Overview
1st place in the 2022 National Student Survey for Combined Studies.
Are you curious about how to deal with ecological and environmental challenges that affect nations across the world? Our new Global Challenges undergraduate degrees have been designed with disrupters in mind – people who aren’t afraid to ask questions and to pull in knowledge from across disciplines to get to the root of the planetary problems we face.
Within the core spine of your Global Challenges degree, you will take an in-depth look at issues such as climate change, sustainable development, migration, terrorism, inequality and poverty and how they affect the world we live in, the Planetary Health pathway will also introduce you to the impact human activity has on the earth systems and in turn affects our health.
You will explore questions about the environmental challenges current and future populations face as you learn to analyse and manage issues alongside the Brunel experts teaching this course.
Planetary health is a global concern. The impact of human activity must be addressed and managed so that we do not continue to damage our ecology and ultimately ourselves. As part of the Planetary Health Alliance, Brunel University London works alongside 70 dedicated universities, NGOs, government entities and research institutes who are committed to making advances in this area. This means that the knowledge you gain during your studies will come directly from the most up-to-date sources.
As part of your course you will look at the connections between changes in the environment and health outcomes. For example, how the environment has caused certain wildlife species to become extinct, or how the use of pesticides in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables may have physical or mental health risks.
You will also explore some of the technologies and political and economic strategies employed in healing the planet, such as the reduction of greenhouse gasses by avoiding the use of damaging household products, to saving energy around the home.
Throughout your course you will build your ability to work in teams as you pick up skills in project management, presenting and team pitches. A third year Enterprise Project will help to bring all these skills together as you work on a group project with a real organisation.
You have the option to apply for an internship at the end of your first year and can take a one-year placement between years two and three, giving you valuable work experience and a step ahead for your career when you graduate.
As a graduate of the new Global Challenges course you will be inquisitive and analytical with a large amount of knowledge that could change the world, as you’ll have learnt how to assess contrasting sets of data and different arguments to form your own ideas and opinions.
"I wanted to study something that combined science with geopolitics in order to understand the world that we live in today." - Giacomo Garberoglio
"I wanted to study something that combined science with geopolitics in order to understand the world that we live in today." - Giacomo Garberoglio
Course content
Your Global Challenges course is structured around a core spine of compulsory modules where you will tap into the expertise of several departments from across the university.
In addition, you will study a set of modules which are focused on your Planetary Health pathway to build your specialist knowledge.
Core elements of your degree have been developed to work in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). As the lead United Nations agency in tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing our world, this partnership ensures that what you’ll learn is timely, relevant and responsive.
In practice this includes working on real life case studies that bring the skills and experience of industry experts and academics to the student learning experience, to respond to live briefs aimed at supporting the UNDP’s international development priorities.
This connection not only ensures your project work will be specific and focused, but also develop your problem solving and project delivery skills in ways that, beyond supporting your future career, have the potential to bring real world impact through our partners.
Compulsory
- Methods for addressing global and local challenges
- Addressing Global Challenges II
- Global Challenges: contested science, ethics and numbers
- Global Health
- Foundations of Planetary HealthIn this modules students will demonstrate a multidisciplinary understanding of the elements of planetary health, forming a synthesis of ideas from environment and global public health related research, policy and key information drawn from a wide range of sources.
- Natural Systems
- Introduction to Planetary Health
Compulsory
- Constructing Knowledge: Developing a qualitative methods toolkit
- Practical and theoretical responses to the challenges of global change
- The World through Data
- Environmental ChangeIn this module students will describe and explain key ways in which the Earth and its ecosystems have changed during the Anthropocene, examining different geographical and temporal scales and different sociocultural and economic contexts, and more.
- Ecosystem Transformations and Health ImpactsThis module will develop student's knowledge of the lines of evidence for climate change and potential impacts, learning how Earth has changed since the Industrial Revolution, and natural and anthropogenic processes that influence our environment, and more.
Compulsory
- Planetary Health Intervention Proposal
- Healing the Planet in Practice
- Mobilising Knowledge
- Global Challenges in Practice
- Arts and Sciences Dissertation in Global Challenges
- Global Challenges in Practice Enterprize Project
This course can be studied 3 years full-time or 4 years full-time with placement, starting in September.
This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.
Careers and your future
Today’s workforce seeks graduates who are not only flexible and determined, but also have the awareness and ability to respond to the challenges faced by different industries across a rapidly-changing world.
Global Challenges is both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science. Having developed skills in scientific, social scientific and humanities fields, our graduates will be able to confidently engage with a range of perspectives, evidence bases and stakeholders.
Ultimately, graduates will be able to actively contribute and lead the necessary change needed to respond to emerging issues. You’ll be able to innovate and improve processes in a dynamic manner, and to actively contribute to improving outcomes for employers, or as an employer yourself.
Graduates from this programme will be equipped for roles in a number of industries including, but certainly not limited to, business, media and communications, systems design and consulting, international development, healthcare, government and diplomatic services.
UK entry requirements
2024/25 entry
- GCE A-level ABB-BBC.
- BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DMM in any subject.
- BTEC Level 3 Diploma DM in any subject with an A-Level at grade C.
- BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma M in any subject with A-Levels grade BB.
- International Baccalaureate Diploma 29 points.
- Obtain a minimum of 112 UCAS tariff points in the Access to HE Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3.
- T levels : Merit overall in Health.
A minimum of five GCSEs are required, including GCSE Mathematics grade C or grade 4 and GCSE English Language grade C or grade 4 or GCSE English Literature grade B or grade 5.
Brunel University London is committed to raising the aspirations of our applicants and students. We will fully review your UCAS application and, where we’re able to offer a place, this will be personalised to you based on your application and education journey.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.
EU and International entry requirements
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6.5 (min 5.5 in all areas)
- Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 63% (min 55% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 90 (min R18, L17, S20, W17)
Fees and funding
2024/25 entry
UK
£9,250 full-time
£1,385 placement year
International
£19,430 full-time
£1,385 placement year
Teaching and learning
Global Challenges is an emerging and exciting subject area which will challenge you to think differently about humanity's relationship with the contemporary world.
You'll have the chance to choose one of four specially curated pathways alongside the ‘core spine’ of the degree so your learning experience will be truly unique. This programme offers you the opportunity to switch between science and non-scientific disciplines whilst providing both local and international contexts to ground everything you learn. This will ultimately give you full exposure and knowledge to the challenges society faces globally, without any restrictions.
Uniquely, the programme is designed in study and assessment blocks. In Levels 4 and 5, the core study block consists of 50 credits and the pathway study block of 70 credits. In Level 6, the core study block consists of 70 credits, whereas your pathway study block is weighted as 50 credits.
Main activities include:
- lectures (weekly);
- seminar (weekly),
- pathway small group classes (weekly);
- module classes curated by your pathway lead.
All lectures, seminars, pathway small group classes and module classes curated by your pathway lead are in-person, on campus. Attendance will enable you to participate fully and with minimal disruptions, and ensure you are able to engage in meaningful discussions.
We're committed to enabling dynamic knowledge sharing, and students have noted repeatedly that in-person learning makes personal connections with like-minded peers not only easier but that this form of bonding forges opportunities for deeper understanding of key concepts and support in learning.
Through seminar series and a network of staff members, students are also connected with industry partners in order to independently access extracurricular opportunities, paid employment or internships.
Students are strongly advised to purchase core texts from module reading lists, although copies are also available via Brunel Library.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
The aim of this new Bachelor of Arts and Sciences is to develop your knowledge and understanding of the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, technology, philosophy and ethics and how they can contribute to identifying, understanding and responding to global issues and concerns.
This is the first course of its kind to offer students opportunities to work across disciplines in a global context between science, social science and humanities disciplines.
You'll be taught by staff who are actively engaged in research or relevant professional practice, making your learning up-to-date with current findings in real-world experiences which will feed into teaching. You'll learn in a variety of ways including lectures, tutorials, workshops and seminars, as well as one-to-one supervision in your final year project.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
Course assessments are synoptic in nature as they will draw on the knowledge you acquire across the various disciplines covered. Assessment methods may include presentations, written and audio-visual reports in the form of vlogs and blogs, essays, examinations, coursework, and peer assessment.
