Introduction
The School of Environment and Development aims to attract the best students to study in Manchester. Our programmes are long established and build on excellence in both teaching and research within the School. Our graduates are highly employable, qualified in both their subject areas and proficient in the skills employers are seeking.
The School runs a number of innovative single and joint honours undergraduate courses in Geography, Planning and Architecture.
These programmes examine contemporary debates about the built, natural and social environments within which we live. Drawing on research carried out within SED, the undergraduate teaching programme provides students with an opportunity to engage with academics working at the cutting edge of such debates and to explore issues at first hand through a range of local and international fieldwork programmes.
Being a student in Manchester
As a student in the School of Environment and Development, you are part of a broader academic community comprising undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers. This provides a rich, stimulating and dynamic environment within which to learn. Our teaching is research-led so students have the opportunity to investigate the contemporary and immediate issues affecting the world we live in.
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
The curriculum of each programme has been designed to ensure that students experience a range of different learning environments, a diversity of assessment methods and a variety of teaching contexts. As such, lectures are complemented by an integrated programme of small group and practical sessions.
In Architecture, for example, part of your programme will focus on learning in a design studio, while in Geography and in Planning, you will experience practical/laboratory classes, tutorials and fieldwork. Similarly, a variety of assessment methods are used to ensure students have a number of different opportunities to display their knowledge, understanding, skills and abilities.
Drawing on the facilities at the University's Careers Service, all our undergraduate programmes place considerable emphasis on developing students' skills and abilities as preparation for either future study (Masters, PhD etc.) or for the world of work. Over the course of the degree programme, students are encouraged to develop their skills in team work, oral and written communication, numeracy and IT.
Manchester
Manchester is a great city to live in! It is one of the fastest growing and most exciting cities in the UK and it has the largest student population of any city in Europe.
Not surprisingly then, in studying contemporary debates, we make particular use of our location within a multi-cultural and vibrant city to study urban and environmental issues. The famous Victorian architecture of the city sits alongside new developments such as the Imperial War Museum North, Urbis and the Bridgewater Hall. This juxtaposition of regeneration and conservation provides a focus for some of our course units, while others explore issues of pollution and sustainability. Equally, we are within easy reach of the Lake District and Peak District National Parks and use these locations to explore natural environmental contexts.
See some of our students' opinions to find out more.