Global Graduate Award in Sustainability

Our Global Graduate Award in Sustainability will provide you with an understanding of a wide range of challenges affecting the sustainability of our planet and some of the promising solutions.

Why choose this course

This free module is the perfect way to complement your studies, enhance your employability and improve your understanding of the world we live in.

To be eligible, students must:

  • Be registered as an Undergraduate/Postgraduate taught student of the university and be attending degree modules on campus (Guildford), or be registered as a Postgraduate research student based on campus (Guildford), for the duration of the Global Graduate Award (GGA) course  
  • Be able to attend classes (taught in person - Guildford campus) both semesters
  • Apply online.

Any student not meeting the above criteria (e.g. February starters, course suspended students or students on placement), but interested in GGA may not apply online directly, but should contact gga@surrey.ac.uk to discuss their options.

Upon successful completion of the module, students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes will be awarded 15 co-curricular credits. Students on postgraduate research courses will receive a certificate.

View our Global Graduate Award in Sustainability video.

What you will study

Our Global Graduate Award (GGA) in Sustainability provides students with insights into a wide range of issues that are encompassed within sustainability. These are often thought of as the three pillars of sustainability:

Environmental issues

These include the impacts of our consumption and production systems on the Earth, how to deal with climate disruption; loss of biodiversity, and how to manage vital resources (water, food and energy) sustainably.

Economic issues

These include how economic instruments such as taxes and subsidies can be used to encourage more sustainable practices, the dilemma of economic growth, and how and why companies engage in corporate responsibility strategies.

Social issues

These include the sociology and psychology of sustainability, how our lifestyles can change, and sustainable tourism. Through these, students are introduced to how individuals and society as a whole might move towards more sustainable behaviours.

All topics are applied to a case study family. On successful completion of this course you will be able to explain and apply the concept of sustainability and breadth of issues it encompasses, and how sustainability underpins every aspect of the economy and people’s lives.

Course details

Modules
Title Code
Sustainability ENGL001
Timetable

Classes take place on Wednesday afternoons between 1:30pm and 2:30pm, face-to-face.

Teaching

The course consists of 18 lecture and discussion sessions, and sessions on science communication.

Staff

Module coordinator: Dr Zoe M Harris 

Surrey’s Global Graduate Award in Sustainability is delivered by specialists from the University of Surrey and beyond – each week you will have a different speaker on a diverse range of topics.

Assessment

This course is assessed as a module.

The final mark for this module is based on:

  • Three mini-quizzes (20% each),consisting of 8-12 multiple choice questions each which cover content and topics from previous taught sessions. Students will have an initial formative quiz to allow them to practice and get feedback, before undertaking this summative assessment
    • Students must complete all quizzes that are set to progress to the group work portion of the assessment
    • Students must get at least 40% on each quiz to pass
  • Group work project (40%): A piece of science communication which shares some of the knowledge learnt on the course with a wider audience. Students will be given sessions on science communication and are able to choose the format of their communication piece, e.g. poster, documentary film, podcast, social media campaign, policy brief, children’s story book etc. A short reflective statement on the work is also required. The Group Project Work is to be submitted before commencement of summer examinations. Each student will have the opportunity to provide a rating assessing the contribution of each member of their group: this rating will be used to weight the individual marks awarded to each member of the group.
Contact hours

25 September 2024 – Weekly classes start

10 October – 15 October - Mini-quiz 0 (practice) assessment window

7 November – 12 November - Mini-quiz 1 (summative) assessment window

28 November – 3 December - Mini-quiz 2 (summative) assessment window

4 December 2024 – Sustainability Festive Session Quiz and nibbles

Winter break and exam season

5 February 2025 – Weekly classes resume

20 March – 25 March - Mini-quiz 3 (summative) assessment window

26 March – 1 April – Mini-quiz reassessment window

2 April  2025 – 20 May – Group work project

20 May – Group project due

Calendar

To be confirmed.

Apply

Please visit our main webpage for further information and application.

Contact

Email the GGA Administration.

Disclaimer

This online prospectus has been prepared and published in advance of the academic year to which it applies. The University of Surrey has used its reasonable efforts to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publishing, but changes (for example to course content or additional costs) may occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of the course. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply for a course with us. Read our full disclaimer.

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