Course summary

A new, interdisciplinary degree with the Edinburgh Futures Institute The circular economy is a way of thinking, researching and acting on climate change. A ‘circular economy’ means moving away from the world’s current, predominantly wasteful economic model where resources are extracted, manufactured, used, and discarded to one where waste is designed out and products and materials kept in use for as long as possible. Beyond the need for design innovations, a circular economy also means investigating how to change the way we consume and use goods and services, both locally and globally. On this interdisciplinary programme, you will have the opportunity to gain skills and knowledge of circular economy in order to support communities, businesses, and policymakers to create a more sustainable and equitable future. The core courses will focus on both practical and theoretical approaches to:

• the fundamentals of a circular economy, including foundational literature and concepts

• designing for a circular economy

• the circular economy business perspective

• the evolving field of circular economy

• responsiveness to the climate and environmental crisis

• core data skills

• data ethics

• the ability to interrogate issues of global scope

• the creative and analytic approaches to knowledge that are vital for building better futures