Master programme
Master Sustainability Science and Policy MSc SSP
There is an urgent need for scholars who are trained in interdisciplinary and integrative approaches towards sustainable development, enabling them to assess and deal with the complexity involved from a system’s perspective. Furthermore, there is a need for professionals that are able to cross ‘boundaries’ between different disciplines and domains, and that can operate at the interface of science, policy and society. The new Master of Science in Sustainability Science and Policy (MSc SSP) provides an intensive programme where students will acquire knowledge and skills (competences) to deal with one of the world’s most relevant and complex questions: how can we balance ecological, economic, and social developments for our present and future well-being?
The Master will create a unique opportunity for students to specialize in sustainability science and policy, and especially in sustainability assessment, through an interdisciplinary curriculum in an international ambience. The MSc SSP can be characterized as a ‘society oriented Master’, with a duration of one-year (60 ECTS).
The Master has its own unique character, composed of its integrative and interdisciplinary approach embedded in an international context, and its focus on methods and tools for integrated knowledge production and sustainability assessment (for policy). None of the already existing Master programmes on sustainable development in the Netherlands combine all these ingredients, and the need for and value of this new Master programme is clearly expressed by different stakeholders in policy-making (all governance levels), representatives of the business community, non-governmental organisations, international scientific organisations and other institutions for higher education.
Maastricht University (UM) started this new Master programme on Sustainability Science and Policy in the academic year 2011/2012.
Please contact master-ssp@maastrichtuniversity.nl for more details and enrollment procedures. See also Maastricht University’s website.
Master Public Policy and Human Development
Within the Master Programme in Public Policy and Human Development (Maastricht Graduate School of Governance), ICIS coordinates the track elective on Sustainable Development.
The track builds on an understanding of governance and sustainable development as a co-evolutionary, adaptive process that needs to permeate both human societies and the natural environment. Attention will be given to the processes of international politics, the role of NGOs and the civil society. The unique feature of the course is its interdisciplinary core, which provides students with a broad and integrated understanding of sustainable development. It differs from other programmes related to sustainable development in its coverage of sustainable development not only from an ecological perspective, but also from social, economic and institutional point of views.
The following 4 courses are part of the track ‘Sustainable Development’:
Knowledge Production for Sustainable Development
This course will: (i) teach the basics of knowledge production; (ii) explore the importance of knowledge integration; (iii) discuss the process of problem structuring; (iv) improve the understanding of the policy-science interface; (v) identify the different roles of scientists; and (vi) explore strategies for conflict resolution.
Sustainability, Law and Economic Regulation
This course will: (i) provide an overviewof regulatory approaches; including (ii) economic instruments and (iii) international environmental and trade law; (iv) explore the role of corporate social responsibility; (v) examine the steerinf function of the government; and (vi) clarify the roles of citizens and civil society.
Sustainable Development in a Globalising World
This course will: (i) develop an understanding of some relevant theories, the complexity of- and perspectives on globalisation; (ii) evaluate globalisation processes in the context of sustainable development and sustainability science; (iii) develop a basic understanding of some key issues in relation to globalization and sustainable development, e.g. earth systems, trade and equality, biodiversity loss and ecosystems, global health, food resources and technology, and global freshwater availability; and (iv) adopt an interdisciplinary and integrative attitude towards the complex interrelationship between the environment and society in the context of globalization.
International Development Law
This course will: (i) look at international economic relationships from a human development perspective; (ii) review definitions of development; (iii) discuss conflicting views on the impact of economic globalization on the environment and social equality; (iv) reflect on the role of law in fostering development; (v) study the role of companies and NGOs in international law; and (vi) explore the relationship between international trade, environmental and human rights law.
(note: this course is not instructed by ICIS)
