed in order to succeed in the modern workplace. We understand the importance of providing students with the best possible start to life after their studies, and our Employability and Placement Manager supports in developing their employability skills.

Our students

We challenge all of our students to think critically and creatively. We encourage them to question, debate and examine the impacts of solutions upon global society. Our students are Global Citizens who understand the key problems facing the contemporary world and are capable of deploying a range of intellectual tools to address and tackle these Big Questions.

Our research

In the School, all four divisions actively engage with research and our research interests span a wide range of areas from pedagogy and cultural studies to sustainability challenges. Our overarching emphasis is on close links between teaching and research activities, and interdisciplinary research focused on sustainability challenges (broadly understood). The School is host to the Research and Pedagogy Seminar Series, a dynamic research environment for staff in the School, across the University, as well as external visitors. In addition, the School currently houses three university-wide interdisciplinary research networks: the Latin America at Warwick Network, the Education for Sustainable Development Network and the Oral History Network.

Please see our Research pages for information on research networks, projects, and publications. Our degree programmes in Liberal Arts and Global Sustainable Development are informed by faculty research and we support teaching-only staff to pursue research activities.

The Institute for Global Sustainable Development

The Institute for Global Sustainable Development (IGSD) provides a focal point for Warwick’s sustainable development research, contributing towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but still challenging of them. IGSD’s vision is to be at the forefront of knowledge creation, enabling transformations towards a more sustainable, prosperous, healthier and just world for all. It undertakes path-breaking transdisciplinary research and capacity development to tackle global challenges and enable changes in human-environment interactions. By establishing equitable partnerships with researchers and non-scientific stakeholders across the global North and the global South, IGSD works on challenge-led research projects that cross the boundaries of disciplines in the humanities, natural and social sciences, and achieve impact towards the SDGs.

Our values

We value the diversity of our staff and students' perspectives. Our research and teaching espouse key values of collegiality and collaboration, welcoming the alternative voices and viewpoints necessary for facilitating social, economic, environmental, and political transformations throughout the world. Above all, our staff and students find a commonality in the need to research and investigate innovative solutions to global challenges. As a School, we're committed to adopting the ten key principles underpinning the Athena SWAN Charter within our policies, practices, action plans, and culture.

Our people

School

Global Sustainable Development

The Institute for Global Sustainable Development

Liberal Arts

Contact us