The study programme in a nutshell
In the first block, you get an introduction to sustainable development (8 ECTS). Here you learn the complex societal issues that are at the basis of the SDGs. What is sustainable development? How are SDGs interlinked? What is the timing problem with respect to short- and long-term solutions? How are solutions related to different levels of policy interventions (corporate, national, international)? Several real-world cases are introduced to illustrate these questions and possible answers like climate change, migration, inequality and healthy ageing. External case owners come to the university to discuss with you what their experience is. In this block you follow also Applied Microeconometrics (4 ECTS) to improve your econometric skill.
In the second and third block, you choose your (seminar-)electives (18 ECTS). You can choose from a set of electives and compose your own program.In these blocks you are also exploring the cases introduced in the first block. In a team you are delving in the literature and the case-owners (ministries and Clingendael) help you with relevant reports and finding the right experts to interview.
In block four, an intensive seminar is given where policy interventions for sustainable development are central (10 ECTS). The main assignment in this seminar is to prepare a report about the case. Until now you have delved into the case what the problems are from an economic point of view, but now you are delving intensely in possible solutions. Interaction between the teams guarantees that you learn a lot about all four cases. The knowledge and skills you gained in the mandatory courses, your electives and the case study come together in your thesis (16 ECTS). To guide you in your thesis process, you will be assigned a mentor and a study group of fellow students working on a similar topic. We hope that this is related to the case you studied during the year, but the choice of the subject is yours.
What the programme entails
In teaching about sustainability challenges, we use a different teaching approach than other master programmes. Sustainability challenges are complex, do not stick to national boundaries, and are deeply interconnected. Therefore, our master programme brings together expertise across economic disciplines: from micro- to macro-economics, from health to environmental economics, from regional and urban development to national polities and international trade. When talking about sustainability challenges, there are a lot of different opinions on the issues and the solutions. How do you design solutions when everyone seems to disagree on the problem? To train you on working in such situations, we have designed the impact case. In this assignment, that runs throughout the year, you and your team will be asked by an external case owner to develop a policy plan for a specific sustainability challenge. This guarantees that the scientific knowledge you build up during the year is combined with the practical knowledge from experts working daily on these cases.
Testimonials
Course overview
Disclaimer
The overview below provides an impression of the curriculum for this programme for the academic year 2023-2024. It is not an up-to-date study schedule for current students. They can find their full study schedules on MyEUROpens external. Please note that minor changes to this schedule are possible in future academic years.
Detailed study schedule of this programme for prospective studentsOpens external