Education for Sustainable Development, Master's Programme
Summary
The online master’s programme in Education for Sustainable Development explores how education can support critical inquiry and be a positive force for transformation and change for a more sustainable future. As a student of the programme, you will be prepared not only to respond to local and global sustainability challenges, but to counteract them and contribute to more sustainable futures through education and research. Being entirely web-based, the programme allows you to study with students around the globe.
About
There is only one Earth. With global challenges like accelerating climate change, mass extinction of species, rising inequity, and a growing world population, the urgency of creating a more sustainable world is alarming. In what ways do we need to re-think and re-enact education in the face of current ecological crises?
The whole programme will be carried out online through webinars with teachers.
A pioneering sustainability-focused programme
Our programme was offered for the first time in August 2018, and we are passionate about developing it in parallel to current and relevant research. We stand out among other programmes by being completely online, with a wide and diverse range of students. Responding to major environmental crises and changing life conditions for humans and other species, this programme brings together four departments from the University of Gothenburg and one from Chalmers University of Technology in a pioneering curriculum at the forefront of the international research debate on education and sustainability.
Online and interdisciplinary full-time studies
As a student of the programme, you will interact online through webinars with teachers and fellow students from a variety of backgrounds, such as environmental sciences, social sciences, educational sciences, economics, the arts, and humanities. You will enter into critical dialogue with recent scientific debates in the educational, social, and natural sciences, and develop theoretical and practical knowledge of education for sustainable development. Education is embedded in various sectors working with sustainable development, and you will have the opportunity to connect your own interests and prior experiences in sustainability to your coursework as you explore these perspectives.
More information about the studies
Full-time studies means approximately 40 hours per week. The pace of study is high. To be able to follow the pace of study, it is assumed that you spend 40 hours per week, mostly in the form of self-study. We assume that you have an interest in educational issues, but a teacher education background is not a requirement. Some mandatory online seminars may occur.
Learn from various perspectives
During the first year, you will be introduced to central concepts of sustainable development—and education for, within, and from that perspective—and will learn how to critically analyse and design learning environments and processes conducive to sustainability. A natural science perspective allows you to explore human interaction with ecosystems, and how this relates to the possibilities of achieving sustainable development. A values perspective highlights the challenges and possibilities requiring ethical analysis. An economic perspective reveals the inherent conflicts and paradoxes within the concept of sustainable development.
Become a knowledgeable researcher
During the second year you will gain an in-depth understanding of different scientific theoretical positions and an overview of sustainable development research. You will learn how to formulate, develop, and evaluate research, and learn to make suitable methodological choices that focus on agendas for change. You will not only learn about sustainability, but how to practise it yourself in your choice and utilization of methods and research ethics, taking into consideration any unintended adverse consequences.
If you don´t have a thesis of 15 credits
If you don´t have an individual degree project/thesis of 15 credits you can apply to the course Master's thesis in teaching and learning in higher education (HPA202) in order to qualify. Read more about the course.
Programme structure and content
The programme is entirely web-based with all teaching carried out online. In addition to your master’s thesis, which is written during the last semester, you will participate in the following mandatory courses:
- Education for Sustainable Development: An Introduction
- Environment, Nature, and Sustainable Development in an Educational Perspective
- Citizenship, Social Values, and Ethics in Sustainability Education
- Economy, Global Inequality, and Pathways to Sustainability
- Theory and Research in ESD
- Research Methods in ESD
Who should apply?
- Do you want to increase public awareness, knowledge, and action in sustainable development?
- Are you interested in social movements and want to learn more about the role of education in creating a more equitable, peaceful, and ecologically viable world?
- Are you a teacher or educator looking for ideas and strategies to better integrate education for sustainable development in your classrooms or in community settings?
- Do you want to pursue a research career in the broad area of education for sustainable development?
Then apply to the online master’s programme in Education for Sustainable Development.
Prerequisites and selection
Requirements
A Bachelor's Degree of 180 credits is required, or a professional qualification specialising in the school system of at least 180 credits and an individual degree project/thesis of 15 credits within or outside the degree. Applicants must prove their knowledge of English: English 6/English B from Swedish Upper Secondary School or the equivalent level of an internationally recognized test, for example TOEFL, IELTS.
Selection
Selection is based upon the number of credits from previous university studies, maximum 165 credits.
After graduation
Graduates of the programme apply for the degree of Master of Science with a major in Education and Sustainability.
The programme is embedded in sectors working with sustainable development, from nonformal to institutional forms of education. Our programme provides a foundation for you to create your own position in a dynamic employment market with increasing needs for educating different sectors, companies, etc., about sustainability. You will be prepared for a range of opportunities in institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. You also have the possibility to apply for further research in PhD programmes.
