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Major

Environment and Society

Bachelor of Design
Overview Study details

Can design challenge political and cultural injustice and create more equitable futures?

Design can help communities respond to environmental and social change.

This major explores the connections between people and the environment – examining how social and political contexts shape environmental outcomes, and how design can help address urgent global challenges like climate change, displacement and biodiversity loss.

You’ll learn how human-led processes and design outcomes shape our ability to respond to pressing environmental problems, including bushfires, food insecurity, waste and environmental injustice. 

Drawing on insights from sociology, anthropology, planning, philosophy and economics, you’ll investigate issues such as environmental racism, the politics of conflict, and activism for social change.

You’ll explore how to connect advanced understanding of environmental issues with social science skills to co-design socially and environmentally just and sustainable solutions that create positive change – from local communities to global organisations.

Highlights

1 in Queensland for arts and humanities

QS World University Rankings 2026

Career possibilities

Our programs prepare you for your first job and beyond. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:

  • Design manager
  • Design advisor
  • Sustainability consultant

Next steps after graduation

After graduation, the Environment and Society major can support pathways in strategic design, sustainability consulting, design research, government, policy and community organisations. 

You may work on projects connected to climate adaptation, environmental justice, community engagement, sustainable systems or social change.

How you'll learn

Your learning experiences are designed to best suit the learning outcomes of the courses you choose.

  • Lectures
  • Tutorials
  • Studios

What you'll study

At UQ, subjects are called 'courses'. Here's a sample of the courses you could study:

  • Working with Indigenous People
  • Ecology, Culture, and Field Research
  • Introduction to Environmental Studies
  • Environmental Politics & Policy
  • An Urban World [Elective]

See courses and program structure

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