Sustainability in the Curriculum
The University embeds sustainability across its curriculum ensuring that all students graduate with a strong sense of environmental responsibility. As part of this commitment, all undergraduate and postgraduate students complete the compulsory, student-designed Moodle course Training in Environmental and Sustainable Action.
The Sustainability in the Curriculum (SitC) Committee drives this work through five key goals: engaging students with sustainability, providing staff training, sharing good practice, building external reputation, and celebrating achievements. The committee includes deans, academics, professional services staff, and student leaders, meeting every two months to advance actions.
A sustainability curriculum map highlights how each academic discipline contributes to understanding and addressing environmental challenges. This tool helps students select modules, demonstrates how research informs sustainability even in less obvious subjects, and enables the University to monitor sustainability teaching as part of its broader Environmental Sustainability Strategy.
Chair of the SitC Committee, Dr Rehema White, Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development, authored Perspectives and Practices of Education for Sustainable Development: A Critical Guide for Higher Education.
The book emphasises the role of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in higher education, promoting a whole-institution approach supported by innovative curricula, transdisciplinary learning, and pioneering knowledge production. Through case studies, the guide illustrates how ESD fosters critical reflection, equips graduates with sustainability competencies, and strengthens universities’ capacity to nurture future-thinking leaders.