Social Change, Environment and Sustainability MA

Year of entry: 2025

Course length: 12 months Full-time | 24 months Part-time

About the course

Tackle the social dimensions of the climate crisis head-on. On our MA Social Change, Environment and Sustainability you will explore how social change happens – and what it takes to create a more just and sustainable world.

This is the only course in the UK that brings together sociology, environmental studies and sustainability in a single MA. You will study how people, organisations and systems respond to climate change and environmental breakdown, and you will develop the analytical and practical tools needed to influence change.

You will delve into topics such as energy, food systems, biodiversity and green growth – learning how culture, politics and behaviour intersect with the environment. Alongside this, you will build advanced skills in research, data handling, communication and policy analysis.

The University of Manchester is ranked top 5 in the UK for Sociology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025) and 1 in the UK and Europe – and 2nd globally – for our social and environmental impact (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025).

You will learn from researchers at the forefront of climate action, social justice, and policy change. See the full course profile on our website>

Be part of a Sociology department ranked Top 5 in the UK and Top 20 worldwide

(QS World University Rankings 2025)

Join one of the UK’s largest and most prestigious sociology departments, with specialisms in race, inequality, social networks, and more.

We're top in the UK and Europe, and 2nd best university in the world for our global social and environmental impact.

(THE Impact Rankings 2024)

Our graduates are among the most targeted by top UK employers

(High Fliers 2024)

Study the only master’s course in the UK that blends sociology with environment, sustainability and social change – equipping you with a rare and in-demand skillset to tackle the social dimensions of the climate crisis.

Compulsory Units

The Sociology of Environment and Sustainability;
Understanding Social Change for Environment and Sustainability;
Research Strategy and Project Management;
MA Dissertation.

Optional Units

Environmental Activism and Advocacy;
Science, Sustainability and Society;
Urban Sociology;
Postcolonial Theory and Politics;
Sociology of Consumption.

These are examples of units offered in 2024/25 and are subject to change.

See the full list of units and find out more on the full course profile >

Where will your degree take you?

The world needs specialists who can turn social insights into real environmental progress, yet almost no course in the UK combines sociology with sustainability the way our MA Social Change, Environment and Sustainability course does.

You will explore unique course units that link social transformation, climate justice and organisational change, giving you a perspective employers cannot find elsewhere.

During your study you will build practical strengths that transfer directly to work: designing and running mixed-methods research, translating data into policy insight, managing stakeholders, and communicating complex ideas with clarity, along with the digital literacy and project-management skills that keep projects on track.

Graduates step confidently into careers as environmental consultants, corporate social responsibility advisers, environmental, social and governance specialists, sustainability communicators, policy analysts in government or think tanks, and project leads within non-governmental organisations or social enterprises. Many also use the course as a launchpad for a PhD advancing sustainable practice through research and shaping solutions our future depends on.

Dr Kevin Gillian

Senior Lecturer in Sociology

“The University of Manchester has created this new MA in Social Change, Environment and Sustainability for two reasons.

One is to bring a social scientific perspective into the solution of environmental problems.

And second, to meet a rising student demand among those students who want to help solve environmental problems and want to do so from a background in the social sciences. So we're looking for students who are first and foremost passionate about the issues. I think that motivation is key for students to do well."