Career prospects
The Sustainable Development Master's programme will prepare you for a exciting and impactful career. As a graduate of the programme you will have a variety of career prospects both in the academic and non-academic fields. Some of our graduates go on to develop their career in research, while others have continued as practitioners, consultants, project managers and policy makers in governmental organizations, NGOs, or businesses.
Academic Careers
Through the Sustainable Development programme you can prepare for a PhD-programme, which will ultimately lead to professions in scientific research. Our graduates work as first-class researchers in the field of sustainable development in academic organisations, both within the Netherlands and internationally.
For more information about applying for a PhD programme at the Graduate School of Geosciences at Utrecht University, please follow the link below:
Non-academic careers
The world needs people with comprehensive knowledge of sustainability. In this Master's programme you have the opportunity to develop analytical and practical research skills, as well as strategies for intervention. This combination prepares you for academic-level position at consultancies, at research institutes, in government, in business or at NGOs. Career prospects are excellent: 90 percent of our graduates are in paid positions at an academic level. Some examples of organizations our graduates work for include:
Government services
- United Nations Environmental Programme
- Bureau for Traffic Enforcement of the Public Prosecution Service
- Rijnmond Environmental Service
NGOs
Trade and industry
To read some real life alumni stories and find out more about their careers, please follow the links below.
Alumni Stories
Rachel Alderson - Graduated 2023
Track: Environmental Change and Ecosystems
Current position: Consultant Geomorphologist at Cbec Eco-engineering
Sybrig Smit - Graduated 2020
Track: Energy and Materials
Current position: Climate Policy Analyst at NewClimate Institute
Sybren Bosch - Graduated 2015
Track: Energy and Materials
Current position: Co-entrepreneur Copper8
Lotte Grünwald - Graduated 2023
Track: Earth System Governance
Current position: Executive Assistant at Atmosfair
Career development
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.