THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2026/2027

Draft Edition - Due to be published Thursday 9th April 2026

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.
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Degree Programme Table: Sustainable Development (Geography) MA (Hons) - 4 Years (Full-Time) (UTMAHSUSDV1F)

Jump to: Year 3, Year 4

Year 3 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: August

Notes:
Students who are planning on spending their third year studying abroad must successfully progress to honours before they can proceed on their Junior Year Abroad (JYA).

Compulsory courses

You must take these courses
Cases in Sustainable Development
SSPS10014 20 credits
Sustainability Challenges: Critical Debates
SCIL10099 20 credits

Course options

Group A

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

Human Geography Pathway

Select exactly 40 credits of the following courses
Notes:
Geography pathway students wishing to do a dissertation related to human geography should choose Key Methods in Human Geography (GEGR09020) and Fundamentals of Research Design (GEGR10133)
Key Methods in Human Geography
GEGR09020 20 credits
Fundamentals of Research Design
GEGR10133 20 credits
OR

Physical Geography Pathway

Select exactly 40 credits of the following courses
Notes:
If you want to do a physical geography-oriented dissertation then choose Key Methods in Physical Geography (GEGR09018) and Research Design for Physical Geography (GEGR10131)
Key Methods in Physical Geography
GEGR09018 20 credits
Research Design for Physical Geography
GEGR10131 20 credits
AND

Group B

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

Sustainable Development (MA Hons) - Recommended Electives

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
Contemporary Issues in International Development
AFRI10004 20 credits
African Studies: Topics & Themes
AFRI10007 20 credits
Encountering Cities
GEGR10102 20 credits
Landscape Dynamics - techniques and applications
GEGR10108 20 credits
Development and Decolonization in Latin America
GEGR10114 20 credits
Environmental Justice
GEGR10123 20 credits
Land and Landscape: Explorations in Society and Nature
GEGR10125 20 credits
Capital, Land and Power
GEGR10127 20 credits
The Blue Humanities: Studying the Sea
GEGR10128 20 credits
Geographies of Mobility
GEGR10129 20 credits
The Geography of Health
GEGR10138 20 credits
Geographies of Food
GEGR10140 20 credits
Problematising Environment and Society
GEGR10142 20 credits
Theory and Practice of Law and Development
LAWS10237 20 credits
Climate Justice
PLIT10118 20 credits
Politics of Oil
PLIT10123 20 credits
Environmental Politics
PLIT10136 20 credits
Global and Transnational Feminisms
PLIT10159 20 credits
Utopia
PLIT10161 20 credits
Politics and communication of environmental risks
PLIT10175 20 credits
Thinking Like an Environmentalist
PLIT10191 20 credits
Social Development
SCAN10044 20 credits
Humans and Other Species
SCAN10057 20 credits
Anthropology and Environment
SCAN10066 20 credits
Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction
SCAN10068 20 credits
Anthropology of Displacement and Migration
SCAN10077 20 credits
The Anthropology of Energy in the Global South
SCAN10078 20 credits
Waste: Anthropologies of Pollution and Repair
SCAN10090 20 credits
Digital Global Development
SCAN10092 20 credits
Health, Environment and Society
SCAN10101 20 credits
Sociology of the Environment and Risk
SCIL10024 20 credits
Social & Political Movements: Theory and Practice
SCIL10047 20 credits
Globalization
SCIL10067 20 credits
Migration: social origins and social consequences
SCIL10068 20 credits
Gender, Marginality and Social Change
SCIL10073 20 credits
The social life of food
SCIL10081 20 credits
Contemporary Feminist Debates
SSPS10001 20 credits
Energy Policy and Sustainability
STIS10008 20 credits
Controversies in Medicine, Technology and the Environment
STIS10009 20 credits
Knowledge, Expertise and Policy
STIS10010 20 credits
Gender and Environment
STIS10012 20 credits
Citizens and Science: public participation in science and technology
STIS10018 20 credits
Care and Sustainability
STIS10019 20 credits
AND

Level 9 and 10 courses in Schedules A to Q, T and W

Select between 0 and 40 credits from Level 9 and 10 courses in Schedules A to Q, T and W
Notes:
40 credits of courses from any subject area, provided that the pre-requisites for that course have been met.

We recommend that one of these courses is a Geography course but this is not required.

Year 4 Academic year: 2026/27, Starting in: August

Compulsory courses

You must take these courses
Geography Dissertation
GEGR10053 40 credits

Course options

Geography Level 10 courses

Select exactly 40 credits from Geography Level 10 courses
AND

Group A

Select exactly 40 credits in this group.

Sustainable Development (MA Hons) - Recommended Electives

Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses
Contemporary Issues in International Development
AFRI10004 20 credits
African Studies: Topics & Themes
AFRI10007 20 credits
Encountering Cities
GEGR10102 20 credits
Landscape Dynamics - techniques and applications
GEGR10108 20 credits
Development and Decolonization in Latin America
GEGR10114 20 credits
Environmental Justice
GEGR10123 20 credits
Land and Landscape: Explorations in Society and Nature
GEGR10125 20 credits
Capital, Land and Power
GEGR10127 20 credits
The Blue Humanities: Studying the Sea
GEGR10128 20 credits
Geographies of Mobility
GEGR10129 20 credits
The Geography of Health
GEGR10138 20 credits
Geographies of Food
GEGR10140 20 credits
Problematising Environment and Society
GEGR10142 20 credits
Theory and Practice of Law and Development
LAWS10237 20 credits
Climate Justice
PLIT10118 20 credits
Politics of Oil
PLIT10123 20 credits
Environmental Politics
PLIT10136 20 credits
Global and Transnational Feminisms
PLIT10159 20 credits
Utopia
PLIT10161 20 credits
Politics and communication of environmental risks
PLIT10175 20 credits
Thinking Like an Environmentalist
PLIT10191 20 credits
Social Development
SCAN10044 20 credits
Humans and Other Species
SCAN10057 20 credits
Anthropology and Environment
SCAN10066 20 credits
Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction
SCAN10068 20 credits
Anthropology of Displacement and Migration
SCAN10077 20 credits
The Anthropology of Energy in the Global South
SCAN10078 20 credits
Waste: Anthropologies of Pollution and Repair
SCAN10090 20 credits
Digital Global Development
SCAN10092 20 credits
Health, Environment and Society
SCAN10101 20 credits
Sociology of the Environment and Risk
SCIL10024 20 credits
Social & Political Movements: Theory and Practice
SCIL10047 20 credits
Globalization
SCIL10067 20 credits
Migration: social origins and social consequences
SCIL10068 20 credits
Gender, Marginality and Social Change
SCIL10073 20 credits
The social life of food
SCIL10081 20 credits
Contemporary Feminist Debates
SSPS10001 20 credits
Energy Policy and Sustainability
STIS10008 20 credits
Controversies in Medicine, Technology and the Environment
STIS10009 20 credits
Knowledge, Expertise and Policy
STIS10010 20 credits
Gender and Environment
STIS10012 20 credits
Citizens and Science: public participation in science and technology
STIS10018 20 credits
Care and Sustainability
STIS10019 20 credits
AND

Level 9 and 10 courses in Schedules A to Q, T and W

Select between 0 and 40 credits from Level 9 and 10 courses in Schedules A to Q, T and W
Notes:
Courses must be relevant for Sustainable Development.

Students can choose an additional Sustainable Development course in fourth year, in place of a Pathway course, if relevant for their dissertation or for other special reason. To do so, they need to contact the Degree Programme Director for permission.
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