Your programme starts with a broad introduction course (Introduction to Science for Sustainable Societies) in which we show you why interdisciplinarity is so important when studying environmental issues and social challenges. Next, you will dive into important content in both the natural and social sciences. Key concepts in the natural sciences you will cover are about Ecology (biodiversity, energy flow and ecosystem functioning) and Earth System Science (Earth system, its processes, and the overall use of its resources and how this affects climate and the environment). In social sciences you will focus on Anthropology (anthropological perspectives on relationships between economies, societies, and the environment are discussed), Governance (concepts such as institutes, governments, and governance, and how they play are role in transitioning to a more sustainable society) and Psychology (how people influence the environment and, conversely, how the environment influences people). In addition, you will learn key skills, including academic writing, methods in the natural and social sciences, mathematics and understanding the importance of diversity in science. The first year ends with the comprehensive course Globalization and Environmental Justice. In this course, you will discuss topics such as globalization, environmental justice, and sustainable economies, integrating various disciplinary perspectives into an interdisciplinary framework.

During this first year, you will also begin to acquire and improve academic and transferable skills such as critical thinking, writing, communication, research, collaborating and intercultural skills.

The second year is designed around four integrated courses, each combining natural and social sciences themes. These courses are co-developed and co-taught by teachers from the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, and the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs. The lectures, workshops, and assignments are set up to help you analyse complex sustainability problems in an interdisciplinary way. In addition, in the second-year course Responsibility in Research and Innovation you will reflect on responsibility and justice in research and innovation and the importance of including a diverse range of stakeholders. In the course Systems Modelling you will look at how (socio)ecological systems respond to various human-driven pressures. The Research Design course will help you to further prepare for the Sustainable Societies Project and the Thesis Research Project in the third year. In the final course of the second year (Integrated Field Methods), you will go on a field trip and analyse the coexistence between a natural environment and its human population. We end the second year with a field course, in which you first study local complexity in Leiden, before going on a multiple day field trip to one of the Wadden islands in the Netherlands, or Portugal.

Your third year provides you with a lot of freedom to tailor your studies. The first semester of your third year is completely open, enabling you to study abroad, to choose a minor programme, or to select a set of electives, either at Leiden University or another university. Examples of interesting minors offered at Leiden University are: Biodiversity, Creative Strategies for a Society in Change, Datascience and Artificial Intelligence, Frugal Innovation for Sustainable Global Development, Geo-Resources for the Future, Responsible Innovation, Science Business and Innovation, Smart and Shared Cities, and Sustainable Chemistry and Biotechnology.

You conclude your studies with the Sustainable Societies Project and Thesis Research Project.

In the Sustainable Societies Project, you will work in teams and dive into a real-life sustainability challenge commissioned by an external party. You will be trained to corporate in a team and come up with practical solutions for your commissioner’s challenge. In your Thesis Research Project you will do research on a sustainability topic yourself, under the supervision of an experienced scientist. You can choose from a wide range of topics in consultation with your supervisor.