Apply Now: KU Leuven (Belgium) Master of Sustainable Development

Table of Contents

About the programme

The master’s program is research-driven, with an emphasis on ethics, gender, and diversity. It provides a transversal core program on sustainable development as well as two specialization tracks: Space & Society and Ecology. The interdisciplinary nature of this master’s program bridges societal and ecological sustainability challenges while engaging with real-world settings, localities, and communities.

The common core involves the building up and integration of fundamental expertise in sustainable development, including theory, methodology and practical applications in both ecology and social science. It comprises academic levelling training, courses covering different sustainability aspects, the formulation of an individual research portfolio, as well as a field trip in the Global South, an internship and a thesis.

The Space & Society track focuses on the societal component of sustainability transition, including social, economic, political and cultural dimensions.
The Ecology track focuses on both the conser vation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of biodiversity at all organisational levels (species, genes and ecosystems). Integration between both tracks will mainly be done through sustainable development practice at the local community level.

A major methodological innovation introduced by this programme is the Sustainable Development Living Lab, a mobile platform through which the ICP community applies sustainability knowledge to problems of the Global South. The Living Lab is designed as a space of dialogue and co-learning between different agents and institutions involved in the creation, implementation, governance and assessment of sustainable development. The lab connects students, staff from the KU Leuven and Global South partner institutions from Africa, Asia and Latin America, but also practitioners and policy-makers, NGOs, representatives of the private sector, among others.

Admission requirements

You should have a broad interest in a comprehensive approach to sustainable development.
- For admission in the Space & Society track, you should hold basic knowledge in human and social sciences (social and physical geography, economics, sociology …).
- For admission in the Ecology track basic knowledge in ecology, biology and biodiversity is needed. Be sure to mention the track of your choice in your motivation letter.
You should have a good command of both spoken and written English.

Please read through the detailed requirements for a complete list of prerequisite knowledge areas and a description of the International Committee’s evaluation process, as well as information about the linguistic and mathematical demands of the programme. You should have a good command of both spoken and written English.