Study programme

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.