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Studies & Degrees in Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is the study of how societies can improve living standards without exhausting the natural systems they depend on. The reference definition dates from 1987, when the United Nations Brundtland Commission described it as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. As a university subject it is interdisciplinary: it draws on environmental science, economics, politics and social science, and asks students to work on problems that no single discipline can solve.

The current policy framework is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with 169 targets. The UN summarises the idea behind them: ending poverty must go hand in hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality and spur economic growth, while tackling climate change.

What students learn

Programmes combine natural and social sciences. Typical topics are climate and energy, water and food, natural resource use, cities, poverty and inequality, environmental policy and governance, and methods for analysing complex systems. The master's programme at Uppsala University, for example, is built on three pillars (interdisciplinarity, systems thinking and future orientation) and includes courses on natural resource use, society and the environment, and energy, water and food. Utrecht University describes its master's as integrating both social and biophysical aspects.

Students usually choose a profile. Some programmes lean towards the sciences and others towards policy, development or business. Utrecht offers four specialisation tracks within its master's, and St Andrews awards the subject either as a Bachelor of Science or as a Master of Arts, with the same subject content, so that it can be combined with science or with arts subjects.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degrees. Dedicated undergraduate degrees exist, such as Sustainable Development at St Andrews (BSc or MA) and Global Sustainability Science at Utrecht. Students can also take a bachelor's degree in a related field, such as environmental science, geography, economics or political science, and specialise at master's level.
  • Master's degrees. The Uppsala master's, run jointly with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, has 120 credits, takes two years and is taught in English; it requires a bachelor's degree from an internationally recognised university. The Utrecht master's is also a two-year programme.
  • Doctorates. Research degrees follow the master's.

In Spain, the national framework sets bachelor's degrees (grados) at 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees at 60, 90 or 120 credits. Alongside official master's degrees (másteres universitarios), Spanish universities and business schools offer their own programmes (títulos propios), so ask each school which of the two a programme is and what recognition it has.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 42 active schools for sustainable development. The United States has 16 and Spain 10, followed by the United Kingdom with four and Ireland and Sweden with two each. Schools in New Zealand, Nepal, Canada, Italy, Australia, China, Germany and other countries complete the list.

The Spanish schools include public universities such as the Universidad de Cádiz and the Universitat Jaume I in Castellón de la Plana, the online Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, and private universities and business schools. The language of instruction differs by programme: the Uppsala master's, for example, is taught in English.

When comparing programmes, look at the balance between science and policy, the amount of project or field work, the language of instruction and the entry requirements, since some master's programmes expect a specific academic background.

Careers

Graduates work in government, consultancy, companies, international organisations and non-profit organisations. Uppsala University lists planning, construction and technology consultancy, private and public management, and research and development as sectors, with job titles such as energy and climate advisor, sustainability project manager, environmental coordinator and sustainability analyst.

There is no single official statistic for sustainability jobs. The closest occupation in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) handbook is environmental scientists and specialists, who typically need a bachelor's degree in natural science or a related field. They held about 93,400 jobs in the United States in 2025, 28 percent of them in state government and 19 percent in management, scientific and technical consulting. The BLS projects employment to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 7,300 openings a year.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between sustainable development and environmental science?

Environmental science focuses on the natural sciences. Sustainable development adds economics, policy and social questions, and looks at how environmental and development goals fit together.

Do I need a science background?

Not always. It depends on the programme. At St Andrews the subject can be taken as a BSc or as an MA, and master's programmes set their own entry requirements, so check them before applying.

How long does a master's in sustainable development take?

One to two years. The master's programmes at Uppsala and Utrecht take two years; in Spain, master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.

What are the Sustainable Development Goals?

The 17 goals, with 169 targets, that all United Nations member states adopted in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.