MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development

University of Cambridge

The Engineering for Sustainable Development MPhil course is designed for graduates who want to help tackle pressing global problems by developing practical engineering solutions. It is is not an engineering course, but rather a course for engineers which aims to fill in the missing pieces necessary for understanding the contexts for those solutions. The course is about recognising that engineers have to operate within an increasingly complex set of constraints, and therefore must be capable of dealing with a range of challenges. The subject is based on some very straightforward principles: it is about living within Earth’s finite limits and resources, helping everyone on the planet to achieve an acceptable quality of life; acting as stewards of the environment for future generations; dealing with complexity; and handling the many trade-offs which have to be made. The programme aims to: produce engineers who are equipped to lead change with the understanding and skills necessary to conceive and deliver fitting solutions to society’s needs and to address global challenges within a sustainability framework; explore value frameworks for engineers which are based on the concepts behind sustainable development and which can guide the design and management of engineering artefacts and schemes, so that their impacts are addressed at every stage of planning, implementation and disposal; develop strong business awareness in engineering graduates and foster an understanding of the introduction of change within organisations; encourage a multidisciplinary approach to problem formulation so that through a dialogue with other subject specialists suitable solutions can be developed and wider constraints on engineering activity can be understood, including awareness of natural, business and social environments; encourage an appreciation of the trade-offs and conflicts inherent in decision-making the need to seek wider and alternative solutions to engineering problems so that graduates of the course can engage in strategic thinking during their future employment within the industry, business or government; and move beyond a reductionist approach to problem-solving by recognising a complex systems view of problem formulations.