Are you passionate about sustainable development? Would you like to ensure that the resources that we now have will still be available for future generations? And can you see yourself developing strategies to steer governments and businesses towards sustainable behaviour?

Then the master’s programme Sustainability Science, Policy and Society is the perfect programme for you!

The world needs professionals capable of tackling today's sustainability challenges. This interdisciplinary master's programme focuses on different factors that affect sustainability, such as global dynamics, policy, governance and law. You will also learn how to design, conduct and evaluate sustainability assessments. Based on your personal interest, this master's programme allows you to specialise in:

1. Policy for Sustainability
2. Business for Sustainability

Why this programme?

The world needs professionals who are able to recognise, analyse and respond to sustainability challenges.

This requires the ability to design, conduct and evaluate sustainability assessments in collaboration with stakeholders while operating at the interface of science, policy, business and society. In the Sustainability Science, Policy and Society programme, you'll learn to do just that. You'll be familiarised with the complexity and normativity of sustainable development for policy or business. This master's offers you the opportunity to specialise in Policy for Sustainability or Business for Sustainability

Interdisciplinary approach:

The courses approach sustainability from a number of different angles, such as business, innovation and governance. The students and staff you’ll encounter will also have diverse cultural and educational backgrounds. This means you will learn to bridge both disciplinary and cultural boundaries, a skill that will be a great asset later on in your career.

What will you learn?

• Recognise, analyse, and respond to sustainability challenges
• Design, conduct and evaluate sustainability assessments, mostly in an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary context
• Operate at the interface of science, policy, business and society

Real projects, real problems:

One of the key features of this programme is its educational format. It is problem-driven rather than theory-driven, and it requires the student to be an active participant. During the programme, the students will get to work on an actual case for a real-life client.

This will provide the student with first-hand experience in handling sustainability challenges. Upon graduation, the student will also be completely up-to-date with the latest developments in the field. The client the student will meet during the programme may also become a valuable connection later on when looking for a job.

Skills training:

The master’s programme Sustainability Science, Policy and Society includes several skills courses. Some of these courses focus on academic skills, such as presenting and writing skills. However, the key skill you'll obtain during the programme is designing, conducting and evaluating sustainability assessments.

This entails training in participatory methods, basic modelling, scenario analysis and multi-criteria analysis. Students from both specialisations will use these skills when they come together at the end of the programme to work on their interdisciplinary sustainability group project.