Bachelor of Sustainability

Work with people to build a better world and make a real difference with the Bachelor of Sustainability at UNE. Our degree integrates the social sciences and humanities with environmental sciences and natural resource management to give you a thorough understanding of sustainability and help you build on your experience to develop real-world strategies that work. By broadening your knowledge, plus honing your critical, analytical and problem-solving skills, you can advance your career while working towards finding tangible solutions for environmental and social dilemmas.

Why study the Bachelor of Sustainability with UNE?

We are the first university in Australia to offer the Bachelor of Sustainability and our course remains unique. Our degree is as innovative as the solutions required to address current problems in Australia and across the globe, and we are committed to meeting these complex challenges in thoughtful and meaningful ways.

Our approach combines a range of sustainability-oriented fields of study including environmental and resource management, sustainable development, geography, law, economics, psychology, ethics and social policy. You will learn all-encompassing perspectives on how to strategise and form solutions that will give you a professional advantage in the workplace.

We offer targeted, career-orientated majors in a broad range of specialist areas:

• Community Engagement and Development — focuses on public education, engagement and participation, working with communities to build community resilience and capacity.
• Cultural Heritage Management — focuses on Indigenous and public heritage management and working with communities to care for living culture as well as historic and archaeological heritage.
• Environmental Governance — focuses on integrating the social and environmental aspects of sustainability for environmental governance and policy, particularly in nature conservation.
• Governance and Regulation — focuses on the policy and regulatory arena, and how to harness the political, economic, social and global forces that impact communities in order to achieve sustainability.
• Environmental Resilience — focuses on achieving sustainable land management in a changing climate.
• Water Sustainability — focuses on the sustainability of water from a combined science, social/cultural, and economic perspective, to address water degradation and achieve water security.

UNE has a long history of supporting social and environmental health and well-being across Australia and beyond. This was recognised at the 2010 NSW Green Globe awards where UNE received a 10-year sustainability certificate for its extensive accomplishments in resource management and education for sustainability.

Consider UNE as your partner in education. We share your goals and we work by your side to overcome challenges. In fact, we’re highly rated – year after year, students award UNE 5-star ratings in The Good Universities Guide for Overall Experience and Student Support, so when you study with us, you know you are in good hands.

What makes our course different?

Our aim is to equip you to meet the challenges of today and build a sustainable future for tomorrow. By integrating a range of sustainability-orientated fields of study — including environmental and resource management, sustainable development, geography, law, economics, psychology, ethics and social policy — our Bachelor of Sustainability will give you a future fit perspective and ability to strategise and form fit-for-purpose solutions. This will give you that much-needed ‘edge’ in the workplace and the growing ‘green collar’ sector. With this degree you will also get to:

• Choose your major from targeted career-orientated options that are designed to support a range of aspirations.
• Develop your skills in critical and analytical thinking, and how to problem solve — skills that are valued and necessary in workplaces across a range of industry contexts.
• Gain workplace experience as part of your studies and improve your employability as a graduate by choosing our WORK300 unit.
• Study flexibly either on campus, or online at home in your own time to suit your lifestyle and other commitments.
• Learn from academics who are passionate about sustainability – in their lives, their teaching and their research. At the forefront of their fields, our teaching staff undertake vital work in biodiversity conservation, environmental law and policy, and climate change.
• The strength and diversity of our student body provides excellent opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. This collaborative experience has ongoing benefits — in the workplace and in life.

UNE is an industry leader in the provision of online, lifelong learning. Students consistently award UNE the maximum 5-star ratings for Overall Experience and Student Support in The Good Universities Guide.

Study online

Most of our students choose to study online across three study periods with 24/7 tutor support* and fit study around work and family commitments. Uniquely, our online students are mostly over 30 and bring valuable experience with them. They form a community of adults juggling the same challenges and priorities and who bring their life and work experience together at UNE in order to become future-fit and better respond to a rapidly changing world.

Study on campus

Many of our students choose to take advantage of the on-campus lifestyle in Armidale, in the beautiful New England region, with access to unparalleled support, accommodation and sporting facilities. These students are often starting their first degree and have left school recently. Through access to academic and career support they get a fantastic start to their careers.

24/7 tutor support includes: essay feedback (within 24 hours); live chat 24/7 for generic feedback on academic writing; and subject-specific help at a foundation or first-year level for subjects including mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, business, accounting, microeconomics, macroeconomics and statistics. There are also a wide range of workshops, resources and courses available in academic skills support to assist you and help you to succeed.

UNE is one of Australia’s oldest universities with a 85 year reputation for excellence in teaching, learning and research. The University of New England (UNE) was the first Australian university established outside a capital city. With a history extending back to the 1920’s UNE has a well-earned reputation as one of Australia’s best teaching, training and research universities. Many graduates of UNE have gone on to hold senior positions around Australia - and overseas - in business, government, education, research and community development. UNE has over 22,000 enrolled students with the majority studying their course online. There are over 4,500 students that study on the University’s traditional Armidale campus, including over 1,200 international students from over 70 different countries. Choose to study in Armidale, Sydney, Adelaide, or online.

At the University of New England, we work hard to give you the best possible learning and research environment.

If you decide to live on or near our main campus in Armidale, a regional city on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, you will find your second home. If you want to live in a major Australian city, our Sydney campus is an ideal choice.

Like many international students, you might decide not to study on campus at all. UNE offers many flexible and online learning options.

No matter how you prefer to study, our academic and professional community will be on-hand to provide advice and support.

Come to UNE to improve your English, make lifelong friends and build a professional network. UNE is also an excellent choice if you are looking for a research centre with more than 700 PhD candidates. Our researchers are pursuing world-class fundamental and applied research in their fields.

While UNE offers a range of courses and study options, you will leave here with so much more than a degree. We will help you master the skills you need to make a real difference in the world.

One of Australia’s most respected universities

UNE is one of Australia’s oldest universities, with a reputation for excellence in teaching, learning and research.

We have over 22,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate coursework, as well as Higher Degree Research programs across fields of study such as:

• Arts and humanities
• Education
• Health and Nursing
• Business and Law
• Environmental and Rural Science
• Science and Technology

An affordable, truly Australian lifestyle

UNE's primary campus is nestled into the city of Armidale, in the heart of the picturesque New England Tableland region of New South Wales.

The New England region is famous for its magnificent gorges, waterfalls and rivers. Our area has a rich history and vibrant culture and is loved for the contrasting beauty of the four distinct seasons.

The Armidale community is proud of its diverse, multicultural society. We have students from over 70 nations studying here. The engagement of international students with the broader community is an important aspect of life at UNE. We know our students enjoy the warm welcome they receive when they arrive. They also appreciate the lower cost of living here compared to capital cities.

Read more about life in Armidale.

UNE has a second campus located in Parramatta, Sydney that offers International students a vibrant city experience. UNE Sydney has a range of courses designed to help students meet the future needs of business, computer science, and the healthcare sectors globally.

Students who choose to study at UNE Sydney will have opportunities to network and explore career paths with Australia’s largest and leading companies, along with easy access to countless restaurants, bars and clubs, retail outlets, the scenic outdoors, and accessible public transport to keep them busy outside of their studies.

Read more about life in Sydney.

Close interaction with teaching staff

With one of the lowest staff-to-student ratios among Australian universities, we give you the chance to interact more easily with your classmates and academic staff.

When you have this close contact with your teachers and peers, you can have in-depth discussions and ask questions more freely.

Smaller class sizes also mean that you are not just a number at UNE. One of the things international students like most about our university is that lecturers and academic staff know their names.

Flexible and distance study options

In addition to UNE's on-campus degrees, we also offer an extensive range of programs via the online mode.

We have an outstanding reputation for our commitment to distance education, and for setting standards for academic learning across the world.

UNE is Australia's longest continuous provider of online education. We have more than 17,000 online students. The flexibility offered by this mode of study allows you to arrange your study around work, family and other commitments.

Browse UNE courses (full-time, on-campus and online programs).

A modern English language centre

The English Language Centre (ELC) at UNE provides a range of English language courses as well as a direct pathway to tertiary study.

The ELC is a fully accredited, modern language centre. Whether you are just beginning to learn English, or you are preparing for entrance into the highest levels of university study, there’s an English language study option for you here.

Read more about our English language programs.

Support when you need it

When you start looking for a university, you have lots of questions. You might be wondering if you are eligible to study here or want to know more about visas and fees.

Maybe you need to find a supervisor to support your Higher Degree research proposal.

There’s plenty of information online, but sometimes you want to speak to someone from the university. Find a full list of UNE International team contacts here.

If you are ready to apply, you will find the online application process is easy. We also have a list of approved education agents in your country who can help you.

We wish you a happy and rewarding time at UNE and look forward to seeing you soon. View our Welcome to UNE brochure for a quick look around before you arrive.