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Studies & Degrees in Transition Studies

Transition studies is a small, interdisciplinary field that looks at how whole societies and economies change from one system to another. The name is used for two related areas. The older one studies the "transition countries": states moving from a planned economy to a market economy and from autocracy to democracy. The newer one, sustainability transitions, studies how sectors such as energy, food or transport can change to become sustainable.

In both cases students combine economics, political science, law, sociology and environmental science. They learn to analyse how institutions, markets, technology and public opinion influence each other during a period of deep change, and how governments, companies and citizens' groups can steer that change.

Two meanings of the term

Countries in transition. Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) in Germany describes this area as the study of the economic and political transformations in transition and emerging economies. According to JLU, the group of transition countries includes the successor states of the former Soviet Union, the countries of Eastern and South Eastern Europe and transition economies in Asia such as China and Vietnam. Teaching covers the economic, legal, political, social, agricultural and environmental sides of the process.

Sustainability transitions. The Sustainability Transitions Research Network explains that this field emerged in the early 2000s in response to challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and resource scarcity. It studies long-term change in what researchers call socio-technical systems. DRIFT, the Dutch Research Institute for Transitions, defines a transition as a process of fundamental change in a society's culture, structures and practices that takes around 25 to 50 years. Common topics are renewable energy, low-carbon mobility, sustainable farming, the circular economy and health care.

Qualifications and levels

Transition studies is taught almost only at postgraduate level. Students usually arrive with a bachelor's degree in economics, law, political science, agricultural science or environmental science.

  • Master's degree. The MSc Transition Management at JLU Giessen is taught in English, lasts four semesters and has 120 credit points: eight core modules, eight profile modules (or six plus an internship) and a master's thesis worth 24 credits. Studies can only begin in the winter semester. The same university offers an MSc Sustainable Transition, a four-semester programme in English whose courses and examinations are all offered online.
  • Related master's degrees. Many students reach the field through a master's degree in development policy, public policy, environmental studies or sustainability science.
  • Doctorate. Research on transitions is carried out in PhD programmes in economics, political science, geography, innovation studies and environmental science.
  • Short courses. DRIFT runs professional courses through its Transition Academy, for example Transition Management in Action, announced for 11 February to 9 July 2027. Ask the provider what kind of certificate a short course gives.

Admission

For the JLU master's degree, applicants need a bachelor's degree of at least three years (180 credits) in a closely related field, with at least 60 credit points in economics, law or the social sciences. Because the whole programme is taught in English, applicants must prove English at CEFR level C1. Other universities set their own rules, so check each programme's requirements and deadlines.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists only 2 active schools under transition studies, one in South Korea and one in the United States. Neither offers a degree with that exact name.

KDI School of Public Policy and Management in South Korea is a graduate school of public policy where all classes are taught in English. Its Master of Development Policy (MDP) is aimed at mid-career professionals in government, NGOs and international development, and covers development economics, impact evaluation and international development cooperation. It draws on South Korea's own development experience, which makes it relevant for students interested in how economies change.

Grand River Academy in Austinburg, Ohio, is a boarding and day school for boys in grades 8 to 12 with a post-graduate programme. It is a secondary school, not a university, and its listing refers to preparation for the step from school to college, not to an academic degree in transition studies.

Students looking specifically for a degree in this field should therefore also look beyond this list, for example at the two master's degrees of JLU Giessen described above.

Careers

According to JLU, graduates of Transition Management qualify for positions in private and public sector management, public administration, academia, and international technical and economic cooperation. KDI School names international organisations, government agencies, NGOs and doctoral studies as destinations for its MDP graduates. Graduates in sustainability transitions also work as policy advisers, sustainability consultants and researchers. There are no official employment statistics for such a small field.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a bachelor's degree in transition studies?

It is very rare. The programmes described here are master's degrees that require a bachelor's degree in a related field such as economics, law, political science or environmental science.

In which language is transition studies taught?

Mostly in English. Both master's degrees at JLU Giessen are taught in English, and so are the classes at KDI School in South Korea.

How long does a master's degree in this field take?

The MSc Transition Management and the MSc Sustainable Transition at JLU Giessen each last four semesters; the first has 120 credit points.

What is the difference between transition studies and development studies?

Development studies deals with developing countries in general. Transition studies, in its original meaning, deals with countries changing from state management to a market economy, often at higher income and technology levels than a typical developing country. In its newer meaning it deals with the shift to sustainable systems in any country.