Exclusive and excellent: International accreditation for Sustainable Development Management M.A.

From complex, empirical data analysis to managing and executing their own project, students in Sustainable Development Management M.A. learn not only the theories behind sustainable development, but also how to bring their own ideas and projects to fruition. The International Accreditation Council for Global Development Studies and Research (IAC/EADI) praised in particular the programme’s intermeshing of theory and practical application, a feature which distinguishes it from other degree programmes in the field. It is the first degree programme in Germany in the field of sustainable development to earn the “IAC/EADI Accredited” seal.

Dr Oliver Serfling, who heads the degree programme and is Professor of Economic Policy and Developmental Economics, was quite pleased with the results of the accreditation process: “The IAC seal clearly demonstrates the high quality standards of our master’s degree programme: We offer students excellent training and preparation not only for the international labour market, but also for a Ph.D. as well. The combination of deep theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills can only be found here in Kleve”, said Professor Serfling. The success of this hands-on approach is evident, for example, in the recently published sustainable shopping guide for the Lower Rhine and the “Ringelbox” startup, which developed a special worm composter for the classroom and was awarded an entrepreneurial grant from the NRW state government.

More information:  IAC/EADI

The IAC Accreditation (International Accreditation Council for Global Development Studies and Research) serves to promote high quality academic standards in the sustainability sciences. EADI (European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes) is the leading network of sustainability development programmes with more than 100 institutional members in over 25 countries.  IAC/EADI is a member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education. For more information, please visit https://www.eadi.org/accreditation/.

Sustainable Development Management M.A.

By enacting its 2030 Agenda, the United Nations General Assembly signalled to the world the start of a new global partnership: Together, developing countries, emerging industrialised countries and industrialised countries agreed to 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) intended to bring about a better, more sustainable future for all countries. Achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda will require highly qualified experts with a broad understanding not only of the field of sustainable development, but also the challenges and hurdles of implementing associated projects.

Sustainable Development Management M.A. integrates and connects theories and methods from the fields of economics and political science that are particularly suited for sustainable development. These components are further supplemented with empirical methods and project management skills. This unique combination equips students with the qualifications needed to shape not only academic discourse on sustainable development, but also current and future projects in the field. Courses are aligned with a typical project cycle: Students first learn to plan, then implement sustainable development projects, then to critically analyse and evaluate the results.

Prospective students are welcomed to submit their applications for enrolment by 31 July 2021 for intake in winter semester 2021-2022. Online application portal opens for winter semester 2021-2022 | Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (hochschule-rhein-waal.de)

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^{Professor Dr Oliver Serfling speaks with students from the recently distinguished Sustainable Development Management M.A. programme of Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences © Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences}