MA, MSc, PhD Pathways

After obtaining a Master Holistic Design Certificate, students have the opportunity to ‘continue’ or ‘upgrade’ their Level 7 third-party RSD Course studies towards a MA, a MSc or a PhD.

The courses (modules) of the Master in Regenerative Action (MRA) by Ubiquity University are studied at a Masters level and the Design for Sustainability (GEDS) courses by Gaia Education are convertible / upgradeable towards the Ubiquity University Masters & PhD courses.

Furthermore, achieving Level 7 of the RSD Course — Master Holistic Design Certificate — ensures that students are more than capable in studying towards a MSc degree because students that choose this pathway study a core 30 credit module. The 5 recommended MSc (Master of Sciences) degrees are offered by Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in partnership with the Liverpool John Moores University or the University of East London.

A Master Holistic Design Certificate student needs to choose one of three masters pathways.

Either

(A) 6 course credits of the core and elective courses of the Master in Regenerative Action (MRA) by Ubiquity University studied at a Masters level (+/- $1,400 USD).

or

(B) The Design for Sustainability (GEDS) course by Gaia Education (+/- £1,430 GBP)

or

(C) The Sustainability and Adaptation: Concepts and Planning module of the MSc courses (30 MSc credits) offered by Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) (+/- £2,000 GBP)

edu points can be used to pay for the full tuition cost of the required MRA, GEDS, and MSc modules.

Below is a list of the 7 of RSD Course approved masters degrees

MRA – Master in Regenerative Action

A Whole New Kind of MBA!

Ubiquity University (UU) and the University of International Cooperation (UCI) have come together with Green Project Management (GPM) and a global coalition of other academic institutions, NGOs and professional organizations to launch a whole new MBA degree called a Master in Regenerative Action (MRA), at the center of which is Doughnut Economics as well as a range of other regenerative approaches to ecology, economics, politics, consciousness, and culture. The focus is on Knowledge leading to Action to regenerate our world. There is no more time for business as usual. Business must be redesigned to regenerate economies and the larger ecosystem. We don’t need ‘Business Administration,’ the old kind of MBA. We need Regenerative Action to save the world, a whole new approach to business.

Our MRA jointly co-brands and co-produces undergraduate and graduate courses and programs, also available for lifelong learners and activists, in the field of Regenerative Development. This will comprise the leading theorists and practitioners in the field of Regeneration. Content that is being developed will be linked to practitioners in the field working to regenerate bioregions, cities, and economies globally.

We are partnering with the Regenerative Communities Network founded in 2018. Currently, there are 15 members across 8 countries and 4 continents, a number that is expected to grow rapidly in 2021. Costa Rica already offers many sites within the country where students can come and actively learn regeneration by participating in many of the projects UCI is currently working on.

We are partnering with Integral City Meshworks which are convening dozens of cities worldwide and over 45 partnering organizations to join the coalition. The fact that Amsterdam embraced Doughnut Economics in April 2020 has had an accelerating effect on galvanizing cities and regions globally to develop regenerative practices.

Our coalition of content providers and specialists will work together over time with the intent to create a global consensus around the imperative to move beyond Sustainability to Regeneration. We will link learning about Regeneration with what activists and practitioners need on the ground for effective and informed action. Our goal is to build a program grounded in service to bioregional development and the regeneration of cities and the entire political economy. Every sector of human society must be transformed to be regenerative.

As background, Ubiquity and UCI came together and the coalition was conceived and has been established through Humanity Rising, an initiative of Ubiquity University and over 350 partnering organizations worldwide to create a daily global commons to enable people worldwide to come together to share their experiences as we all navigate through the pandemic and take counsel together as to how we can increase our strategic effectiveness. 

In July 2020, Ed Müller, Founder and President of UCI, convened a seven-day program on Doughnut and Regenerative Economics and another five-day program in October on Moving Toward a Regenerative World. In January 2021, Integral City Meshworks convened a five-day program on Cities Rising for a Regenerative World. It was out of these programs that the idea was conceived to build a coherent body of content linked to bio-regions and cities, initially focused on a Master in Regenerative Action and designed to serve activists everywhere seeking to regenerate community and environment.

MA / PhD in Design for Sustainability

Gaia Education is partnering with Ubiquity University to offer our Design for Sustainability (GEDS) participants with Bachelor’s degrees, or equivalent life experience, the opportunity to upgrade your GEDS certificate to a Master’s Degree! GEDS participants already holding a Masters degree can upgrade to a PhD.

Already completed your GEDS?

Just convert it to a Masters / PhD by going straight to the Ubiquity University course page and signing up for their programme. Register now to join the latest Masters / PhD cohort!

Applications have a non-refundable deposit of £100 which will be applied toward the program fee. Only complete applications will be accepted and processed. 

Pathway

The Design for Sustainability Masters Degree consists of these 4 stages:

  1. Creative Journey To Dissertation course (Ubiquity University, 1-week online intensive)
  2. Full GEDS programme, minus Design Studio (Gaia Education, 9 months online)
  3. Select a Major Advisor to support you through your dissertation (Gaia Education advisors, Masters Advisors, PhD Advisors)
  4. Complete your dissertation.

Stage 1 and 2 can exchange the order if needed.

For the Design For Sustainability PhD:

  • Complete the Masters Degree requirements, above, plus two more core courses with Ubiquity: 
  • The Chartres Pilgrimage (virtual or in-person)
  •  The Great Books OR Foundation in Soft Skills course.

MSc in Sustainable Food and Natural Resources

Offered by: Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in partnership with the Liverpool John Moores University

Develop your knowledge and understanding of the impacts of environmental change on global and local food systems and the natural world on our MSc Sustainable Food and Natural Resources.

Explore solutions that could help address some of the urgent and crucial issues that we face, looking at different approaches and competing paradigms.

Key areas of study

On the course you will explore a variety of topics, focusing on climate mitigation and adaptation in food and natural resources, soil health, natural climate solutions and food and land management systems.

Some of the topics you will study will include:

  • The impacts of food production and the way our natural resources are perceived, managed, produced and distributed
  • Social, practical, political and economic aspects of sustainable food production and natural resource management, and the effects of industry-scale farming, agriculture and materials production on ecosystems and our environment
  • The impacts of economic structures and environmental change on diet, health, sustainability and community empowerment
  • Underlying theory in a range of related topics, such as soil ecology and health, growing methods and comparative yields, environmental impacts of materials and design for sustainability

MSc in Sustainability and Ecology

Offered by: Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in partnership with the Liverpool John Moores University

Great changes have occurred in human society in the past 200 years, but much of this has come at the expense of the natural systems and species that keep us all alive and healthy.

Even in remote environments, evidence of anthropogenic pollutants shows that nowhere remains unaffected. Through the Sustainability and Ecology programme, you will gain a scientific understanding of the issues surrounding the protection and rehabilitation of nature whilst maintaining essential or useful ecosystem services.

Key areas of study

CAT is situated in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with easy access to a wide range of habitats, including woodlands, wetlands, high mountain pasture, heathland and riverine, coastal and transitional wetlands – many of which are represented at CAT itself and allow for practical learning from nearby cases studies.

Some of the topics you will study will include:

  • Landscape management and local habitat management practises with a view to maximising environmental sustainability benefits
  • Values and limitations of habitat restoration, rewilding, species reintroduction, biodiversity, conservation, health and nature and urban green infrastructure
  • Global and local scale ecological sustainability and how it relates to the ongoing demands of modern society, the integrated nature of the systemic drivers of climate change and biodiversity loss and ecological worldviews
  • Land use, biodiversity needs for conservation and ecosystem service provision
  • The political and economic bases for sustainability in resource sourcing, use and management
  • Behaviour change relevant to delivering transformational environmental change

MSc in Sustainability in Energy Provision and Demand Management

Offered by: Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in partnership with the University of East London

To tackle climate change we need a transformation in our relationship with energy. Our MSc Sustainability in Energy Provision and Demand Management explores this on a local, national and international scale. 

Examining how net zero greenhouse gas emissions can be achieved through large scale investment in renewable and low CO2 energy sources, delivery and patterns of use. You will also study the challenges to this and gain an in-depth understanding of why rapid, effective energy solutions, energy efficiency and intelligent management of resources are vital to minimising climate change impacts.

The course is aimed at existing or potential decision makers, consultants and other professionals, and those with a general interest in energy-related issues of climate change.

Key areas of study

On this course, you will examine renewable energy provision, its application and management and energy demand and management in low and zero-carbon buildings.

Some of the topics you’ll study include:

  • Comprehension of existing sustainable technologies and systems for provision of both electricity and energy for heating, including site assessment and energy yield.
  • New advances in energy generation, storage, delivery, and supply management
  • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of energy demand and resources acquisition
  • The role of decision-makers at different levels in driving the policies and economics required to achieve energy security and sustainability
  • Evaluation of energy reduction scenarios through data collection and computer modelling
  • Justice, ethics, and responsibilities in global energy provision

MSc in Green Building

Offered by: Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in partnership with the Liverpool John Moores University

Develop a deep understanding and confidence around sustainable design principles and sustainable materials, their regulatory and legal requirements and their practical use, on our MSc in Green Building.

To reach zero carbon in the design and building industry, the materials and methods used must be adapted. CAT’s unique on-site study experience combines hands-on practical learning with in-depth academic study, so will allow you to learn about and experience sustainable building methods and materials. Through this course, you will also acquire a rigorous understanding of the social, practical, political, economic and environmental aspects of green building and construction.

Key areas of study

Throughout the course you will explore topics relating to building design, planning and retrofitting through understanding the theory behind the selection and use of materials, energy flows in buildings, site selection and preparation, waste management, project management and the building project life cycle.

Some of the topics you’ll study will include:

  • Sustainability thinking and adaptation transformation planning
  • Building design, planning and retrofitting
  • Selection and evaluation of materials and sources
  • Efficient use of materials and energy
  • Attitudinal and behavioural issues of energy and materials use and control
  • Post-occupancy evaluation of buildings performance
  • Water and waste management
  • Policy and planning issues

MSc in Sustainability and Behaviour Change

Offered by: Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in partnership with the Liverpool John Moores University

It is becoming clear that major systemic, political and societal changes are needed to move us towards true sustainability and to address the serious consequences of environmental and climatic change.

On our MSc Sustainability and Behaviour Change, get to grips with sustainability, social change and behaviour change theories at all levels: personal, organisational, community, institutional and governmental, drawing on theories of behavioural science, and social and systems models.

Key areas of study

Through studying local, national and global case studies of behaviour and environmental change, you will develop your own skills in leadership and communication that will enable you to implement environmental change on a variety of levels. 

Some of the topics you will study will include:

  • Sustainability thinking and adaptation transformation planning
  • Acute resilience pathways for cities and communities
  • Public perceptions of environmental risk management and attitudes to behaviour change
  • Cities, governance structures and policy, and interventions at community and individual level
  • The skills required to facilitate the necessary behavioural changes through successful communication and engagement strategies

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RSD Course Versions

The pre-alpha version of a lesson is one that has not been peer reviewed yet — however, don’t worry, pre-alpha is good enough to be live! The alpha version is an early version of a peer reviewed lesson that is part of a dedicated evaluation process. The beta version includes almost all of the final content, videos, etc. yet it may still need to be tweaked somewhat.

The first modules of the pre-alpha version of the RSD Course are already live. The reason for making the pre-alpha version live is that we are actively engaging with our ‘early adopter’ crowdfunding students and contributors so that we can build the best course possible. The completed alpha versions of the entire course will be live from the 1st September 2024.

The beta version of the entire RSD Course will hopefully be released by 1st March 2025. The ‘completed & refined’ release of the RSD Course (English) should be available around late-2025. The course will then be translated into other languages — around 10 languages at first, and then more according to demand.