Program Overview

Introduction to the Master of Science in Sustainability Management

The Master of Science in Sustainability Management program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of sustainability, focusing on four core pillars. The program is structured to offer a mix of compulsory and elective subjects, allowing students to tailor their learning experience to their interests and career goals.

Programme Structure

• The program is divided into four modules: Fundamentals of Sustainability, Environmental Dimension of Sustainability, Economic Dimension of Sustainability, and Social Dimension of Sustainability.
• Each module includes required and elective subjects, providing students with a broad understanding of sustainability and the flexibility to specialize in areas of interest.
• The program also includes a Master's Final Project, which allows students to apply their knowledge and skills to a real-world sustainability challenge.

Fundamentals of Sustainability

• Required subjects:
  • Sustainability Concepts and SDGs
  • Sustainability Management Systems
• Elective subjects:
  • ODS in Practice

Environmental Dimension of Sustainability

• Required subjects:
  • Environmental Impacts: Causes and Effects
  • Climate Change: Facts, Emergency, Political and Legal Context
  • Product and Environment
  • Carbon Footprint
• Elective subjects:
  • Green Procurement and Environmental Labelling
  • Energy and Renewables
  • Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle

Economic Dimension of Sustainability

• Required subjects:
  • Marketing and Communication Fundamentals
  • Economics for Sustainable Development
  • Applied Statistics
• Elective subjects:
  • Sustainability Communication and Marketing: Social Media, Mass Media
  • Sustainable Finance
  • Sustainability in Logistics and Operations
  • Public–Private Collaborations in Sustainable Projects

Social Dimension of Sustainability

• Required subjects:
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Environmental Law and Jurisprudence
  • Master’s Thesis
• Elective subjects:
  • Social Entrepreneurship
  • Internship

Subjects

• Applied Statistics: Introduction to statistical techniques and models for analyzing and drawing conclusions from data.
• Carbon and Water Footprint: Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of undertaking a carbon and water footprint, and practical examples of their application.
• Climate Change Facts Emergency Political and Legal Context: Increasing awareness of climate change as a global threat and providing applicable knowledge for professional careers.
• Concepts of Sustainability, Circular Economy, and the SDGs: Understanding basic sustainability notions, new emerging models, and frameworks for addressing key sustainability challenges.
• Corporate Social Responsibility: Gaining a deep understanding of the Corporate Social Responsibility concept and applying CSR techniques in companies.
• Cradle to Cradle and Circular Economy: Understanding the urgency of changing the present linear economic model and the key principles and philosophical approaches for a circular future.
• Economics for Sustainable Development: Understanding the relationship between economic growth, human development, and sustainability, and learning economic instruments for environmental policy.
• Energy and Renewables: Understanding the difference between energy from fossil fuels and renewable sources, and the importance of incorporating renewable energies into the energy mix.
• Environmental Impacts: Understanding environmental phenomena in the context of ecosystems and the natural environment, and identifying environmental impacts associated with different activities and industrial sectors.
• Environmental Law and Jurisprudence: Presenting the state-of-the-art of environmental law globally and in the European Union, and exploring domestic environmental law through emerging environmental debates and controversies.
• Green Procurement and Environmental Labelling: Identifying and interpreting environmental labels, eco-labels, and seals on products, and understanding green purchasing strategies at the business level.
• Marketing and Communication Fundamentals: Carrying out market analysis to identify opportunities and segments of potential consumers or clients based on needs related to sustainability and business ethics aspects.
• Master Thesis: An original project that integrates the knowledge, competences, and skills acquired throughout the Master's program.
• Product and Environment: Determining the environmental impact associated with products and services, and applying ecodesign strategies to improve them.
• Public-Private Collaboration in Sustainable Projects: Presenting the business case for employing Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in projects involving sustainability management.
• SDGs in Practice: Providing a specialized vision of the practical implementation of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by societal actors.
• Social Entrepreneurship: Creating, developing, and leading social enterprises, and analyzing strategic and operating aspects while promoting entrepreneurial and innovation competencies.
• Sustainability Communication: Communicating an organization's commitment to sustainability, both internally and externally, and designing communications plans aligned with the business strategy.
• Sustainability in Logistics and Operations: Executing the main logistics processes with sustainability criteria, from demand forecasting to management of the point of sale.
• Sustainability Management Systems: Gaining understanding of the main sustainability management systems that can be integrated into a company to improve and certify sustainability standards.
• Sustainable Finance: Analyzing, discussing, and critically evaluating finance and banking practices, including regulation, and how they face environmental and social challenges.

Qualification Obtained

Upon completing the program, students will obtain the official Master Degree, Màster Universitari en Gestió de la Sostenibilitat / Master of Science in Sustainability Management - Máster Universitario en Gestión de la Sostenibilidad / Master of Science in Sustainability Management, awarded by Pompeu Fabra University.