Economics of Sustainability
UndergraduateMUR-SUS3052025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Approach the topic of sustainability from an economic standpoint. Investigate some of the economic tools and techniques decision-makers draw on to address sustainability problems. Address where climate change fits into this discussion.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- Subject may require attendance
- Enrol by
- 20 July 2025
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Price from
- $2,125
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Economics of Sustainability
About this subject
On successful completion of the subject you will be able to:
- demonstrate a critical understanding of existing economic perspectives as they pertain to sustainability
- analyse contemporary debates surrounding issues of sustainability and economic development
- engage in contemporary debates surrounding issues of sustainability and economic development
- communicate clearly both orally and in writing
- The nature of sustainability
- Introduction to economic thought
- Economic tools for decision makers
- Economics and climate change
- Economic growth and heretical alternatives
- Economics for sustainability: an uneasy marriage?
Note: If you study this subject in Winter, the subject will be a shorter duration (5 weeks) and will require at least 20 hours of study per week.
This intensive subject explores the interplay between economics and sustainability. Students will examine the explanatory power and policy impact of the dominant neoclassical economics paradigm in order to understand its benefits and limitations in relation to sustainability. The subject provides an overview of economic tools and techniques for dealing with sustainability problems and introduces alternative economic perspectives, which challenge economic orthodoxy.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport.
All assessment work goes beyond mere comprehension and reproduction of unit content. Students are required to critically engage with the unit content, which challenges assumptions and ways of thinking. Class activities and discussions serve the purpose of exploring the contested terrain of economics and sustainability. The written assignment asks students to develop a robust theoretical grounding and to translate and apply economic theory to current affairs and contemporary sustainability concerns.
- Invigilated Exam (30%)
- Written Assignment (30%)
- Online Participation (15%)
- Online Quizzes (25%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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- 27
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 26
Entry requirements
Others
Students must have completed 18 credit points (6 OUA subjects) at Level 1 before enrolling in this subject.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Bachelor of Arts (Sustainable Development)
UndergraduateMUR-ASD-DEG
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