Program Overview

BSc Environment and Sustainable Development with Economics

The BSc Environment and Sustainable Development with Economics programme equips students with the environmental knowledge and economics training needed to tackle global sustainability issues in their future careers.

Introduction

This degree provides a thorough grounding in environmental change and sustainable development, combined with rigorous economics training. The teaching goes far beyond pure academic theory – students learn why policy issues matter and see first-hand the impact of research on the real world. There’s also an opportunity to participate in an international field trip.

Preliminary Readings

• Environment:
  • N Castree Making Sense of Nature (Routledge, 2013).
  • S Chant and C McIlwaine Geographies of Development in the 21st Century: an introduction to the Global South (Edward Elgar, 2009)
  • J Elliot An Introduction to Sustainable Development (4th edition, Routledge, 2012)
  • J P Evans Environmental Governance (Routledge, 2012)
  • A S Goudie The Human Impact on the Natural World: past, present and future (7th edition, Wiley-Blackwell, 2013)
  • N Klein This Changes Everything: capitalism vs. the climate (Simon & Schuster, 2014)
  • D Pearce and B Barbier Blueprint for a Sustainable Economy (Earthscan, 2000)
  • D Simpson, M Toman and R U Ayres Scarcity and Growth Revisited (Resources for the Future, 2005)
  • M Whitehead Environmental Transformations: a geography of the anthropocene (Routledge, 2014)
• Economics:
  • A V Banerjee and E Duflo Poor Economics: barefoot hedge-fund managers, DIY doctors and the surprising truth about life on less than $1 a day (Penguin, 2012)
  • T Harford The Undercover Economist (Abacus, 2007)
  • T Harford The Logic of Life (Little Brown, 2009)
  • P Krugman End This Depression Now! (W W Norton, 2012)
  • S D Levitt and S J Dubner Freakonomics (Penguin, 2007)
  • S D Levitt and S J Dubner Superfreakonomics(Penguin, 2010)

Key Information

• Study mode / Programme availability: Home full-time students (Three years) Open, Overseas full-time students (Three years) Open
• Academic year: 2026/27
• Start date: 28 September 2026
• Location: Houghton Street, London
• Application deadline: 14 January 2026

Entry Requirements

• Home:
  • GCSEs: A strong set of GCSE grades, including the majority at A (or 7) and A* (or 8-9), with English Language and Mathematics grades no lower than B (or 6)
  • A-levels: AAA, with an A in Mathematics
  • Contextual A-levels: ABB, with an A in Mathematics
  • A-level subject combinations: A broad mix of traditional academic subjects, with at least two full A-levels (or equivalent) in these subjects
• Overseas:
  • Select a country to find the equivalency to A-levels of your qualification
• IB Diploma: 38 points overall, including 766 at higher level, including Mathematics
• Contextual admissions IB grades: 36 points overall, including 665 at higher level, with 6 in Mathematics

Programme Content

• Year 1:
  • GY120: Environmental Change: Past, Present and Future
  • GY121: Sustainable Development
  • MA107: Quantitative Methods (Mathematics)
  • ST107: Quantitative Methods (Statistics)
  • EC1A3: Microeconomics I
  • EC1B3: Macroeconomics I
  • LSE100: The LSE Course
• Year 2:
  • GY220: Environment: Science and Society
  • GY222: Applied Environmental Economics
  • EC2A3: Microeconomics II
  • Choose one course from the following:
    • EC2B3: Macroeconomics II
    • EC2C3: Econometrics I
  • One course from second year approved options
• Year 3:
  • Geography options to the value of two units
  • Options to the value of two units from geography and/or economics from a list

Why Study with Us

• Student stories: Meet students who have studied on the programme
• Meet the department: Our department is highly regarded both nationally and internationally – ranked second for Geography in the QS World University Rankings 2025
• Why LSE: LSE is recognised as one of the best social science institutions in the world and is one of few universities that offer the study of environmental policy at undergraduate level

Your Application

• Overview: We consider each application carefully, taking into account all the details you’ve included on your UCAS form
• Who attends: We’re looking for students who demonstrate strong mathematical abilities and quantitative skills, an ability and desire to contribute to the environmental debate, and an interest in the significance and impact of policy at all levels

Fees and Funding

• Home: £9,535 per year, with a contribution of approximately £500 towards your fieldtrip if you choose the second year option course Field Methods in Geography
• Overseas: £30,700 per year, with a contribution of approximately £500 towards your fieldtrip if you choose the second year option course Field Methods in Geography

Learning and Assessment

• How you learn: Teaching, independent study, and academic support
• How you're assessed: Formative coursework, summative assessment, and feedback

Graduate Destinations

• Overview: Recent graduates have gone on to work in all areas of environmental policy and economics at the local, national and international level
• Career support: From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work

Discover Uni

• Every undergraduate programme of more than one year duration will have Discover Uni data
• The data allows you to compare information about individual programmes at different higher education institutions

Related Programmes

• BSc Environment and Sustainable Development
• BA Geography
• BSc Geography with Economics

Explore LSE

• Student life: Discover our campus and student services
• Student support: Find out more about our academic guidance, advice and pastoral care
• Accommodation: Explore the accommodation services we offer to our students
• Meet, visit and discover LSE: Attend our in-person events or explore LSE from home

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