Environmental Sustainability Implementation

Sustainability is on the agenda for many sectors. All sectors are responding to sustainability goals, with many organisations setting targets to be achieved by 2030 for compliance, consumer or market retention purposes. Consultation with a range of industry stakeholders has identified that there is a deficit of expertise in the market to address the implementation of sustainability agendas, however the scale and speed of the change required is urgent. Drivers of this demand are the National Sectoral Emissions Ceilings, the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (2021) Act, Future Jobs initiative 'Transition to low carbon economy', Ireland's National Plan on Corporate Social Responsibility, and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions reporting).



This full-time Level 9 Graduate Diploma equips students with the core skills to quantify the sustainability of a product, process or system, identify areas for improvement and devise and manage measures for implementation to improve sustainability.



- The Graduate Diploma in Environmental Sustainability Implementation comprises 60 credits of Modules (10 modules). These modules are offered across the Spring and Autumn Trimesters.

- All synchronous lectures, tutorials and practicals are delivered during normal working hours in Ireland and recorded to allow asynchronous engagement.

- It is possible for students to complete the programme entirely online. However, for those who want to attend campus, students enrolled in the programme are free to attend timetabled face-to-face lectures and practicals on campus if they wish.



The programme is designed to be suitable for people working in any sector in Ireland.



As most modules can be done either in real-time or via recordings – this gives workers flexibility in managing their learnings around their work hours.



Pathway: This 60 ECTS Graduate Diploma is a Pathway programmes that can build to a Masters degree award in Environmental Sustainability Implementation​. Students who complete the Graduate Diploma have the option of completing a 30 ECTS project which builds to this Masters degree award (see below details).

Module / Trimester / Credits

Stage 1 Core Modules

BSEN30640 Life Cycle Assessment O/L Autumn 5

BSEN30650 Circular BioEconomy Principles Autumn 5

BSEN40480 Sustainable Energy & Environmental Impact Autumn 10

BSEN40720 Carbon & Sustainability Autumn 5

BSEN40820 Carbon Footprinting Autumn 5

BSEN40210 Green Technologies Project Autumn and Spring (separate) 5

BSEN30610 SustainabilityDesign Challenge Spring 5

BSEN40400 LCA Applications Spring 5

BSEN40620 Biomass innovation, green technology and business O/L Spring 5

BSEN40810 GHG Accounting Spring 10

The target market are candidates who are recent graduates, jobseekers or are in full time employment, with a Level 8 Honours degree with minimum 2:1 award (NFQ level 8) or international equivalence in disciplines which include strong mathematical, technological and analytical skills. Examples of acceptable disciplines are engineering, physical science, geography and planning, architecture and environmental related degrees.



Those without a Level 8 honours degree in a relevant subject but with >5 years relevant professional experience in a relevant field will be considered.



Minimum English language requirements will apply. The English language requirements for degree courses at UCD are listed:

https://www.ucd.ie/registry/prospectivestudents/admissions/policiesandgeneralregulations/generalrequirements/minimumenglishlanguagerequirements/



You may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as UCD recognises formal, informal, and/or experiential learning. RPL may be awarded to gain Admission and/or credit exemptions on a programme. Please visit the UCD Registry RPL web page for further information. Any exceptions are also listed on this webpage.

https://www.ucd.ie/registry/prospectivestudents/admissions/rpl/

Apply online



Who Should Apply?

Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes

International (Non EU) applicants: No

1 Year Full Time

Delivery: Blended

The programme is designed to be suitable for people working in any sector in Ireland.

As most modules can be done either in real-time or via recordings – this gives workers flexibility in managing their learnings around their work hours.

T390 Graduate Diploma in Environmental Sustainability Implementation Graduate Diploma - Full-Time

Commencing September 2026

Graduate Taught

Progression

This 60 ECTS Graduate Diploma is a Pathway programme that can build to a Masters degree award. Students who complete the Graduate Diploma have the option of completing a 30 ECTS project which builds to a Masters degree award.



Progression to Masters: If you are interested in progressing to the Masters in Environmental Sustainability Implementation on completion of the Graduate Diploma, please email debra.heeney@ucd.ie​ for more information. Please note there is no direct entry to the Masters programme.



Career Opportunities

There is very significant industry demand for engineers and scientists with knowledge on methods to quantify sustainability for internal benchmarking, process improvement, and reporting purposes. In August 2025 there were >1000 sustainability-related jobs advertised in Ireland (based on data from LinkedIn). Upon completion of this Graduate Diploma, graduates will have the skills needed to lead the sustainability agenda for a company either individually or as part of a team.