Subject guides / Sustainability Science

Sustainability Science

Also appears in programme titles as: Sustainable Development · Sustainability and Management

39 programmes mapped across 13 countriesScholarship compatibility checkedVerified Jul 2026 against official sources

What a sustainability science degree actually is

Sustainability science is the integrative discipline — the study of how environmental, economic and social systems interact, and how to steer them. It is the broadest entry on our climate shelf: where climate governance follows negotiations and climate finance follows capital, this field takes the whole system as its unit.

The map runs from the movement's European heartland (Lund's LUMES, one of the oldest and most international sustainability MScs; Utrecht's four-track Sustainable Development) to St Andrews' one-year UK entry and Oxford's enterprise-flavoured SEE (shared with the climate finance map).

What you study — and the bar to entry

Systems thinking and sustainability theory, environmental and resource science, governance and transitions studies, plus methods from both social and natural sciences — the deliberate breadth is the product. Entry is generous across first degrees; the two-year programmes (Lund, Utrecht) expect you to specialise by thesis, the one-year ones (St Andrews) to arrive knowing your angle.

Where it leads

Sustainability teams in companies and consultancies, environment ministries and agencies, international organisations and NGOs, and research or PhD tracks. The honest caveat: breadth is a two-edged sword in hiring — graduates who paired the degree with a concrete specialism (a sector, a method, a region) place fastest.

ESG AnalystSustainability Consultant

Who it suits — and who it does not

A good fit if you are…

  • Early-career generalists who want the full systems map before specialising
  • Professionals in single-issue environmental roles broadening to strategy
  • Applicants who thrive in deliberately international cohorts — LUMES is famous for exactly this

Probably not the right degree if…

  • Those who already know their specialism — the focused guides (climate finance, energy, conservation) serve them better
  • Applicants wanting technical certification: this is synthesis, not engineering
  • Anyone impatient with theory — transitions frameworks are core reading

Where to study it: the programme map

Five verified programmes: the European two-year classics (Lund LUMES, Utrecht), St Andrews' one-year MSc, Oxford SEE and Wageningen's climate row (both shared with neighbouring maps).

UniversityOfficial programme titleLengthTuition (intl)Experience
American University of SharjahUnited Arab EmiratesMaster of Science in Environmental Sustainability and Management———
Chinese University of Hong KongHong KongMaster of Science in Sustainable Urban Planning———
Columbia UniversityUnited StatesMPA in Environmental Science and Policy12 mo——
Columbia UniversityUnited StatesMS in Climate24 mo——
Duke UniversityUnited StatesMaster of Environmental Management24 mo——
George Washington UniversityUnited StatesMA in Environmental and Sustainability Policy24 mo——
Hamad Bin Khalifa UniversityQatarMaster of Science in Sustainable Environment24 mo——
Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyHong KongMSc in Environmental Science, Management and Sustainability—HKD 180,000—
Kyoto UniversityJapanEast Asia Sustainable Economic Development Studies Program24 mo——
Kyoto UniversityJapanMaster's Program in Environmental Management (International Environmental Management Program)24 mo——
Lund UniversitySwedenEnvironmental Studies and Sustainability Science (LUMES) MSc24 moSEK 300,000—
Massey UniversityNew ZealandMaster of Environmental Management18 mo——
Massey UniversityNew ZealandMaster of Sustainable Development Goals18 mo——
Monash UniversityAustraliaMaster of Environment and Sustainability———
Nanyang Technological UniversitySingaporeMaster of Science in Environmental Sustainability Science12 mo——
National University of SingaporeSingaporeMaster of Science in Sustainable Healthcare12 mo——
National University of SingaporeSingaporeMaster of Science (Environmental Management)—SGD 51,500—
Tsinghua UniversityChinaMaster of Public Policy for Sustainable Development Goals (MPP-SDG)———
UNSW SydneyAustraliaMaster of Environmental Management———
University of AdelaideAustraliaMaster of Environmental Policy and Management24 mo——
University of AucklandNew ZealandMaster of Environmental Science18 moNZD 55,484/yr—
University of AucklandNew ZealandMaster of Environmental Management18 moNZD 55,484/yr—
University of Hong KongHong KongMaster of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance (MSLG)———
University of Hong KongHong KongMaster of Science in Urban Planning———
University of MelbourneAustraliaMaster of Environment———
University of MichiganUnited StatesMaster of Science (Environment and Sustainability)24 mo——
University of OxfordUnited KingdomMSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment12 mo——
University of QueenslandAustraliaMaster of Environmental Management———
University of St AndrewsUnited KingdomGlobal Sustainable Development MSc12 moGBP 31,450—
University of SydneyAustraliaMaster of Sustainability———
University of TokyoJapanGraduate Program in Sustainability Science - Global Leadership Initiative (GPSS-GLI), Master of Sustainability Science24 mo——
University of WaterlooCanadaMaster of Environmental Studies (MES) in Sustainability Management———
Université de MontréalCanadaMaîtrise en environnement et développement durable———
Utrecht UniversityNetherlandsMSc Sustainable Development24 moEUR 25,306/yr—
Victoria University of WellingtonNew ZealandMaster of Environmental Studies———
Victoria University of WellingtonNew ZealandMaster of Climate Change Science and Policy———
Wageningen University & ResearchNetherlandsMSc Climate Studies24 mo——
Yale UniversityUnited StatesMaster of Environmental Science24 mo——
Yale UniversityUnited StatesMaster of Environmental Management24 mo——

Every row verified against the official programme page; oldest verification 15 Jul 2026. Nothing here is a paid placement.

Application strategy and funding routes

Lund (SEK 300,000 total, Swedish Institute scholarships apply) and Utrecht (€25,306/year) are the two-year European builds with the deepest alumni networks in the field. St Andrews (£31,450) is the Chevening-compatible one-year route. In essays, name the system you would change — "sustainability" as an abstract commitment is the weakest pitch in this catalogue; a sector plus a mechanism is the strongest.

Which scholarship funds which programme

Computed from each scheme's published rules (destination, level, course length) — not a guarantee; list-based schemes still require checking the official list.

Chevening ScholarshipCommonly chosen by applicants
  • American University of Sharjah — study destination outside the scheme
  • Chinese University of Hong Kong — study destination outside the scheme
  • Columbia University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Columbia University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Duke University — study destination outside the scheme
  • George Washington University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Hamad Bin Khalifa University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Hong Kong University of Science and Technology — study destination outside the scheme
  • Kyoto University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Kyoto University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Lund University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Massey University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Massey University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Monash University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Nanyang Technological University — study destination outside the scheme
  • National University of Singapore — study destination outside the scheme
  • National University of Singapore — study destination outside the scheme
  • Tsinghua University — study destination outside the scheme
  • UNSW Sydney — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Adelaide — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Auckland — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Auckland — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Hong Kong — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Hong Kong — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Melbourne — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Michigan — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Oxford
  • University of Queensland — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of St Andrews
  • University of Sydney — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Tokyo — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Waterloo — study destination outside the scheme
  • Université de Montréal — study destination outside the scheme
  • Utrecht University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Victoria University of Wellington — study destination outside the scheme
  • Victoria University of Wellington — study destination outside the scheme
  • Wageningen University & Research — study destination outside the scheme
  • Yale University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Yale University — study destination outside the scheme
See if you qualifyDeadlines
Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global ProfessionalsCommonly chosen by applicants
  • American University of Sharjah — study destination outside the scheme
  • Chinese University of Hong Kong — study destination outside the scheme
  • Columbia University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Columbia University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Duke University — study destination outside the scheme
  • George Washington University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Hamad Bin Khalifa University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Hong Kong University of Science and Technology — study destination outside the scheme
  • Kyoto University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Kyoto University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Lund University
  • Massey University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Massey University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Monash University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Nanyang Technological University — study destination outside the scheme
  • National University of Singapore — study destination outside the scheme
  • National University of Singapore — study destination outside the scheme
  • Tsinghua University — study destination outside the scheme
  • UNSW Sydney — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Adelaide — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Auckland — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Auckland — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Hong Kong — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Hong Kong — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Melbourne — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Michigan — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Oxford — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Queensland — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of St Andrews — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Sydney — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Tokyo — study destination outside the scheme
  • University of Waterloo — study destination outside the scheme
  • Université de Montréal — study destination outside the scheme
  • Utrecht University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Victoria University of Wellington — study destination outside the scheme
  • Victoria University of Wellington — study destination outside the scheme
  • Wageningen University & Research — study destination outside the scheme
  • Yale University — study destination outside the scheme
  • Yale University — study destination outside the scheme
Deadlines

Frequently asked questions

Sustainability science vs environmental policy vs climate governance?

This field is the systems umbrella; environmental policy is the state-instruments specialism; climate governance the negotiations-and-institutions one. If you can already name your lever, go to the specialist guide.

Is LUMES worth its reputation?

Its currency is the network: three decades of alumni across agencies and NGOs worldwide, and a cohort built to be international. Academically it is strong but not unique — the network is what you cannot get elsewhere.

Which scholarships apply?

Swedish Institute for Lund; Holland/Orange Knowledge for Utrecht; Chevening/Commonwealth for St Andrews. The two-year formats exclude Chevening — plan accordingly.

Related fields

Agricultural TechnologyBiodiversity ConservationCarbon ManagementCircular EconomyClimate FinanceClimate GovernanceDisaster Risk ManagementEnergy TransitionEnvironmental PolicyFood SecurityOcean SustainabilityRenewable Energy EngineeringWater Resources Management

Sources

Official programme pages (linked per row above) · official scholarship rules and participating-programme lists · university admission regulations. Every data row records its source URL and verification date; stale rows are re-checked or removed.

Global Study Prep is independent and not affiliated with any university or scholarship programme. Programme details change — always confirm on the official page before applying.