Study programme

The courses below are for cohort 2024 onward. If you are already a student at UU and are looking for information about cohort 2023 or earlier, please check our student website.

The Bachelor’s programme lasts three years. In the first year, you essentially acquire a broad understanding of sustainability, which you then deepen in the two subsequent years. After the first year, you have the option of selecting one of five tracks, depending on the specific balance you’d like to have between the natural and the social sciences.

Course overview

The course overview below only includes the compulsory courses. You can also download complete overview, including track courses.

Period 1

Period 2

Period 3

Period 4

Period 1

Period 2

Period 3

Period 4

Period 1

Period 2

Period 3

Period 4

Year 1

You’ll dive into interdisciplinary sustainability studies, exploring key global challenges like water, food, and energy distribution, urban development, and population growth. Collaborative projects kick off from year one, allowing you to delve into natural and social dynamics at various levels. Through hands-on experiences, including fieldwork and research projects, you’ll develop skills in analysing complex systems and conducting scientific research. By the end of your first year, you'll engage in a multidisciplinary research project, gaining practical experience in fieldwork, data collection, and report writing, while also preparing to choose your track for the second year.

Year 2

In the second year, you'll have fewer mandatory courses, focusing instead on diverse statistical methods, philosophy of science, ethics, environmental communication, and behaviour. You'll delve into distinguishing between valid and pseudo-science, ethical considerations in sustainable development, and the factors influencing environmental behaviour and communication strategies. Additionally, you'll choose one of five tracks to deepen your understanding in a specific sustainability science theme:

Water, Climate & Ecosystems
Energy & Resources
Sustainable & Healthy Food
Governance & Societal Transformation
Business & Innovation

Towards the end of the year, you'll collaborate with a team to write a report for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on achieving a specific Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), exploring its interconnections with other SDGs. This project involves cooperation with UNEP and policymakers from approximately 45 countries, aiming to develop integrated national-level reports on the SDGs.

Year 3

In the first half of the third year, you'll deepen your understanding of your chosen track's theme. Then, you'll transition to practical work, collaborating with a team to advise real clients on sustainability issues. Clients may include NGOs, government agencies, or businesses, providing valuable opportunities to apply your knowledge and skills in real-world settings. Engaging with clients introduces a new dynamic to your studies, offering insights into your professionalism.

Your studies will culminate in writing your Bachelor's thesis, an individual research project addressing a current sustainability issue. Drawing on your program's knowledge and experience, you'll develop, implement, and report on a plan of action, showcasing your skills and expertise.

Working methods

Active education is important in this programme. There are lectures in large groups, but in almost all courses there are also activities in smaller groups, such as work lectures, projects, group assignments and computer practicals.

Study load

In total, you will spend approximately forty hours per week studying. Part of this consists of contact hours, such as lectures, tutorials and practicals. The rest consists of self-study, such as doing assignments individually or with fellow students, preparing for lectures and work and learning for exams.

Tracks

After you first year, you’ll be deepening your knowledge through one of five tracks. The track you select will form the basis for the Master’s you’ll be able to take following your Bachelor’s. The five tracks are:

Climate change has a big impact on the availability of water. The same applies to changing land use – for instance, when a plot of land is drained or is used to cultivate biofuels. The behaviour of humans and animals as well as government decisions, all impact natural systems. What does the past and today’s situation teach us? And what can we expect in the future?

This track deals extensively with the processes within natural systems (soil, plant, water and atmosphere) and the action of these processes and systems on each other. You will study the interaction between ecosystems, humans and animals, and the nutrient and water cycle, and you’ll be taught how to research and model them. You’ll learn how to apply this knowledge with a view to developing sustainable solutions for water management, natural-area management and restoration, and the use of land for different purposes, such as agriculture or energy-crop cultivation.

In this track you’ll be taking courses in:

Chemistry and the Environment (year 1): What are the main, sustainability-related, chemical processes in natural systems?
Global Climate Change (year 2): Which physical and chemical processes and feedback mechanisms play a role in the earth climate system? How can we study past, present and future global changes?
Ecological Field Research (year 2): How can you collect and interpret environmental data in the field about the quality of soil, water and biodiversity in ecosystems?
Ecohydrology (year 3): How do ecosystems, humans and the global, regional and local hydrological cycle interact?

In addition, you’ll be taking two courses from a list of 16 in the third year, for example:

Integrated Water and Soil Management: What problems can you solve through integrated water and soil management?
Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation: What impact do hydrological processes have on ecosystems? How can you develop an effective model for the management and restoration of natural areas? This course also includes fieldwork.
Land Change Science: How can you chart the current land-use situation, and the implications of a change in land use? What are the consequences of this change in terms of CO2 storage and of the availability and quality of water?
Environmental Chemistry & Health: How can you measure different forms of environmental pollution – particulate matter in the air, for instance – and (statistically) analyse it in the correct manner, so that your research actually makes a contribution to people’s health?

Bachelor’s thesis
You’ll conclude your track with an individual research project. You’ll be drawing on all the knowledge and experience you will have acquired in the field of Water, Climate & Ecosystems. This project will allow you to show how you develop a plan of action, how you implement it and how you report and present it.

The sustainable use of energy and resources lies at the centre of this track. People need energy, among other things, for their work, to keep warm and to light up the dark. Resources are being depleted and/or have a harmful impact on our environment.

To discover new sustainable energy sources, you’ll need a knowledge of physical and thermodynamic processes. You’ll also learn about how all the components of our climate system interact. What does the past and today’s situation teach us? And what can we expect in the future? In the third year you’ll build upon this knowledge by deepening your understanding of methods to analyse energy-production and -use cycles and the impact of product life-cycles (from raw material to production to waste). You’ll also study in-depth the possibilities of achieving a sustainable use of resources and a better use of sustainable energy sources, such as wind, water, solar and biomass.

In this track you’ll be taking courses in:

Science of Energy Technologies (year 1): What are the main, sustainability-related, scientific and engineering laws and principles of different energy technologies?
Applied Thermodynamics and Energy Conversions (year 2): How can chemical energy stored in the form of fossil or renewable fuels be converted into useful forms of energy for satisfying human needs (work, electricity and heat)?
Global Climate Change (year 2): Which physical and chemical processes and feedback mechanisms play a role in the earth climate system? How can we study past, present and future global changes?
Energy Analysis (year 3): How can you optimally match energy supply and demand by analysing the energy cycle, and by reflecting on the efficient use of energy and ways of storing it?

In addition, you’ll be taking two courses from a list of 16 in the third year, for example:

Life-Cycle Assessment: How can you analyse the environmental impact of products from a life-cycle perspective, from production to waste?
Sustainable Resource Use: What are the characteristics of different renewable and non-renewable resources, such as energy and metal sources (geographical distribution, availability, sustainability)? And how can we use them in a sustainable manner?
Sustainable Energy Supply: What is the historical, current and the future role of innovative energy sources, such as wind, water, solar, biomass and geothermal. What is the potential contribution of innovative energy technologies to a more sustainable society?
Energy Markets: how do basic economic principles, technical constraints, and sustainability goals shape the design, operation, and outcomes of markets for energy commodities?

Bachelor’s thesis
You’ll conclude your track with an individual research project. You’ll be drawing on all the knowledge and experience you will have acquired in the field of Energy & Resources. This project will allow you to show how you develop a plan of action, how you implement it and how you report and present it.

A sustainable and healthy food system requires an interdisciplinary approach, balancing food security and fairness with environmental impacts.

Starting from understanding the current food system, the track explores alternative approaches to transform our food system to a more just, sustainable, and healthier one. This involves exploring the impact of agriculture on natural resource use, environmental quality, biodiversity, and design innovative solutions to sustainability challenges in agriculture and food systems based on ecological, circularity and fairness principles and try to understand how such innovations and supporting policies can trigger a transition towards a sustainable food system.

In this track you’ll be taking courses in:

The Science of Food Systems (year 1): Which inputs, processes, outputs and impacts are involved in the production and consumption of food?
Agroecological Principles (year 2): How can agroecological principles, such as recycling and efficiency, biodiversity or ecosystem services and multi-functionality, be applied for the development of sustainable and productive farming systems?
Sustainable and Healthy Consumption (year 2): Why do consumers make unhealthy and unsustainable food choices? How can we influence these choices?
Transforming Food Systems (year 3): What are the strategies to transform our current food system into a more sustainable and healthy one? Who is involved in this process and how can we adapt this transformation to the local context?

In addition, you’ll be taking two courses from a list of 16 in the third year, for example:

Environmental Chemistry & Health: How can you measure different forms of environmental pollution – particulate matter in the air, for instance – and (statistically) analyse it in the correct manner, so that your research actually makes a contribution to people’s health?
Food System Innovation: Exploring innovation systems around food. For example seed development, herb rich grasslands, aquaculture
Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation: What impact do hydrological processes have on ecosystems? How can you develop an effective model for the management and restoration of natural areas? This course also includes fieldwork.
Land Change Science: How can you chart the current land-use situation, and the implications of a change in land use? What are the consequences of this change in terms of CO2 storage and of the availability and quality of water?

Bachelor’s thesis
You’ll conclude your track with an individual research project. You’ll be drawing on all the knowledge and experience you will have acquired in the field of Sustainable & Healthy Food Systems. This project will allow you to show how you develop a plan of action, how you implement it and how you report and present it.

This track addresses the societal origins of sustainability questions, the transformations that are needed to make society more sustainable, and the strategies required to achieve this objective. This involves examining the role of government, international organisations, companies, social organisations and citizens.

In the first and second year, you’ll learn how to examine and evaluate the political and administrative processes related to sustainability issues. Without knowledge of the international legal framework, you won’t be able to form a well-founded opinion. In the third year, you’ll deepen your understanding of specific sustainability areas, such as spatial use, water- and nature-management, and energy supply.

In this track you’ll be taking courses in:

Politics of the Earth (year 1): What are political aspects of anthropogenic environmental change at and across various levels of social organization?
Policy Evaluation and Design (year 2): Which methods can we use for the analysis, evaluation and design of policies for sustainable development.
Environmental Law (year 2): What are the legal aspects that affect problems and solutions related to our use of the environment?
Sustainable Land Use (year 3): How can governments, companies and private citizens contribute to a sustainable distribution and use of land, so that both nature and the economy benefit?

In addition, you’ll be taking two courses from a list of 16 in the third year, for example:

Environmental Impact Assessment: How can you determine in advance the impact of a large project – e.g., construction of a road or factory – on the landscape, and thus anticipate the harmful consequences for the environment?
Integrated Water and Soil Management: What problems can you solve through integrated water and soil management?
Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation: What impact do hydrological processes have on ecosystems? How can you develop an effective model for the management and restoration of natural areas? This course also includes fieldwork.
Sustainable Energy Supply: What is the historical, current and the future role of innovative energy sources, such as wind, water, solar, biomass and geothermal. What is the potential contribution of innovative energy technologies to a more sustainable society?

Bachelor’s thesis
You’ll conclude your track with an individual research project. You’ll be drawing on all the knowledge and experience you will have acquired in the field of Governance & Societal Transformation. This project will allow you to show how you develop a plan of action, how you implement it and how you report and present it.

Technological development and innovation are important in solving a number of sustainability issues. Organisations play a key role here. Not only do they contribute to the development of innovative solutions, they themselves have an impact on the environment. Organisations and innovation, in the context of sustainability, are the core of this track. You’ll acquire insight into innovation and innovation processes, and into different types of organisations and their key organisational processes. In the third year you’ll build upon this knowledge by deepening your understanding of sustainable business, and of how organisations innovate for sustainability. You’ll be taught methods to analyse energy-production and -use cycles and the impact of product life-cycles (from raw material to production to waste). You’ll also study in-depth the possible ways that organisations can use resources sustainably.

In this track you’ll be taking courses in:

Principles of Economics (year 1): What are the fundamental principles of modern economies and economic thinking? How does economic human activity and the natural environment interact?
Organisation Theories (year 2): Which types of organisations exist? How are organisations designed, and how and why do they change?
Innovation for Sustainability (year 2): What are innovations, and when do they contribute to sustainability? How do innovations come about and diffuse?
Business, Sustainability and Innovation (year 3): How do organisations innovate their products, processes, organisational and marketing approaches to (better) contribute to sustainability?

In addition, you’ll be taking two courses from a list of 16 in the third year, for example:

Innovation Strategies of Firms and Entrepreneurs: What theories and models exist for the management of innovation? You will research this in practice at an organisation.
Life-Cycle Assessment: How can you analyse the environmental impact of products from a life-cycle perspective, from production to waste?
Sustainable Resource Use: What are the characteristics of different renewable and non-renewable resources, such as energy and metal sources (geographical distribution, availability, sustainability)? And how can we use them in a sustainable manner?
Energy Markets: How do basic economic principles, technical constraints, and sustainability goals shape the design, operation, and outcomes of markets for energy commodities?

Bachelor’s thesis
You’ll conclude your track with an individual research project. You’ll be drawing on all the knowledge and experience you will have acquired in the field of Business & Innovation. This project will allow you to show how you develop a plan of action, how you implement it and how you report and present it.

Optional course credits

In the Global Sustainability Science programme, 25% of your courses are electives. As electives, you can choose another track, do a minor or go abroad for a semester.

Assessment

The courses you take include several tests. A test can consist of an exam, writing a paper, essay or report, working on a group project or giving a presentation.

Studying abroad

Studying abroad offers significant opportunities for both academic and personal growth. This programme allows you to spend up to six months studying in a foreign country through exchange programmes. Utrecht University partners with various universities worldwide, allowing you to remain enrolled at Utrecht University without paying tuition fees to the host institution. As a Global Sustainability Science student, exchange opportunities include the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, among others. These universities offer diverse sustainability courses that complement your programme. Visit the Global Sustainability Science Study abroad website for more information.

Group size

On average, there are 220 first-year students in Global Sustainability Science. During lectures, all students are seated, and in the first year, work classes typically consist of 20 to 25 fellow students.

Study guidance

You'll receive excellent supervision and personal guidance throughout your studies. At the beginning of the programme, you'll be assigned a tutor, a lecturer who serves as your study guide. Your tutor is your primary contact for any programme-related queries and to monitor your study progress.

Binding Study Advice (BSA)

Just like at all other Dutch universities, Utrecht has a Binding Study Advice (BSA) system. This means that you have to obtain a minimum number of credits in your first year of study to be allowed to continue your studies. At Global Sustainability Science this minimum is 45 credits (of the total of 60 credits to be obtained). If you do not achieve this, you must discontinue your studies. The study advisor or tutor will help you find a study that suits you better.

Study programme

Course overview

Courses year 1

Period 1

Sustainability Challenges

Mathematics and Systems Analysis

Period 2

Natural Processes

Foundations of Social Sciences for Sustainability

Period 3

WCE: Chemistry and the Environment

E&R: Science of Energy Technologies

S&HF: The Science of Food Systems

GST: Politics of the Earth

B&I: Principles of Economics

Period 4

Research skills

Regional Integration Project

Courses year 2

Period 1

B&I: Organisation Theories

E&R: Applied Thermodynamics and Energy Conversions

GST: Policy Evaluation and Design

S&HF: Agroecological Principles

Period 2

Philosophy of Science and Ethics

Environmental Communication and Behaviour

WCE/E&R: Global Climate Change

GST: Environmental Law

S&HF: Sustainable and Healthy Consumption

Period 3

Statistics

B&I: Innovation for Sustainability

Period 4

Global Integration Project

WCE: Ecohydrology

Courses year 3

Period 1

WCE/GST/S&HF: Landscape Ecology & Nature Conservation

B&I: Business, Sustainability & Innovation

E&R/GST: Sustainable Energy Supply

B&I: Innovation Strategies of Firms and Entrepreneurs

WCE/E&R/S&HF: Land Change Science

S&HF: Transforming Food Systems

Period 2

GST: Sustainable Land Use

E&R/B&I: Sustainable Resource Use

WCE/S&HF: Environmental Chemistry and Health

WCE/GST: Integrated Water and Soil Management

E&R/B&I: Energy Analysis

Period 3

Consultancy Project

E&R/B&I: Life Cycle Assessment

WCE/GST: Environmental Impact Assessment

Period 4

Bachelor's thesis

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Working methods

Study load

Tracks

Water, Climate & Ecosystems

Energy & Resources

Sustainable & Healthy Food

Governance & Societal Transformation

Business & Innovation

Optional course credits

Assessment

Studying abroad

Group size

Study guidance

Binding Study Advice (BSA)

Feedback

Contact

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