Course Details
About
Are you ready to lead in a world where sustainability drives success?
The MSc Sustainable Management at Ulster University is designed for graduates and professionals who want to make a real difference. This course blends business strategy, leadership, and sustainability, equipping you with the skills to tackle global challenges and thrive in a changing job market.
You can explore topics like sustainable business models, data analytics, ethical supply chains, green innovation, and sustainability reporting. Learning is practical, interactive, and industry-aligned, perfect for those looking to advance their career or transition into roles focused on sustainability.
Why choose this course?
- Develop the skills to lead in sustainability-focused roles across all sectors
- Gain hands-on experience with real-world projects and case studies
- Learn from expert academics and industry practitioners.
Who is it for?
If you are passionate about responsible business, climate action, innovation, or social impact, this is the course for you. Whether you are a recent graduate or a professional aiming to upskill, this MSc will prepare you for leadership roles where sustainability matters.
Career Opportunities
Graduates will be equipped for a wide range of career paths across private, public, and non-profit sectors, where sustainability and ethical business practices are increasingly central to strategy and operations.
Possible job roles include:
- Sustainability Manager or Consultant
- ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Analyst
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Manager
- Supply Chain and Operations Manager
- Sustainable Innovation Lead
- Policy Advisor (Environment/Sustainability)
- Business Development or Strategy Analyst (with sustainability focus)
- Data Analyst (sustainability or ESG-focused roles)
- Social Enterprise or Green Business Founder
Transferable skills you will develop:
- Strategic and systems thinking
- Leadership and change management
- Data analysis and interpretation using digital tools
- Problem-solving in complex, real-world scenarios
- Communication and collaboration in diverse, cross-functional teams
- Project management and report writing
- Ethical decision-making and stakeholder engagement
- Entrepreneurial thinking and innovation
These skills are relevant not only in sustainability-specific roles but also in broader management, consultancy, and leadership positions across industries adapting to climate, social, and economic change.
Course Duration and Delivery Format
The course will start in w/c 22 September 2025. You may need to be available the week before for induction. Dates TBC.
Semester 1 and 2: 9 hours on-campus attendance typically over 2 days. Supplemented by guided and independent study. Semester 3: independent project.
By applying for a DfE-funded place on the MSc Sustainable Management course, you are committing to full-time study. This means engaging actively with your learning through regular class attendance (at least 80% attendance is expected), preparation for weekly sessions, and timely submission of assessments. The course is structured to support your development, but success will depend on your commitment to the workload and your willingness to participate fully in both in-person and independent learning.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
This programme is designed to empower you with the essential skills to navigate and address complex management challenges within sustainable contexts. Blending theoretical knowledge with hands-on application, it emphasises active, inquiry-based learning and real-world problem-solving.
You will engage in a range of teaching methods including:
- Real-world case studies and scenario analysis
- Group-based and individual projects
- Interactive seminars and workshops
- Live industry engagement through guest lectures and masterclasses
The learning experience is highly practical, with a strong focus on collaborative and reflective approaches that enhance your analytical, strategic, and leadership capabilities.
Assessment is 100% coursework, there are no exams. Instead, your progress is measured through:
- Individual assignments
- Group projects
- Data Visualisation
- Reflective portfolios
- Applied research.
These assessments are designed to mirror real-life challenges and professional outputs, ensuring you graduate with both the knowledge and the practical skills to drive sustainable change in any organisation.
Campus
Derry~Londonderry
Module details
Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry.
The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand.
Semester one
Fundamentals of Sustainable Management
This introductory module is designed to familiarise students with the critical aspects of sustainability within business operations, including the drivers, barriers, and trends. It explores the balance between economic performance and sustainable practices, highlighting the importance of ethical decision-making, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility. Through engaging with contemporary case studies and theoretical frameworks, students will learn to apply sustainable management principles to real-world scenarios, emphasising practical, innovative solutions to sustainability challenges.
Data Analytics for Sustainable Management
This module equips students with the knowledge and skills to analyse and interpret sustainability-related data, evaluate its implications for sustainable management practices, and apply data analytics techniques to address challenges in various industries. Through theory and practice, students can develop a critical understanding of the ethical and social considerations associated with data use in sustainable management.
Logistics and Supply Chain Management
This module focuses on equipping students with skills to navigate globalised supply networks sustainably. It covers core logistics and supply chain management principles, strategies, and practices, emphasising environmental impact reduction and social responsibility. Through the analysis of contemporary issues and the incorporation of applicable Sustainable Development Goals, students will develop critical thinking and ethical and responsible decision-making abilities to evaluate, enhance, and implement sustainable solutions for long-term benefits.
Semester 2
Sustainability Reporting and Governance Sustainability
Reporting is critical for organisations to measure economic, environmental, and social activities. This module develops the students’ appreciation of what must be disclosed in sustainability reports, to comply with local, national, and international sustainability reporting requirements. Students will also gain an understanding of how good corporate governance leads to high quality sustainability reporting and the effective management of the organisation’s sustainability-related risks, opportunities, and targets progression.
Managing and Leading Sustainable Business
This module is designed to allow students to develop skills within aspects of sustainable business operations, focusing on the internals and how businesses can be managed and led. The module will consider new ways of managing and leading people and contemporary literature in the area. It will highlight the importance of diverse and inclusive management and leadership practices & ethical decision-making, whilst being socially responsible. Students will be given the opportunity to consider real-world scenarios, highlighting challenges and innovations to find solutions, which can be practically applied, by engaging with contemporary theory, business practices and case-studies, to give an authentic learning experience.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Sustainable Development
This module provides an understanding of the relationships between societal and economic needs and the environment, focusing on a range of sectors. It explores different perspectives on the goals of improving human wellbeing and environmental conservation, particularly the extent to which these might be complementary, compatible or contradictory goals, and how this intersects with broader social phenomena such as inequality and climate justice. The module considers how different sectors approach the relationship between people, place and purpose.
Modules in semester 1 and 2 are worth 20 credit points
Semester 3
Sustainable Business Innovation Project (60 credit points)
Students undertake a small project integral to sustainable management, building on the knowledge and skills gained throughout the course.
Course Entry requirements
This degree is open to students with a second class honors degree in any background – no prior business experience needed.
Applicants must:
(a) have gained
(i) a second class honours degree or better from a university of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, or from a recognised national awarding body or from an institution or another country which has been recognised as being of an equivalent standard,
or
an equivalent standard (normally 50%) in a Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate, Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma or an approved alternative qualification;
and,
(b) provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English (GCSE grade C or equivalent); the minimum English language requirements for non-native English speakers, are IELTS 6.0 (with no contributing band at less than 5.5).
or, as an alternative to (a) (i) or (a) (ii) and/or (b):
(c) in exceptional circumstances, where an individual has substantial and significant experiential learning, a portfolio of written evidence demonstrating the meeting of graduate qualities (including subject-specific outcomes, as determined by the Course Committee) may be considered as an alternative entrance route. Evidence used to demonstrate graduate qualities may not be used for exemption against modules within the programme.
Fee Funding Eligibility
Places are limited and open to applicants who:
- are over 18 years of age;
- are eligible to work in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland (ROI);
- are ‘settled’ in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, and has been ordinarily resident in the UK or ROI for at least three years; or
- are a person who has indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK or ROI.
- meet the course specific entry requirements as detailed above.
- meet the Ulster University general entry requirements
- this programme is not available to applicants with the following residency:
- GB and Islands
- EU excluding ROI qualifying residents
- International students
Terms and Conditions
- Fee funding is only available for the September 25/26 intake and cannot be deferred to future intakes.
- Fee funding is paid directly by the Department for the Economy to Ulster University.
- Students cannot redeem the funding for an alternative programme nor redeem the cash value.
- Students cannot redeem this funding in conjunction with any other course fee funding.
- Students can redeem funding for up to three courses, which equate to no more than 60 credit points in total (with the exemption of MSc, which is 180 credit points).
Apply now
There are a limited number of places on the course.
Offers will be made to those applicants who meet the entry requirements, and have provided evidence of such, on a first come , first served basis.
Therefore, when creating your application you will need to have the following documents saved electronically as they need to be uploaded as part of the application process:
- Passport
- Evidence on meeting three year residency in NI/ROI
- Degree Certificate
- English Competency (If you have a degree from UK/ROI, you don't need to provide anything else)
- BRP - If applicable
No business experience required
This degree is open to students with a UG second class honours degree in any subject.
