Succeed as a leader of sustainability with the University of Leeds

University of Leeds - Faculty of Environment

19 Apr 2018

Succeed as a leader of sustainability with the University of Leeds

The Faculty of Environment at the University of Leeds has certainly made a positive impact on the sustainability sector.

By securing a place in the QS 2018 Top 50 Global Institutions for Environmental Sciences, on top of jumping four places in the Earth and Marine Sciences ranking (QS 2018); the Leeds Faculty of Environment is constantly evolving.

With the recent launch of the new MSc Sustainable Cities programme, the Leeds Faculty of Environment has designed a dynamic curriculum to tackle a global shortage of sustainability leaders.

By encouraging learners to alter their environmental approach and helping them grasp the innovative theories of sustainability and development, the university will supply the sustainability sector with forward-thinking graduates.

Sustainability is a tough subject to define and even harder to do. The traditional definition comes from the United Nations Brundtland Commission (Our Common Future) 1987 report, “to make development sustainable, it must meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

But to ensure a thriving urban future, we must go further than this. We need fundamental changes to the structure of cities and the lifestyles we lead. This goes beyond the efficient use of resources and into a world that needs us to regenerate the systems that sustain us. We need to go from energy-efficient to energy-generating cities, from access to nature for citizens to nature-based cities, and to regenerate and re-purpose cities to be socially- and environmentally-productive spaces.

This means we need leadership. Not the loud, heroic leadership forms of the past, but plural, inclusive and collective leadership. We need future leaders who can imagine and deliver solutions to energy crises, forge new visions of transport infrastructure, and create new ways of producing green spaces and sustainable housing.

There is a shortage of people with the technical and personal skills needed to deliver this change.

Cities across the world are looking for new ways to break out of old problems that include engineering, planning, political and social innovation. This is why the MSc Sustainable Cities programme was created with a leadership component, to help learners find their own leadership style which will equip them for a future delivering positive change.

MSc Sustainable Cities programme

With the revolutionary MSc Sustainable Cities programme on their side, the Leeds Faculty of Environment is frontrunning 21^st-century environmental education. The new Sustainable Cities MSc acknowledges the governmental pledge to create ‘zero carbon cities’ by 2040, promoting a curriculum that includes a vast range of urban cities and sustainability subjects.

By making use of the university’s reputation for high profile sustainability and city research, the faculty has combined the two to form one unique programme. This is an issue that will be overshadowing our cities for the next 100 years (at least), so this degree will be a valuable path to pursue and you’ll soon find your expertise to be in popular demand.

The Faculty of Environment also understands that not everyone identifies as a leader, but this course encourages students from all backgrounds to take control of their career and achieve every one of their aspirations.

That’s why the faculty employs a dedicated team in its Careers and Employability department – all of whom are determined to get you to where you want to be.

Transforming cities and citizens

With the MSc Sustainable Cities programme, you’ll have the power to transform cities and citizens. By evolving into a confident sustainability leader, the community around you will seek your guidance and listen to your methods for environmental change. When you join this course, you’ll begin to understand the importance of the process of change, and you’ll start to question why the world’s systems require political and ideological shifts.

That’s what makes the Leeds Sustainable Cities course different from the rest; it allows you to take a practical approach and inspires you to become an active critical thinker. Instead of limiting your learning to niche modules, the faculty introduces you to wide open spaces in which your ideas can prosper and grow. You’ll be taught by academics who strive for social justice, tackle transport issues, outline critical approaches to urban development, understand energy use and low carbon cities, research self-repairing cities and prepare with sustainable urban mobility planning.

You’ll also join a solid network of like-minded learners, jumping at the chance to take a free residential field trip to the Centre for Alternative Technologies in Wales. And since the MSc is run in partnership with The Oasis School of Human Relations, you’ll become an exclusive participant in skill-based training and collaborative leadership sessions.

Leading the way to a sustainable future

Once you complete this Masters programme, your professional gateway will remain wide open. You’ll dive straight into changemaking roles and create solutions that will help build the world’s sustainable cities. You don’t necessarily need to work on large-scale projects to make a change – you can also make a positive impact by working in smaller cities. The journey of a thousand miles begins, after all, with that one single step.

The Leeds Sustainable Cities programme is one-of-a-kind, with a faculty that goes against the grain of outdated course structures to truly build their own. With this degree, you have the potential to pursue any role you want and you won’t be restricted to the regular expectations of global consultancies and corporate companies.

Your association with a faculty that displays outstanding research and innovation, not to mention its incredible sustainable city projects, will boost your reputation when it comes to potential employers.

So if you’re interested in leading the way towards a sustainable future and are ready to build up your skills, discover more about the programme through this informative MSc Sustainable Cities video.

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