Master’s Pathway in Foundations of Sustainable Development
Offered By: SDG Academy via edX
Course Description
Overview
The “Master’s Pathway in Foundations of Sustainable Development” Professional Certificate is for learners who want to earn academic credit towards a Master’s degree.
Sustainable development is the most urgent challenge facing humanity. Its fundamental question is: How can the world economy continue to develop in a way that is socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable to face global challenges? A thriving global society relies on the stability of the Earth and its resilience across oceans, ecosystems, waterways, biodiversity, the atmosphere, and more. So, how do we shape sustainability at a global scale? And with the growing demand for “green skills” in jobs around the world, how can professionals drive sustainability in their industries?
The Master’s Pathway is a partnership between the SDG Academy and University College Dublin (UCD), one of Europe’s leading universities, to give learners a flexible, accredited pathway to further education in the field of sustainable development. Students who complete the Master’s Pathway on edX will be eligible to receive 10 credits towards UCD’s online Professional Diploma in Foundations of Sustainable Development.* Once they complete the Diploma, students can continue into UCD’s Master’s of Science (MSc.) in Sustainable Development —offsetting those academic credits and providing a pathway for learners with nontraditional academic backgrounds.
Delve into the foundations of sustainable development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with world-renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs, environmental scientist Johan Rockström (one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2023), and other global leaders in the field. For this graduate certificate, you will learn the tenets of sustainable development and how our societies can develop within the planet’s boundaries to prevent biodiversity loss, deforestation, desertification, and environmental degradation.
From learning the interactions between sustainable economic growth and environmental sustainability to understanding activities that drive climate change and the boundaries set by the planet’s natural resources, this sustainable development micro-credential will set you on a path to tackle challenges locally and globally.
*To apply the 10-credit edX Master’s Pathway Professional Certificate towards the UCD Professional Diploma, students must go through the UCD application process, which includes references and an English language requirement. See more information here.
Syllabus
Course 1: Age of Sustainable Development
Learn the basics of sustainable development -- what it is, why it's important and how we can achieve it.
Course 2: Planetary Boundaries
Can our planet continue to support the current scope of human activity?
Course 3: Measuring Sustainable Development
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are an ambitious global agenda for prosperity, people, and planet. But how do we know if we are on track to achieve the SDGs? Which Goals should different stakeholders prioritize? And what kind of data do we need to ensure that no one is left behind?
Courses
-
Sustainable development is the most urgent challenge facing humanity. Its fundamental question is: How can the world economy continue to develop in a way that is socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable? This course provides a broad overview of the interactions between the economy and our environment and humanity, from the constraints of finite resources, to the activities that drive climate change, to equality for all.
This course is an updated version of Professor Sachs' popular 2015 course of the same name. It includes new perspectives and a reorientation towards Agenda 2030 and the SDGs.
Join us for this introduction to the tenets of sustainable development, developed by experts on the latest in the social, policy and physical sciences.
This course is for:
- Anyone new to the concept of sustainable development who wants to understand its foundations and its relevance to their life and work
- Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students interested in the key concepts and practices of sustainability and global values
- Sustainable development practitioners - as well as private-sector actors, such as those who work in corporate sustainability and responsibility - who want a concise overview of the latest developments in the field
-
A thriving global society relies on the stability of the Earth and its resilience across oceans, forests, waterways, biodiversity, the atmosphere and more. So how do we shape sustainability at a global scale? The boundaries set by the planet’s natural resources, the resilience of those resources, and the human activities that impact sustainability all come into play.
In this massive open online course, see the rapidly evolving trends in global environmental change and the responses aimed at slowing or eliminating these changes. Get an overview of what is seen by some scientists as our current geological epoch – the Anthropocene, or an age of global change driven most significantly by humans. Learn how unsustainable patterns of production, consumption and population growth have challenge planetary resilience, all in support of human activity – and how our societies can develop in a just and safe way within the planet’s boundaries.
This course is for:
- Anyone new to the concept of sustainable development who wants to understand the interplay between human actions and what the planet can support.
- Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students interested in the key concepts and practices of sustainability, environmental science, responsible consumption and related topics
- Sustainable development practitioners – as well as private-sector actors, such as those who work in corporate sustainability and responsibility – who want a concise overview of the latest developments in the field
-
Sustainable development is the most important global movement of our time. In 2015, the 193 member states of the United Nations unanimously adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These interconnected Goals aim to end poverty and promote economic prosperity, ensure social equity, and protect the environment. Above all, the 2030 Agenda commits to “leaving no one behind.” How do we know if we are on track to achieve the SDGs? Which Goals should different countries prioritize? And what kind of data do we need to ensure that everyone is counted?
Launched in 2015 by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung, the Sustainable Development Report is the first worldwide study to assess where the world stands with regard to achieving sustainable development. The Report contains the SDG Index and Dashboards, which use a combination of official and unofficial data and indicators to understand each country’s progress on the 17 SDGs.
In this short course, you will hear from some of the experts responsible for creating the Sustainable Development Report about the value of measuring progress on the SDGs, and how a tool like the SDG Index and Dashboards helps policymakers and other stakeholders make important decisions about their development priorities. You will examine the different types of data that can be used to measure development progress, and learn the technical steps needed to construct an index for the SDGs. Finally, you will explore regional and city-level indices, and discuss new approaches to SDG measurement and data-based decision-making.
Taught by
Guido Schmidt-Traub, Johan Rockström, Sarah Cornell, Garry Peterson, Carl Folke, Lisa Deutsch, Kevin Noone, Victor Galaz, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Thomas Elmqvist, Guillaume Lafortune and Jessica Espey
Related Courses
An Introduction to the U.S. Food System: Perspectives from Public HealthJohns Hopkins University via Coursera Climate Change
University of Melbourne via Coursera Science from Superheroes to Global Warming
University of California, Irvine via Coursera Human Health and Global Environmental Change
Harvard University via edX Energy, the Environment, and Our Future
Pennsylvania State University via Coursera