We use cookies on this website to improve the experience we provide. By continuing to use our site you agree to this, or visit our cookie policy to manage your settings.
Skip to main content Skip to main menu Skip to section menu
Saved courses
Search website

Sustainability in the curriculum

As outlined in our Environmental Plan, embedding sustainability into the curriculum is a priority for BCU. This is also reflected in the University’s Strategy 2025.

Sustainable Development Goals logo 

Embedding sustainability in our processes

We have embedded sustainability into several academic quality assurance processes including:

  • The Periodic Review, a formal review of all of our courses every five years;
  • The course approval form for every new course that is developed or existing courses that have a significant change.

Progress is reported against this in the annual Environment Report.

Embedding sustainability into the curriculum – Academic Professional Apprenticeship

To support staff in understanding what sustainability is and how it can be embedded into the curriculum, an introductory session is included as part of the Academic Professional Apprenticeship (APA). The APA is designed for staff who are new to higher education and who have responsibility for learning, teaching and assessment.

The session aims to support colleagues to embed sustainability in the curriculum of their individual courses and faculties, giving participants the knowledge and skills to support the implementation of sustainability priorities aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

An ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ Microsoft Teams Group has been established for staff to network and share ideas, resources, and queries on sustainability in the curriculum. Staff can join the group by searching for it on MS Teams or emailing environment@bcu.ac.uk and asking to be added.

Sustainable curriculum workshops

We have worked with SOS-UK to run the following workshops for staff and students:

  • Introduction to embedding sustainability and climate learning in education
  • Decolonising, decarbonising and democratising education

The recordings and associated resources can be found on the ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ Microsoft Teams Group.


Examples of sustainability in the curriculum

There are some fantastic examples of staff embedding sustainability into the curriculum and students embedding real-life environmental issues into their University coursework.

BCU delivers research projects to develop sustainable solutions locally, regionally, and globally through Faculty Research Centres and Groups, for example, the Global Environmental Challenges Research Centre, which includes:

  • MacroBio – Sustainable utilisation of Macroalgae, focused on biomethane production in Indonesia.
  • EnAlgae – Addressing sustainable pathways for Algal Bioenergy in northwest Europe.
  • IoT4Win – smart technology sensors to provide real-time updates on quality, quantity and demand for water working with United Utility.
  • Exploring the application of property level flood risk adaptation in the UK.
    • Developing community centric sustainable solutions for rural communities in Western Cape South Africa
    • CLIMANIA - developing a Climate Action Game focusing on Retrofit with young people from Balsall Heath. The game won the RTPI award for Research Excellence in 2023.

Further information can be found on the Centre and its work on our web pages.

Sustainable Growth Garden Project – the courtyard in our Parkside Building has been developed to grow and process plants for natural dyes, fibres and fragrances for use in our courses and education. This collaborative project is continually developing and Design Thinking Workshops are being held to share ideas and develop a business plan.

There is an opportunity for students within the Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment to use environmental data as part of an environmental project within their course. 

Some further case studies of Birmingham City University academic's sustainability work can be found on our web pages.

Supporting Schools and Faculties

The Research, Innovation, Employability and Enterprise Team are working on a range of projects that support schools and faculties for sustainability. Each year, Birmingham City University works with Schools and Colleges, offering a range of activities, talks and events to increase understanding of higher education study and career opportunities. Some of these talks or events are surrounding sustainability.

BCU hosted two Women in Engineering events in June 2024 which saw more than 170 female pupils from 12 West Midlands schools take part in an exciting engineering challenge, where they worked in teams to tackle sustainability issues by building floodproof homes.

Through the BCU India Group, we are developing collaborative relationships in India between academia, business organisations and civil society; with sustainability being a central thematic area. Our vision is the creation of new strategic projects in India, aligned with our strengths as a University and working in strong partnerships with organisations in India, so we can enable personal transformation and actual practical on-the-ground innovation, enterprise and research.

Awards and certifications

BCU were Green Gown Award finalists in two categories for sustainable curriculum initiatives in 2021. This included the SEDA Embedding sustainability in the curriculum course being shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Next Generation Learning and Skills’ category in the UK’s Green Gown Awards and the Birmingham School of Architecture and Design (BSoAD) Experimental Sustainability Studio (ESS), which was shortlisted as a finalist in the Sustainable Champions category.

Our ISO 14001:2015 certified Environmental Management System (EMS) includes the provision of teaching and research and so embedding sustainability in the curriculum is audited as part of our accreditation.