The minerals industry is changing quickly as environmental and sustainability concerns grow. The industry has a crucial role to play in the energy transition and as a source for components. On this course you will study these changes and understand how the industry previously worked and how it will move towards a sustainable future.You'll examine the regulatory and contractual environment surrounding the minerals industry. You will learn about how mining rights are granted, the production process, and decommissioning.You will also study the choices facing governments and companies, and look at how governments can enforce changes to out-dated practices to improve environmental and sustainability performance.Mining projects create all sorts of regulatory issues, ranging from illegal mining to social and economic impacts. You will learn about the stages of the industry, including recognising the changing place of minerals in the world economy.TeachingYou will be taught through a mixture of lectures, tutorials and seminars.AssessmentWe use a variety of assessment styles including:individual essayspractical assignmentsexamsgroup exercisespeer group assessmenta dissertation on a topic of your own choiceDissertations can be very diverse, and include formal hypothesis-led research projects, theory or literature-based projects, case-study assessment and advanced professional practice evaluations. Your choice of dissertation is negotiated between you and your academic supervisor.In terms of overall assessment the 180 credits for the course comprises of 140 credits from modules (7 x 20 credits) and 40 credits for the dissertation.