Career prospects

Career development

Academic and professional knowledge and skills

As a Sustainable Development student, you will learn to:

• analyse, describe, and explain sustainability issues in terms of cause and effect, and place these issues in their societal context;
• apply scientific instruments in the areas of analysis, evaluation, and design;
• engage in a scientific debate on the issue of sustainable development and the international dimension of it;
• understand the often complex path to achieve sustainability, dealing with diverse interests, parties, and organisations and;
• communicate knowledge from the fields of natural sciences or social sciences on the issue of sustainable development verbally and in writing to a wide audience.

Learning outcomes per track

• Energy and Materials
  To a large extent, this track makes use of knowledge, methods, and techniques derived from the natural sciences. To a lesser extent, the track also applies knowledge and methods derived from the social sciences. As a graduate, you will have insight in the importance of both the natural and social science aspects of sustainability issues and you will have the skills to work in a multidisciplinary environment. You will learn to conduct independent research and design strategies to make energy and materials systems sustainable.
• Environmental Change and Ecosystems
  As a graduate of this track, you will be able to apply the knowledge, methods, and techniques (for instance mathematical simulation models) of the natural sciences in an effort to improve the quality of the environment and ecosystems by way of changes in human activities. Furthermore, you will have insight into the importance of conducting social science analyses of sustainability issues and have the skills to work in a multidisciplinary team.
• Earth System Governance
  As a graduate of this track, you will be able to apply concepts, paradigms, and theories from the social sciences to analyse and explain issues of sustainable development, and to design socially acceptable solutions for those issues. Furthermore, you will have insight into the importance of conducting both social and natural science analysis of sustainability issues and you will have the skills to work in a multidisciplinary team.
• Politics, Ecology and Society
  As a graduate of this track, you will be able to apply the knowledge, methods, and critical approaches of the social and natural sciences to practical and policy issues of sustainable development across geographical contexts. You will combine a solid grasp of natural resource management with the ability to analyse and assess global socioecological interconnections and injustices, as well as interventions (e.g., policies, social mobilizations, social innovation, business models) seeking to transform them. An important feature of the track is a concern with developing the skills to combine theory-informed thinking and practical engagement through field work.

Career services

UU Career Services

UU Career Services offers training related to career orientation and job application skills; examples include writing an application letter and CV and conducting a job interview. You can find more information about career support on UU Career Services for Dutch students or UU Career Services for international students.

UU Careers Day

Once a year Utrecht University organises a Careers Day. The Careers Day offers the opportunity to sign up for workshops and trainings, and to meet recruiters at the careers fair. It’s also possible to join a job application training or have your resume checked.