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The purpose of this research was to discover the impacts of taught environmental sustainability-focused geography postgraduate programmes on student attitudes, behaviours and practices in relation to environmental awareness within two research-intensive universities in the UK.

A case study involved online surveys to measure environmental attitudes, behaviours and practices at the start and end of four taught geography postgraduate programmes.

There was widespread attitudinal change and an increasing prioritisation of environmental issues reported among participants after they had completed their programme. However, behavioural change was limited, and there was little evidence of greater awareness being translated into changed practices. The learning benefits included a greater focus on interdisciplinarity, holistic thinking and critical self-reflection.

The findings demonstrate that postgraduate taught (PGT) programmes in sustainability improve student awareness and concern about environmental issues but do not necessarily lead to widespread behavioural change. This raises questions for programme convenors about how education for sustainability can be truly transformational and avoid leading students to develop eco-anxieties over the scale of change required.

There is a lack of research engaging with students on PGT programmes, especially in understanding their impacts on environmental attitudes, behaviours and practices. The research provides an evidence base for understanding the effects of PGT programmes in challenging student values, attitudes and practices and by implication knowledge transfer post-graduation, with the potential to help protect the environment and identify ways of living better with the ever-changing planet.

This paper proposes ways in which the findings of a research study, conducted with a group of foundation degree students in a West Wales further education college, could be incorporated into recruitment strategies within the college. The findings may also inform recruitment planning in other higher education settings. The paper is taken from a wider project that aimed to gain detailed insight into the experiences of the foundation degree students. The focus is restricted to issues judged to relate directly to recruitment planning. Recent education policy both in Wales and across the UK has aimed to widen participation in higher education from under‐represented groups. There has been a significant rise in the number of students electing to undertake a foundation degree in Wales. It is anticipated that this trend will be further encouraged following the announcement of a multi‐million pound pan‐Wales foundation degree scheme. This will be led by the University of Glamorgan with particular emphasis on wider partnership with the further education sector. The study employs a qualitative methodology. Interviews provide the main focus of data collection, with broad areas for discussion identified from responses to a short questionnaire. An approach based on grounded theory is used to analyse and interpret the findings, supported by the NVivo software package. The findings suggest that highlighting the flexibility of course provision is extremely important. There is also a need for a flexible institutional approach that recognises that many students will not be aware of established higher education admission procedures and will need to be supported through the process.