Management and Sustainability

In business, sustainability can be viewed as an approach to creating long-term value by taking into consideration how an organisation operates in an economic, ecological and social environment. For example, organisations such as Nike and Adidas have turned their attention in recent years to reducing waste and creating greener supply chains in aid of the environment. Whereas in biopharma industries, such as Biogen, they’ve also turned their focus to social impact by creating partner initiatives in health and safety. With these big industry names making strong commitments to sustainability, there’s no doubt that others will follow, and it will be a main factor of the business agenda in years to come.

In a world where the need for sustainable practices is growing exponentially, there’s never been a better time for you to study the MSc Management and Sustainability. The ‘management’ aspect of this course allows you to explore core areas of management such as organisational strategy and supply chain practices through problem-based learning. You’ll be challenged to think critically about issues such as business ethics, globalisation and communitarianism. As you progress through the course, you’ll build on the tools and techniques you’ve learned from your previous units and apply this knowledge to your further studies, and to your research project.

As for the ‘sustainability’ aspect of the course, you’ll be given a thorough introduction to topics such as circular economy, sustainable development and social, ethical and environmental enterprise. You’ll develop critical tools to analyse sustainability challenges and be able to make recommendations for specific organisations.

You’ll then go on to complete your sustainability research project. This project gives you the opportunity to work with organisations to solve sustainability challenges of the future. You’ll work within small groups on an assigned project brief. As a group you’ll complete research into your assigned challenge and present your findings to the client and prepare a team report written for a professional audience. There's also an individual component of the assessment, which has three core elements: an individual essay, a research journal with reflection, and a professional conversation.

In the 2023/24 academic year our students worked on sustainability challenges set by Talk Talk, Meatfreed, EZ Hampers, Manchester Climate Change Agency and Manchester Student Homes.

Study routes

This course includes the option of completing a 36-48 week internship after your taught units have come to an end. This provides you with a fantastic opportunity to gain-real world experience to apply alongside your studies, further improving your employability prospects. If you choose the internship route, your course will take two years.

Rise with Manchester Met

Rise is a programme available to all students at Manchester Met giving you the opportunity to earn practice credits on your degree through employment-enhancing activities. During your studies you can collect points for the activities you engage in and if you engage in enough activity you could receive recognition on your degree transcript.

Postgraduate students can get involved in activities such as project work, workshops, volunteering and certifications. For example, you could gain certifications with the likes of Microsoft, Adobe and the Project Management Institute free of charge. Not only are these fantastic to have on your CV but they are also transferable to a wide range of careers.  

All Rise activities are organised according to themes of Digital Capabilities, Self-Effectiveness, Sustainability, Internationalisation, Enterprise and Civics. Completing a number of activities within a certain theme will also earn you micro-accreditations in the form of Digital Badges.

To find out more about what Rise has to offer, visit their website.