Course overview

Our Environment and Business degree combines the study of environmental and sustainability issues with sound business and management practice. It’s concerned with the pressures and opportunities facing business as a result of the contemporary environmental and corporate social responsibility agendas.

If you want to develop skills in the use of concepts, methods and tools that can be used to transform economic, environmental and social pressures into positive business opportunities, this course could be for you. Your background could be in business, geography or other social sciences.

You’ll have the opportunity to study modules in the Leeds University Business School and the School of Law, and to undertake a major dissertation project. Your module choices will allow you to develop specialist knowledge and skills, which can help you succeed in the employment market.

Why study at Leeds:

• Take advantage of our world-leading research here at Leeds, carried out within five institutes that tackle complex global challenges such as climate change, energy security and natural hazard management.
• Experience expertise teaching delivered by a programme team made up of leading specialists with extensive industry experience from across the breadth of our environment and business research disciplines.
• Benefit from excellent specialist facilities, including lecture theatres, seminar rooms and computer clusters fully equipped with the latest technology to support your learning.
• Put theory into practice with our extensive fieldwork activities located across the world, where you’ll advance your research skills and gain hands-on experience highly valued by employers in industry.
• Enhance your career prospects and give your CV that competitive edge before you graduate with our paid industrial work placement opportunities. Our close industry links have given previous students the chance to work at — and build professional relationships with — major organisations such as Unilever, IBM, Jaguar Land Rover and PepsiCo.
• Gain invaluable life experience and advance your personal development with our exciting study abroad programmes, spanning across many universities worldwide.
• Join one of our societies, such as SusSoc, where you can meet like-minded people at events such as socials and sports.

Course details

The course is designed around a combination of compulsory core modules, as well as opportunities to choose optional modules that allow you to follow areas of personal interest or broaden your learning.

Year 1

You’ll study the underlying principles of business, the natural environment, and human impacts. Fieldwork and study skills feature strongly in this course and provide a solid foundation for your later independent studies.

Year 2

In year 2, you’ll develop your business skills through a range of core and optional modules influenced by your own interests. In this year, you’ll interact with business executives and will work on real-world issues in environment and business. As you extend your analytical skills, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the issues regarding the interface between the environment and business practices.

Year 3

Your final year gives you the chance to produce your own work at a professional level through our own final-year project. You’ll be able to choose modules that enable you to pursue your specialist interests. These may include climate change, law, marketing and advertising, business management, or corporate strategy.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Environment and Business BA in the course catalogue

Year 1 compulsory modules

• Economics for Management
• Sustainable Development
• Skills for Environmental Social Science
• Introduction to Business, Environment and Corporate Responsibility
• Environmental Science for Environmental Management

Year 2 compulsory modules

• Managing Innovation in Business
• Personal Development for Careers in the Environmental Sector
• Tools and Techniques for Business, Environment and Corporate Responsibility
• Research in the Environmental Social Sciences
• Economics and Sustainability

Year 3 compulsory modules

• International Business Management
• Environmental Research Project
• Change for Sustainable Development

Career opportunities

A degree from Leeds and the experience you'll gain here will give you the edge to find the career you want. Your course will give you the experience and knowledge that employers are looking for to help you secure a graduate job.

University of Leeds students are among the top 5 most targeted by top employers according to The Graduate Market 2022, High Fliers’ Research.

Environment and Business graduates are well placed to appreciate the fundamental advantages of a sustainability-oriented approach to business, and to help businesses deliver long-term solutions to environmental and social challenges.

Career options for Environment and Business graduates include environmental consultancy and management, corporate social responsibility. Work opportunities occur in private companies, non-governmental organisations or the public sector.

Our graduates have secured positions including:

• Data Acquisition Analyst, eVestment
• Personal Banker, Lloyds Banking Group
• Associate, Bank of England
• Property Support Administrator, British Red Cross
• Investor Relations, Department of Energy and Climate Change
• Key Account Executive, LEGO Group
• Creative Planner, Mindshare
• Deputy Head of Operations & Director, PCT Healthcare
• Trade Operations Assistant, Pfizer
• Sustainability Consultant, WRM

* Scholarships available for international  students.