Sustainable Development - Bolton Street & Grangegorman
What is Sustainable Development?
Sustainable Development is at the heart of environmental, social and economic policies being developed and enacted by business, state and NGOs. This course, which includes a work placement, provides a broad knowledge and understanding of sustainable development including the issues, techniques, management and applications relevant to the living and working environment.
Aims
• The course aims to provide graduates with the skills and ability to interpret principles of sustainable development and translate these into policy responses.
• Each course entrant brings an expertise based on prior learning and or work experience. The MSc Sustainable Development is structured to build on and deepen your knowledge and allow you apply the principles and practices of sustainable development in your own field of expertise or employment. The course also offers you the chance to deepen your knowledge in chosen areas of energy, environment, community development or planning.
Subjects taught
F/T Programme:
Module listing
Year One
Semester 1
Climate Change – policy analysis [Mandatory]
Dissertation [Mandatory]
Ecology [Mandatory]
Economy and Sustainable Development [Mandatory]
Envt. Law & Institutions II [Mandatory]
Progress & Placement [Mandatory]
Research Techniques [Mandatory]
Society and Sustainable Development [Mandatory]
Spatial Planning and Sustainable Communities [Mandatory]
Sustainability in Business [Mandatory]
Sustainable Development and Public Policy in a European Context [Mandatory]
Social Economy Enterprise Development [Elective]
Semester 2
Sustainable Development and Public Policy in a European Context [Mandatory]
Dissertation [Mandatory]
Progress & Placement [Mandatory]
Behavioural Change and Active Travel [Elective]
The bioeconomy: a model for sustainable food & drink production [Elective]
Biodiversity and Nature Conservation [Elective]
The Nature of Nature [Elective]
Project Management [Elective]
Environmental Design & Management [Elective]
Local Governance, Development. & Innovation [Elective]
Placemaking [Elective]
Housing Policy & Practice [Elective]
Introduction to Sustainable Transport & Mobility [Elective]
Collaborative Planning [Elective]
Awareness and promotion of sustainability [Elective]
Social Economy Enterprise Development [Elective]
Sustainable Building Design [Elective]
Food Safety Management Systems [Elective]
P/T/Programme:
Year One
Semester 1
Climate Change – policy analysis [Mandatory]
Dissertation [Mandatory]
Ecology [Mandatory]
Economy and Sustainable Development [Mandatory]
Envt. Law & Institutions II [Mandatory]
Progress & Placement [Mandatory]
Research Techniques [Mandatory]
Society and Sustainable Development [Mandatory]
Spatial Planning and Sustainable Communities [Mandatory]
Sustainability in Business [Mandatory]
Sustainable Development and Public Policy in a European Context [Mandatory]
Social Economy Enterprise Development [Elective]
Semester 2
Sustainable Development and Public Policy in a European Context [Mandatory]
Dissertation [Mandatory]
Progress & Placement [Mandatory]
Behavioural Change and Active Travel [Elective]
The bioeconomy: a model for sustainable food & drink production [Elective]
Biodiversity and Nature Conservation [Elective]
The Nature of Nature [Elective]
Project Management [Elective]
Environmental Design & Management [Elective]
Local Governance, Development. & Innovation [Elective]
Placemaking [Elective]
Housing Policy & Practice [Elective]
Introduction to Sustainable Transport & Mobility [Elective]
Collaborative Planning [Elective]
Awareness and promotion of sustainability [Elective]
Social Economy Enterprise Development [Elective]
Sustainable Building Design [Elective]
Food Safety Management Systems [Elective]
Year Two
Semester 1
Research Techniques [Mandatory]
Economy and Sustainable Development [Mandatory]
Dissertation [Mandatory]
Progress & Placement [Mandatory]
Society and Sustainable Development [Mandatory]
Climate Change – policy analysis [Elective]
Sustainable Development and Public Policy in a European Context [Elective]
Climate Change – policy analysis [Elective]
Sustainable Development and Public Policy in a European Context [Elective]
Semester 2
Dissertation [Mandatory]
Progress & Placement [Mandatory]
Behavioural Change and Active Travel [Elective]
The bioeconomy: a model for sustainable food & drink production [Elective]
Biodiversity and Nature Conservation [Elective]
The Nature of Nature [Elective]
Project Management [Elective]
Environmental Design & Management [Elective]
Sustainable Development and Public Policy in a European Context [Elective]
Local Governance, Development. & Innovation [Elective]
Placemaking [Elective]
Housing Policy & Practice [Elective]
Introduction to Sustainable Transport & Mobility [Elective]
Collaborative Planning [Elective]
Awareness and promotion of sustainability [Elective]
Sustainable Building Design [Elective]
Food Safety Management Systems [Elective]
Entry requirements
Minimum Entry Requirements?
Honours Bachelor Degree in any relevant discipline at 2.2 grade or higher, or equivalent. Eligible candidates may be interviewed where work/career experience is being considered in lieu of academic qualifications.
Applications will be assessed based on your academic grades and may also take into account your work/life experience.
If English is not your first language you will need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency as detailed on our website. Applicants for this course should have a minimum IELTS (Academic Version) English Proficiency of 6.5 overall (or equivalent) with nothing less than 6 in each component.
Application dates
Applications for full-time and some part-time postgraduate programmes commencing in September 2026 are now open. Applications for the remaining part-time programmes will open in February 2026. Please check individual course pages for application details.
Assessment Info
Course assessment is by a combination of written examinations and assignments. Each module is subject to separate assessment.
Duration
1 year full-time, blended delivery, 1-2 years part-time, blended delivery.
Enrolment dates
Commencement Date: September 2026.
Post Course Info
What are my career opportunities?
Graduates are eligible for a wide range of posts in Irish and International enterprises, both public and private, in both the manufacturing and service sectors. Generally students tend to seek or get employment with the skills they developed in their primary degree but with the added advantage of having an in depth understanding of the process and application of sustainable development to environmental, economic or social sectors. With work placement and a suitable research dissertation you could develop the skills needed to help focus your career in a sector that is of particular interest to you.
• Boltz Sustainability Founder Dublin
• Green Schools, Green Travel Education Officer
• Sustainability Consultant, Paris Community Liaison Officer, EirGrid
• Greenlight Training, Sustainability Manager
• Green Schools, Green Campus Education Officer Meinhardt Group,
• Environmental Engineer PWC, Sustainability Manager
• Greenstreets, Environmental Sustainability Manager
• Danske Bank, Consultant
• Programme Manager at An Taisce
• Project Manager, DCU Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship
• Marketing Officer at Codema - Dublin's Energy Agency
• Corporate Responsibility Consultant, Business in the Community
• Sustainable Urban Mobility Specialist at UN Habitat
• EU Energy Policy Advisor at Greenpeace, Bruss els
• Client Manager at The Carbon Trust
More details
Qualification letters
MSc
Qualifications
Degree - Masters (Level 9 NFQ)
Attendance type
Full time,Blended,Part time
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