Science for Sustainable Societies (BSc)

Cutting-edge sustainability education

In these challenging times bright minds are needed that are able to come up with out-of-the-box ideas. This is one of the reasons why we developed Science for Sustainable Societies. This bachelor’s programme is designed to help you take on today’s challenges in order to create a better tomorrow – at a local, national, or international level. You will acquire in-depth knowledge about the various aspects of sustainability and environmental issues. At the same time, you will obtain practical skills such as working in teams, communication, programming and project management. This means that, while developing your expertise in the field of sustainability, you will also gain an excellent starting position on the job market.

Is Science for Sustainable Societies the programme for you?

• Are you eager to contribute to a more sustainable society and environment?
• Are you curious about the impact of human behaviour on the environment and vice versa?
• Are you looking for a BSc programme dealing with a wide range of aspects of sustainability?
• Are you interested in both natural sciences and social sciences?

If the answer to these questions is `yes’, then Science for Sustainable Societies is the BSc programme for you!

Thijs Bosker

Programme director & Associate Professor in Environmental Sciences

In this bachelor’s programme we examine and analyse sustainability challenges in a fundamentally different way. Our students are exposed to a range of approaches, expertise, skills and methods that are all valuable in themselves. But combined and integrated, they are even more powerful, complementing and strengthening each other. We educate our students to become change makers who are able to contribute in a meaningful and innovative way. This is exactly what our planet, and we, the humans living on it, need if we are to solve today’s urgent environmental and sustainability issues. The programme’s set-up is interactive and stimulates critical thinking. We combine larger-scale lectures with small-scale seminars, during which the students and their teacher will critically evaluate and discuss topics from the curriculum. This is not confined to a class room setting, but there will also be plenty of opportunity for the students to expand their knowledge in the real world.

Marja Spierenburg

Professor in the Anthropology of Sustainability

What is the role that we, humans, can and must play in the transition towards more sustainable societies? It is undeniable that mankind has been, and still is, a crucial driver of the current environmental and sustainability crisis. How can we adjust this role? Which ideals and which fears do people experience? What kind of future do they imagine, and what are the opportunities and barriers they encounter? How do we ensure that transitions towards sustainability are just, and do not further increase inequalities – both between and within countries? In this programme you will explore these important questions in living labs and through practical, hands-on assignments.

Planet, people, and politics

In this unique programme you will focus not only on the planet and its biodiversity systems and resources but also on humans and other creatures living on this planet. The complex interplay between earth and humanity is one of the key factors when developing answers to some of today’s most urgent environmental issues: how do we find a balance between the needs of human and non-human societies? This is the reason why the programme has a uniquely broad scope. You will delve into three disciplines which represent planet, people, and politics: natural sciences, social science, and governance.

Learn how to make a difference

The sustainability issues that the world is facing are complex. Short-cut solutions are not available. We may well have mapped out various scenarios for the future, but which of them will become reality is still highly uncertain. One thing we do know: solutions to environmental issues will involve many different players and many different countries: plastic pollution does not stop at national borders, and neither do droughts or floodings that are due to climate change. Moreover, many of the current crises are interrelated and cannot be studied in isolation.

In an answer to this complexity, Leiden University brings together the strengths of three areas of research:

• Planet: natural sciences

We combine insights from the fields of environmental biology, industrial ecology, and earth science systems. The courses in this field will provide you with the analytical skills needed to understand the intricate workings of the natural world.

• People: social sciences

In the programme, we offer environmental psychology courses that will help you understand how individuals perceive and respond to environmental challenges. Courses on environmental anthropology will give you insights into the many different human-environment relationships. The skills you will acquire include interviewing stakeholders, reflection and discussion techniques.

• Politics: governance

The courses within this realm deal with topics such as policy development and public administration. You will examine the dynamics and mechanisms of change within governance systems that are important for a social transition towards greater sustainability. You will learn, among others, practical skills such as stakeholder analysis and policy evaluation.

Each research area has its own methods and its own perspective on how to build a sustainable world. Combined, they complement and strengthen each other, opening up the way to new and sometimes unorthodox solutions. By incorporating them in the curriculum together, we make sure that you and your fellow students will gain innovative and effective insights into how to mitigate and counter the impact on our environment and society.

Some examples of questions you will delve into

• How do you involve a local community to tackle biodiversity loss?
• How do you create awareness and political movement on climate change?
• How do you find a balance between environmental impacts and economic incentives when it comes to industrial pollution?
• How do we transition to a sustainable food system, where farmers get a fair price for their products?
• How do we ensure those that are most vulnerable do not bear the biggest burden when it comes to environmental issues?

Science for Sustainable Societies BSc in short

• A broad curriculum:
  Natural sciences (50%);
  Social sciences (40%);
  Governance (10%).
• Theory combined with hands-on experience, including field work, excursions, assignments based on real-life cases and group assignments.
• A local-to-global approach: learn how local initiatives can serve as an inspiration for solutions on a wider scale.
• Research-driven and practice-oriented: learn about and conduct research on important topics in the Netherlands and globally (e.g. Africa, the Philippines).
• Follow your interests: in the third year there is room to take electives or a minor, or to study a semester abroad at one of our many partner universities.
• A sound preparation for the job market with both sustainability knowledge and tools and sought-after skills like critical and creative thinking, programming, presentation, working in a team, project management.
• Personal attention: seminars in small groups with plenty of room for personal attention and development.
• International learning environment, consisting of both Dutch and international students and lecturers.

Chat with a student

Do you have a question about studying at Leiden University or student life in Leiden? Do you want more information about the Science for Sustainable Societies BSc programme? Chat with a current student for answers to your questions!