Prosperity, People and Planet MSc
London, Stratford (UCL East)
This is the programme information for 2025 entry
Prosperity, People and Planet MSc equips the next generation of change-makers with the knowledge and skills to create sustainable prosperity for all of nature and humanity. We believe in an ecological economics that recognises that the economy is embedded in society and nature. You will study natural prosperity, a new, transdisciplinary means of studying well-being economies and healthy social foundations while respecting planetary ecological boundaries. You will learn how to enact transformational, systems-level change, ready for a career creating a better future for both people and planet.
Study mode
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
Duration
Programme starts
Applications accepted
Applications open
Applications open
Entry requirements
A first or upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate subject, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard from a recognised higher education institution. Evidence of extensive experience may be considered in lieu of the above, subject to approval.
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The English language level for this programme is: Level 2
UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.
Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.
Equivalent qualifications
Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.
International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.
About this degree
Creating a sustainable future for humans and the rest of nature is going to take major transformations of our economic paradigm and societal institutions. The Prosperity, People and Planet MSc takes an ecological economics and whole systems perspective, and is for anyone interested in the world, how it works, and how we can make it a better place for everyone to live in.
What is the meaning of ecological economics to us at the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity? We recognise that the economy is embedded in society and the rest of nature, that our complex interconnected systems can only be understood and managed from this perspective, and that problems cannot be solved in isolation from society or from the rest of nature. In our teaching, we use modern theory and methods, and an engaged, interactive teaching style to co-create solutions to the range of problems facing humanity today, from climate change to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During your studies you will be introduced to a range of conceptual discussions about complex systems change. You will explore different perspectives for understanding the interaction of economic, social, political, and ecological processes. You will learn cutting edge methods for measuring and modelling multiple, interconnected planetary emergencies and pathways for co-leading next generation institutional reforms with new kinds of impactful knowledge and policy creation.
As a student you will:
- Be part of an entirely new take on ecological economics education. We get to the heart of the biggest global challenges of our age, including climate change, environmental degradation, growth in inequality, uncertainty in the economy, and worldwide decreases in wellbeing and prosperity.
- Develop the core knowledge and skills needed to understand and address global problems holistically.
- Gain access to the expertise of one of the founders of ecological economics, Professor Robert Costanza, as well as Dr. Ida Kubiszewski and our Institute’s transdisciplinary thinkers, practitioners and partners.
- Engage in real-world scenarios and challenges. Utilise your critical thinking to propose practical and innovative solutions.
- Tailor your studies to meet your own interests, choosing from a range of optional modules focusing on some of the most pressing and complex problems the world is facing today, including finance, economics, Chinese studies, urban development, social theory, environmental science, sustainability, sociology, and more.
Who this course is for
This degree will appeal to a range of students from around the world. We are seeking students with diverse knowledge and abilities and a desire to work as part of a dynamic and inclusive community. We particularly encourage applications from prospective students with a strong personal vision for ecological, social and economic transformation. We welcome applicants from natural and/or social science and humanities backgrounds and with skills in quantitative and/or qualitative research. Individuals who already have a postgraduate degree and/or significant real-world experience in business, social entrepreneurship, government or third sector organisations are encouraged to apply.
What this course will give you
As a multidisciplinary global university with wide resources at its disposal, UCL is the ideal environment in which to study sustainable global prosperity. UCL is ranked the #9 university in the world according to the QS World University Rankings 2025 and is situated within London, the best student city in the world (QS Best Student Cities Ranking 2025).
At UCL’s Institute for Global Prosperity we are pioneering research into questions of prosperity and driving forward novel transdisciplinary engagements to deliver new, more prosperous natural and human world. As a student, you will become part of this emerging community, learning from and participating in our research helping shape debates around what a prosperous society should be. You will have the opportunity to engage with some of the real and tangible changes that we have made across the world. From our work on wellbeing indicators and “beyond GDP” in collaboration with the European Commission, to the Agrifood for Net Zero Network working to implement regenerative agriculture in the UK and globally, you will have the unique opportunity to be part of some of the global and national initiatives and projects we’re involved in, solving challenges and improving long term human wellbeing.
Other projects include our contribution to valuing natural capital and ecosystem services and designing societal therapies to overcome our addiction to growth. We have collaborated on key policies with a range of local government and global initiatives such as the Southwark Land Commission in London, where we developed policy that means land across the borough will be developed for the benefit of local people and the Think7 initiative at the 2022 G7 summit in Germany, where we contributed to policy on social cohesion, economic transformation and open societies. We also worked with the UK’s House of Commons enquiry on aligning the economic goals with environmental sustainability, which changed the way that the UK now reports its quarterly GDP figure. Our ambitious policy and practice-led initiatives include the Citizen Science Academy, a community-based, research training scheme to empower communities to lead change, and our global FastForward2030 network of impact entrepreneurs who are addressing the Sustainable Development Goals. We also have three research Prosperity Co-Labs (PROCOLs) in the UK, Lebanon and Africa.
The foundation of your career
After graduating, our Prosperity, People and Planet MSc students can go on to work in the public sector, government, private sector, NGOs, education, and a multitude of other industries and sectors. Studying with us means you will have the opportunity to join the Institute for Global Prosperity community. We have a global network of alumni, partners and collaborators all making positive change in the world, particularly in major roles in government, business and the third sector. Throughout the academic year, we host careers and alumni events, allowing current students to engage with alumni and to build on this growing network of change-makers. After graduation, our students to take up a broad range of roles including as ecological consultants, policy officers and social research officers. Our students going into careers in research and PhD study.
By educating a new generation of transdisciplinary change leaders we aim to build the informed and responsible global citizens envisaged in the Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to the speeding up of appropriate responses to the climatic and ecological crises of the moment.
Alumni experiences
“My previous experiences highlighted the need for a broader understanding of global economic systems and sustainable development. The Prosperity, People and Planet MSc presented me with an opportunity to deepen my knowledge in these areas, equipping me with the necessary experience to influence and innovate within any industry.” - Eve Thornton, Prosperity, People and Planet MSc graduate
“What I have enjoyed the most about the course is the flexibility of the modules; I liked being able to learn about so many different topics and channel that learning around my niche interests in each essay or presentation I submitted. On top of that, I really appreciated the diversity of the student body within the course! It was fascinating to hear how everyone’s individual background had shaped their interest in sustainability and wellbeing because I could also see that within myself.” - Rafael Nemes, Prosperity, People and Planet MSc graduate
Discover more student and alumni stories ▶
Employability
Our graduates show initiative and a drive to create global change across the environment, policy, economics, business and the third sector. After completing your degree, you will able to work in truly global, cross-cultural and international teams. You will learn to think across and between traditional disciplines and to apply a range of qualitative and quantitative skills alongside broader strategic and design/prototyping thinking. Graduates gain key transferable skills in teamwork, communication, digital capabilities with particular software, academic and popular writing, presentation, visual design, foundational quantitative methods, creativity, real-world problem solving and in the methods of building engaged and participatory initiatives.
In addition to academic skills and training, we offer a unique set of career and skill enhancement sessions. These sessions are delivered by both internal specialists and external consultants can include:
- Web-design and blogging
- Policy writing
- Writing for the media
- Academic writing
- Presentation skills
- Film and audio media skills
- Personal Leadership skills
- Mindfulness and study skills
- CV and Careers Advice
Networking
Studying with us means joining the Institute for Global Prosperity community. We have a global network of alumni, partners and collaborators all making positive change in the world. Throughout the academic year we host careers and alumni events, allowing current students to engage with alumni and to build on this growing network of change-makers. We also host a vibrant public events series, giving you the opportunity to network with researchers, policy makers and professionals whilst discussing the latest in prosperity research and engagement. You will also have the chance to meet with the people who work on our research, including our work on Fast Forward 2030, and our Prosperity Co-Labs (PROCOLs) in East London, Kenya and Lebanon.
Teaching and learning
Teaching and learning methods/strategies involve:
- Critical engagement with literature through classes, seminars, guest lectures, in-depth discussion and exploring competing ideas.
- Engagement with world leading academics and non- academic practitioners through the departmental Academic Directors Seminars and Practitioner Soundbites.
- Grounding core concepts and theories through teaching cases, and application of core concepts through learning-by-doing methods including prototyping and design to explore how theory and practice inform one another.
- Enhancing student participation through flipped-learning methods, active learning and regular group assignments and activities.
- Connecting to practice/industry through engagement with entrepreneurial leaders, as well as policymakers and practitioners, through tutorials, guest lectures, field visits.
During term time, there are weekly events that will require you to travel between the UCL Bloomsbury and the UCL East campuses.
All modules contain a balance of formative in class exercises and peer to peer learning combined with a diversity of summative assessments. We offer a series of Writing Workshops designed to help you improve general writing skills and broader written structure and argument, tailored and timetabled to module assessments.
Assessment types include:
- Individual and group assignments, including project reports and video/live presentations.
- Critical essays, reports and case studies that involve in depth exploration of key concepts and theories pertaining to module content.
- Blog posts that allow for the articulation of complex ideas in concise and publicly accessible ways.
- Exhibition project and prototyping designs for planetary prosperity.
- Extended writing/Dissertation.
In terms one and two full-time students can typically expect between 10 and 12 contact hours per teaching week through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials. Outside of this, students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments. In term three and the summer period students will be completing their own dissertation research, keeping regular contact with their dissertation supervisors.
Modules
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The course structure embraces a diversity of learning approaches in line with the UCL Connected Curriculum, including lectures, experiential and peer-to-peer learning, prototyping, project work, and a dissertation.
The curricula design is balanced around two general teaching and learning themes. These are conceptual/theoretical and design/engagement.
The conceptual/theoretical theme is weighted to modules taught in the first term to provide fundamental foundations of the relationship between human prosperity and planetary wellbeing:
- Prosperity, People and Planet: Conceptual Frameworks
- Research Methods for Natural and Planetary Prosperity
The design/engagement theme is weighted towards the second term of teaching, and involves design thinking and prototyping as well as solutions-focused workshops with practitioners and policymakers:
- Prosperous and Inclusive Planetary Futures
- Atelier: Prototyping Natural Prosperity
Compulsory modules in the first term focus on problem definition, theory, and methods. Compulsory modules in term two develop and put into practice problem solving concepts, cases studies, and additional methods. The yearlong dissertation module guides you through a significant, sustained, and ethical engagement with a specific problem and stakeholder group. This approach works towards a full and deep collaboration, where research questions, methodological approaches and data collection are co-developed. This model maximises the chances of generating high-impact research, which pushes the boundaries of our understanding around natural prosperity. Students will also complete 30 credits of optional or elective modules to extend their knowledge in certain area(s) of interest, which may include conceptualising prosperity, financing prosperity, transformative entrepreneurship, and urban futures.
You must also choose up to 30 credits of modules. Please refer to the list below. Students will be able to register for suitable modules from other programmes based at UCL East, pending relevant permissions.
At the core of the degree is a significant independent research component, which allows students to apply knowledge and skills derived from the taught components to conduct an in-depth examination of a topic of their interest. An extended dissertation allows students to shape their degree programme to suit their own ambitions for their post-degree life (in business, policy, 3rd sector, etc). This enables students to contribute in meaningful ways to ongoing research projects and develop the emerging research area of natural prosperity. A number of the best MSc dissertations have been published in the our working paper series.
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In their first year, part-time students will need to take a minimum of 90 credits of modules. In the second year, you will take the dissertation (90 credits), for a maximum total of 120 credits.
The curricula design is balanced around two general teaching and learning themes. These are conceptual/theoretical and design/engagement.The conceptual/theoretical theme is formed of modules providing the fundamental foundations of the relationship between human prosperity and planetary wellbeing:
- Prosperity, People and Planet: Conceptual Frameworks
- Research Methods for Natural and Planetary Prosperity
The design/engagement theme is formed of modules that involve design thinking and prototyping as well as solutions-focused workshops with practitioners and policymakers:
- Prosperous and Inclusive Planetary Futures
- Atelier: Prototyping Natural Prosperity
Apart from the compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional/elective modules will be undertaken in the first year. The distribution of compulsory and elective/optional modules should be discussed with the programme director ahead of initial enrolment.
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Students undertaking modular/flexible study may choose to organise the distribution of their modules flexibly across the five years provided they complete 180 credits by the end of year five.
The curricula design is balanced around two general teaching and learning themes. These are conceptual/theoretical and design/engagement.
The conceptual/theoretical theme is formed of modules providing the fundamental foundations of the relationship between human prosperity and planetary wellbeing:
- Prosperity, People and Planet: Conceptual Frameworks
- Research Methods for Natural and Planetary Prosperity
The design/engagement theme is formed of modules that involve design thinking and prototyping as well as solutions-focused workshops with practitioners and policymakers:
- Prosperous and Inclusive Planetary Futures
- Atelier: Prototyping Natural Prosperity
Modular/flexible students are expected to have completed the majority of their taught modules before undertaking their dissertation.
Apart from the compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional/elective modules will be distributed across the programme. The distribution of compulsory and elective/optional modules should be discussed with the programme director and/or personal tutor ahead of each year's enrolment process.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Prosperity, People and Planet.
Fieldwork
Some of our modules include short, one-day field trips which take place locally. Following approval from the programme leader, you can also undertake fieldwork, both in the UK or elsewhere in the world, as part of your dissertation.
Accessibility
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.
Fees and funding
Fees for this course
Fee description | Full-time | Part-time |
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Tuition fees (2025/26) | £20,500 | £10,250 |
Tuition fees (2025/26) | £33,000 | £16,500 |
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Additional costs
For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.
For flexible/modular offer holders a £500 fee deposit will be charged.
Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.
You may need to spend a minimal amount (ie £20) on local transport for short field visits in London. This degree involves weekly travels between the Bloomsbury and UCL East campuses.
UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.
Funding your studies
UCL offers a range of financial awards aimed at assisting both prospective and current students with their studies.
The UCL East Scholarship works to support the ambitions of east Londoners by funding the fees and living costs of eligible master's courses including the Prosperity, People and Planet MSc at UCL. Find more details about the opportunity on the UCL East Scholarship webpage.
As a student affiliated with The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, you will also be able to apply for The Bartlett Promise Scholarship, if eligible. This scholarship aims to enable students from backgrounds underrepresented in the built environment to pursue master's studies. Please see the UK Master's scholarship and Sub-Saharan Africa Master's scholarship pages for more information on eligibility criteria, selection process and FAQs.
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
In our faculty, The Bartlett Promise Scholarship aims to enable students from backgrounds underrepresented in the built environment to pursue master's studies. Please see the UK Master's scholarship and Sub-Saharan Africa Master's scholarship pages for more information on eligibility criteria, selection process and FAQs.
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
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Bartlett Promise Sub-Saharan Africa Masters Scholarship
Deadline: 28 March 2025Value: Fees, stipend and other allowances (Duration of programme)Criteria Based on financial needEligibility: EU, OverseasBartlett Promise UK Master's Scholarship
Deadline: 31 May 2025Value: Tuition fees plus £15,864 maintenance/yr (Duration of programme)Criteria Based on financial needEligibility: UK
Next steps
Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.
There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.
Your application must consist of both a personal statement and a CV. We place considerable emphasis on your personal statement and how you have tailored this for your application to the Prosperity, People and Planet MSc. We particularly value personal statements that outline a clear vision for transformative change and directly explain how the degree programme will help you realise the changes you would like to see happen. We also encourage you to explain how your past experiences have directly led you to this degree programme and to outline how the skills and knowledge you have acquired will help them to realise their goals for transformation.
When we assess your application we would like to learn:
- Why you want to study Prosperity, People and Planet at graduate level.
- Why you want to study Prosperity, People and Planet at UCL Institute for Global Prosperity and UCL.
- What particularly attracts you to this programme.
- How your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme.
- How you can make a unique contribution to our innovative academic community.
How you see this degree programme leading to a future transformative career.
Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver. We advise applicants to upload any supporting documents related to research, work experience, extracurricular activities or other projects mentioned in the personal statement or CV.
Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.
Choose your programme
Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.
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