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Postgraduate Study

Three GSD students in a seminar talking to each other, smiling

Welcome to postgraduate study in the Global Sustainable Development Department! By choosing to study with us you will be inspired, and challenged, by our GSD team who are at the forefront of their fields and share your passion for global sustainable development.


Our innovative MASc in Global Sustainable Development is a unique opportunity to join a community of transdisciplinary experts and practitioners with a passion for research and teaching. On this flexible course you will combine academic learning with practical action and applied thinking to tackle problems of global sustainable development.

On this course you will work with us, the GSD Department; the Institute for Global Sustainable Development (IGSD); and partner departments across the University.

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Dr Nick Bernards, Director of Postgraduate Taught Programmes

Dr Nick Bernards, Director of Postgraduate Taught Programmes

“Sustainable development is one of the great challenges of our time. It is a highly complex, multifaceted set of challenges for which critical, transdisciplinary thinking and action is vital. Our MASc degree aims to equip you for just that. You’ll gain subject knowledge about pressing sustainability challenges from a passionate, engaged, and genuinely transdisciplinary team of experts. You’ll be guided and supported to undertake independent research and practical work. You’ll be supported to reflect critically on your role in driving just and equitable change, whether in your local community, workplace, nationally, or globally. Maybe most importantly, you’ll develop a range of research, critical thinking, leadership, and communications skills that will help you drive change.

We hope that you’ll consider joining us. Please have a look around our course webpages for more information on our modules, the research that we do in the School for Cross-faculty Studies, and for examples of the brilliant projects some of our students have carried out in their time with us. If you have questions, I and the rest of the postgraduate taught studies team are more than happy to try and answer them. Please feel free to get in touch. "


Our MPhil/PhD in Global Sustainable Development offers you the opportunity to cross disciplinary boundaries to address complex challenges of global sustainable development. Working with experts from GSD and the Institute for Global Sustainable Development, on this programme you'll deliver impactful, lasting sustainable development research.

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Above: Several of our current PhD students at the inaugural GSD PhD Symposium event.

Heather Robson,  Postgraduate Programmes' Manager

Hear from our students

Our students have diverse interests and come from a wide range of backgrounds. We spoke to some of our first MASc cohort when they received their offers to find out more about their interests and experiences, and their hopes for their course.

Heather Robson,  Postgraduate Programmes' Manager

Research

Our research interests in the School for Cross-faculty Studies span across disciplines, around the world, and through time—from pedagogy and cultural studies to sustainability challenges and building a more equitable future.

Find out more about research in the School.

Heather Robson,  Postgraduate Programmes' Manager

MASc projects

On our MASc degree, students have an exciting opportunity to ‘learn by doing’ through a capstone project. We offer a choice of research, practice, and work-based experiences. This project enables students to develop a skillset most suited to their future career goals.

Discover some of the capstone projects led by our first cohort of MASc students.