Overview (2027)
Key Information
Duration
Minimum 1 Year, up to a maximum of 3 years.
Location
This course may not be available to international students. Please see the list of distance courses (i.e. online and taken outside Australia) that are offered to international students
The climate is changing, and we all have a role to play in creating a more sustainable future.
For individuals who are passionate about creating a more sustainable future, the Diploma of Sustainable Living provides a comprehensive and practical education in sustainable practices. This course will equip you with the knowledge and skills to understand the complex challenges facing our planet, and to develop innovative solutions that you can apply in your home, community, business or social enterprise.
The Diploma of Sustainable Living will help you learn about sustainability on a local, national and international level, and align your studies with what sustainable living means for you.
Upon graduation, you’ll have a better understanding of your connection to sustainability as an individual, consumer and citizen. Learn to make a positive impact in a wide range of fields, from business and government to community development and environmental advocacy. Join us and become a leader in the movement towards a more sustainable world.
Watch our course information webinar
Thinking of studying this course and want to learn more? This webinar explores course structures, career opportunities, and the student experience to support your study journey.
- 1 Identify opportunities to contribute to sustainable living by reflecting on the choices you make in your life.
- 2 Design practical pathways of transformative change for sustainable living
- 3 Explain the impact your day-to-day activities and decisions have on contributing to the global agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
- 4 Explain the contribution of disciplinary knowledge of environments, people or societies to sustainable living
The practical experiences of this Diploma are what you make it through your choice of units, and as you take your sustainable living knowledge out into the world and make a difference.
While the Diploma of Sustainable Living is offered 100% online, depending on what you choose to study you could be:
- growing a bigger, healthier and more productive garden thanks to your understanding of the Science of Gardening,
- using the principles of Sustainable Design for Houses to inform your house renovations with a focus on improving impact on the environment and your health,
- Helping maintain a healthy local ecosystem through your own Backyard Biodiversity,
- Engaging in your community, exploring your local environment, and much more!
Work Integrated Learning
Tasmania is a place filled with creativity, industry, nature, and adventure. Because we’re the only university in the state, you get close access to the industry leaders, artists, and deep thinkers who are shaping our island. That means learning alongside the very best so you can hone your job skills for a successful career.
Whatever you’re passionate about, we’ll give you a hands-on education and an unforgettable adventure with our work-integrated learning opportunities.
Career outcomes
As a graduate of the Diploma of Sustainable Living, you will possess new skills, outlooks on living, and a deeper understanding of sustainability in an ever-changing world, which will complement your existing career direction.
Where to from here? Further study options for those interested in sustainability.
Completing a Diploma in Sustainable Living and looking for your next step? Develop the skills to build a better future and continue your passion for sustainability with further study in one of these suggested courses:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Major or elective units in Geography and Environment
- Bachelor of Business
- Major in Tourism Management, and include a second major or elective units in Geography and Environment
- Bachelor of Natural Environments and Conservation
- Major in Natural Environment Management
- Bachelor of Science
- Major in Sustainability
- Bachelor of Architecture and Built Environments
- Core units provide a grounding in sustainable and ethical practice
Course structure
The Diploma of Sustainable Living comprises 8 units, made up of 2 core and six elective units. 1 core (HEJ111 Communicating Sustainability) and 3 elective units will come from completion of the Undergraduate Certificate on Sustainable Living (ZOU) for which applicants will receive full credit towards Z1K. Subsequently an additional core unit (KGA107 Local Lives for a Sustainable Planet) and a further 3 elective units comprise the four additional units to meet the requirements of the Diploma of Sustainable Living.
Consider making KGA107 Local Lives for a Sustainable Planet the last or second last unit of your diploma to bring maximum knowledge, skills and sustainability experiences into this unit.
To ensure your Diploma of Sustainable Living experience is tailored to your interests and sequenced to help support your learning, we encourage contacting our Team at DSL@utas.edu.au for personalised academic advice.
Sustainability is a central concept for communities pursuing social and economic goals within ecological limits. Yet the different ways sustainability is defined, communicated and enacted reflects the wide range of underlying values, perspectives and priorities at stake. In this unit,…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 |  |  |  | |
| Semester 2 | | | | ||
- Key:
On-campus- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
This capstone unit will give you the opportunity to bring together your learnings and apply sustainability knowledge and literacy to aspects of your own life, and to identify how it can contribute to sustainable outcomes within your wider community and…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
| Semester 2 | | | | ||
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
View all details for KGA107 Local Lives for a Sustainable Planet
This unit examines the role of complementary medicines in contemporary healthcare through interdisciplinary perspectives from Pharmacy, Sociology, Law, and traditional health practices. You will develop foundational knowledge of widely used complementary medicine approaches, including herbal medicine, naturopathy, traditional medical systems,…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
| Semester 2 | | | | ||
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
View all details for CSA120 Complementary Medicines in Contemporary Society
In this online unit, you will develop your understanding of culture and the need for cultural responsiveness and cultural safety. You will begin to see culture in broad terms, and to explore the cultural and social influences that shape your…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
| Semester 2 | | | | ||
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
View all details for CZZ104 Living and Working with Cultural Diversity
In this unit, you are invited to engage with Indigenous realities through an Indigenous lens. Using the key concept of Lifeworld, you will journey into Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, with a particular focus on the perspectives and…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | Semester 2 | | | | |
| Launceston | Semester 2 | | | | |
| Online | Semester 2 | | | | |
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
View all details for HOS113 Introducing Indigenous Lifeworlds
Contemporary media is saturated with images of extreme weather events, hunger, poverty, conflict, pollution, austerity, and financial crisis. Mounting evidence suggests the 21st century will be defined by unprecedented challenges related to environmental instability, economic inequality and risks to social…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
This unit aims to develop an awareness of environmental and human health impacts of housing in order to inform critical and creative decision-making in the design and renovation of houses. You will explore how housing affects our own health and…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
| Semester 2 | | | | ||
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
View all details for KDA101 Introduction to Sustainable Design for Houses
This unit will build on your practical knowledge of sustainable design for houses, expanding your thinking to houses within landscapes - both natural and constructed - and interacting with climate, biodiversity, human health and urban and regional food systems. You…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
| Semester 2 | | | | ||
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
View all details for KDA102 Sustainable Design for Houses and Landscapes
This unit is an elective of the Diploma of Sustainable Living course and explores the interlinked scientific, technical, environmental, economic, social and political factors that have shaped society's energy usage and which will impact on future energy policy and decision…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
Earth is a lively and dynamic planet that is undergoing rapid changes wrought by the activities of humans. In what ways are these changes impacting on us and other species? Are we precipitating another mass extinction; the 6th major mass…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 2 | | | | |
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
Do you have a sustainability idea you'd love to bring to life through a community initiative, business, social enterprise or similar? Would you like to develop it using design thinking tools in a safe, supportive, and collaborative environment? In this…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
View all details for KGA102 Design Thinking for Local Sustainability Initiatives
Human-induced climate change is the most serious problem currently facing our planet - a global problem with increasingly obvious local impacts. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said that the next 10 years will be critical to averting…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
| Semester 2 | | | | ||
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
View all details for KGA104 Introduction to the Science of Climate Change
The course of climate has been altered by humans. Swift but carefully considered and designed action to reduce greenhouse gases and our production of them will be essential for minimising the damage to our planet that is occurring due to…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 2 | | | | |
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
The challenge of ensuring adequate and sustainable food production and equitable access to food for a diverse human population in the 21st century is crucial and profoundly complex. This unit helps you contribute to meeting this challenge. The interdisciplinary skills…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
In this unit, we are going to explore the science underlying what you do in your garden, why your plants respond to your gardening, and how plants grow and reproduce. What we hope that you will gain, is a much…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 2 | | | | |
| Trimester | | | | ||
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
This unit aims to develop your awareness of the ecological processes operating in your garden, to assist informed decision making about garden design and management. You will explore the environmental parameters of your garden (e.g. macro and microclimate, geology, and…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
| Semester 2 | | | | ||
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
Biodiversity is a critical component of sustainable living and is central to several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. At a local scale, biodiversity is important for healthy and sustainable living, and due to the complexity of biodiversity issues…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
| Semester 2 | | | | ||
| Trimester | | | | ||
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
Living with Fire is a level-100 unit offered as part of the Diploma of Sustainable Living. Fire has shaped the evolution of the world we see around us and is fundamental to life. Yet wildfire can also be devastating to…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
| Semester 2 | | | | ||
| Trimester | | | | ||
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
In this unit you will not only learn about the science behind fishing techniques and how these interact with the biology and behaviour of a species, but also how recreational fisheries are sustainably managed and how you can be a…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
In this unit you will learn about the importance of making informed decisions to fish responsibly and sustainably. This will include improving your knowledge on both releasing and harvesting fish. You will learn how to apply best practice fish handling…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 2 | | | | |
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
This unit provides a multidisciplinary introduction to the nature of science and scientific knowledge, the methods of science, and the communication of science. You will encounter perspectives on the nature and role of science in society and examine what science…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
In this unit, you will be introduced to the concept of sustainability starting with the transformations necessary for achieving the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a way that organises them into 6 logical groups. You will examine…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online | Semester 1 | | | | |
| Semester 2 | | | | ||
- Key:
- On-campus
- Off-Campus
- International students
- Domestic students
Entry requirements
We encourage you to apply for the courses you most want to study. If you’re not eligible to enter your chosen course right now, the UTAS admissions team will work with you to find the best pathway option.
Admission to the Diploma of Sustainable Living is available to applicants with successful completion of 4 x 12.5% units (50 credit point) from the Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainable Living (Z0U) at the University of Tasmania. Applicants who do not meet this requirement are encouraged to apply for the Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainable Living (Z0U) as a pathway into the Diploma (Z1K).
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION
If your ability to access or participate in education has been affected by circumstances beyond your control, you can apply for special consideration as part of your application. We will consider a range of factors for special consideration, including economic hardship, a serious medical condition or disability.
We can only approve applications for special consideration where we are confident that you have the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in your studies. If your application is not approved, the UTAS admissions team will work with you to find the best alternative pathway to your chosen course. Special consideration is not available for international applicants.
How to apply for a credit transfer
Applications for credit can be made in your course application. Find out more information about how to apply for a credit transfer/advanced standing at Recognition of Prior Learning.
Talk to us on 13 8827 or enquire online about your credit transfer.
Articulation from: If you have completed the Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainable Living, you can receive advanced standing for four 12.5 credit point units of the Diploma of Sustainable Living.
Articulation to: Graduates of the Diploma of Sustainable Living who are interested in ongoing study can pursue a major in Sustainability under P3O Bachelor of Science.
Detailed admissions information and advice for all undergraduate courses, including comprehensive, course-level student profiles, is available from UTAS Admissions.
Fees & scholarships
Domestic students
Commonwealth supported places (CSP) are available for this course. For eligible domestic students, this means your fees will be subsidised by the Australian Government. You’ll only need to pay the student contribution amount for each unit you study within the course.
Commonwealth Supported Place indicative annual fee: $8,740
How is this calculated?
This is an estimate. The calculation is based on the average full-time enrolment for this course in 2026. All figures are indicative only for 2027. Actual tuition fees will depend on specific unit enrolment, and are subject to annual increases each year. You can find the complete fee details for each unit of study on the individual unit pages. The units for this course are found in the course structure section of this page.
These figures do not include other costs such as the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). For further information, please visit Scholarships, fees and costs.
HECS-HELP loans
You may be able to defer payment of the student contribution amount by accessing a HECS-HELP loan from the Government. If eligible, you’ll only have to pay your tuition fees once you start earning above a specific amount.
Further information on student loans and a CSP eligibility checker can be found at Australian Government Study Assist.
Domestic scholarships
Domestic students
Each year, the University offers more than 900 awards to students from all walks of life, including: those who have achieved high academic results, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, students with sporting ability, students undertaking overseas study, and students with a disability.
For information on all scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please refer to scholarships.
Applications for most awards commencing in Semester 1 open at the beginning of August and close strictly on 31 October in the year prior to study.
Continuing students
If you are a continuing student, please contact UniConnect for fee scholarship information relevant to your enrolment.
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