Program Overview

Environment and Business BA

The Environment and Business degree combines the study of social and environmental sustainability issues with sound business and management practice. Students will learn about the pressures and opportunities facing businesses as a result of current environmental challenges and corporate social responsibility agendas.

Course Overview

Throughout the degree, students will develop skills in the use of concepts, methods, and tools that can be used to transform business practices to help tackle global economic, environmental, and social challenges. The course offers a range of compulsory and optional modules, allowing students to develop specialist knowledge and transferable skills.

Why Study at Leeds

• Our globally-renowned research that tackles complex global challenges such as climate change, energy security, and natural hazard management feeds directly into the course and shapes what students learn at Leeds with the latest thinking.
• Experience expert teaching delivered by a programme team made up of leading specialists with extensive industry experience from across the breadth of our environment and business research disciplines.
• Access excellent specialist facilities including lecture theatres, seminar rooms, and computer clusters fully equipped with the latest technology to support learning.
• Put theory into practice by undertaking fieldwork activities, where students will advance their research skills and gain hands-on experience highly valued by employers in industry.
• Enhance career prospects and give the CV a competitive edge before graduating by undertaking a work placement.

Course Details and Modules

The course is designed around a combination of compulsory core modules, as well as opportunities to choose optional modules that allow students to follow areas of personal interest or broaden their learning. Fieldwork will also be integral to the course, with opportunities to explore many different environments first-hand.

Course Structure

• Year 1: Students will study the underlying principles of business, the natural environment, and human impacts, alongside fieldwork and study skills which provide a solid foundation for later independent studies.
  • Compulsory modules:
    • Introduction to Sustainability Economics
    • Sustainable Development, Politics and Policy
    • Skills for Environmental Social Science
    • Introduction to Business, Environment and Corporate Responsibility
    • Environmental Science for Sustainability
  • Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below):
    • An Introduction to Law: What is Law?
    • Introduction to Effective Decision Making
    • Understanding Social Enterprises
    • Introduction to Management
    • Organisational Behaviour
    • Business and Society
    • Natural Hazards
    • Resources
    • Introduction to Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
    • Ecology
    • Atmosphere

Year 2

• Students will develop their business skills through a range of core and optional modules influenced by their own interests.
  • Compulsory modules:
    • Tools and Techniques for Sustainable Business
    • Research in the Environmental Social Sciences
    • Economics and Sustainability
    • Personal Development for Careers in the Environmental Sector
  • Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below):
    • Managing Innovation in Business
    • Transport, Energy and the Environment
    • Advanced Management Decision Making
    • People, Sustainability and the Environment
    • International Law
    • Adaptation and Mitigation
    • Sociology for the Climate Crisis
    • Contaminated Environments
    • Principles of Marketing
    • Leading and managing Small Businesses
    • Principles of Corporate Strategy
    • Managing Biodiversity
    • Project Appraisal

Year 3

• Students will have the chance to produce their own work at a professional level through the final-year project.
  • Compulsory modules:
    • Change for Sustainable Development
    • Environmental Research Project
  • Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below):
    • School and Educational Placements
    • Environmental Law
    • Current Issues in Decision Making
    • Managing Innovation and Technology
    • International Business Management
    • Diversity Management
    • Global Perspectives on Work and Employment
    • Gender and Equality at Work in Comparative Perspective
    • Managing Social Media and Digital Work
    • Strategic Energy Issues
    • Environmental Risk: Science, Policy and Management
    • Managing Global Value Chains

Fieldwork

Fieldwork is an integral part of the course, offering students the chance to study a fascinating subject in contrasting environments away from the University. It provides the opportunity to practice skills learned in class in real-life situations, gain first-hand experience of collecting and analyzing data, and develop professional skills sought after by employers.

Learning and Teaching

Most modules combine lectures with practicals, workshops, or seminars, depending on the subject. These are enhanced with skills classes and field trips. Students can expect to study in a variety of settings, from large lecture theatres to computer clusters, seminar rooms, tutorials, and out in the field.

Assessment

Assessments on the programme are designed to be inclusive and to help students learn. As well as academic essays and exams, the course uses assessments that are more 'authentic' to future careers, allowing students to develop and practice a range of key transferable skills.

Entry Requirements

• A-level: ABB
• GCSE: English Language and Mathematics at grade 4 (C) or higher
• Extended Project Qualification, International Project Qualification, and Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate: Grade A plus BBB at A-level
• Access to HE Diploma: Pass 60 credits overall with 45 credits at Level 3, 30 credits with Distinction and the remaining 15 credits with Merit or above
• BTEC: DDM in National Extended Diploma
• Cambridge Pre-U: D3, M2, M2
• International Baccalaureate: 6,5,5 at higher level
• Irish Leaving Certificate (higher Level): AABBBB/H2H2H3H3H3H3
• Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers: AABBB overall with BB in 2 Advanced Highers (AH)

Fees

• UK: £9,790
• International: £29,750 (per year)

Career Opportunities

Environment and Business graduates are well-placed to appreciate the fundamental advantages of a sustainability-oriented approach to business and to help businesses deliver long-term solutions to environmental and social challenges. Career options include environmental consultancy and management, corporate social responsibility, and roles in private companies, non-governmental organizations, or the public sector.

Study Abroad and Work Placements

The programme offers the option to spend time abroad as an extra academic year or to undertake a one-year work placement, extending studies by 12 months. Studying abroad or undertaking a work placement can provide invaluable skills and experience, enhancing future employability and career prospects.

Related Courses

• Economics and Geography BA
• Geography BA
• Environmental Science BSc
• Sustainability and Environmental Management BSc