University master's degrees
University Master's Degree in Master in Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability

Advanced studies addressed at graduates in Environmental Sciences and many others who wish to incorporate environmental skills into their curriculum vitae

Official Master's Degree in Master in Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability

Ideal student profile

The ideal master’s student should demonstrate a clear interest in the challenges of sustainable development in its environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and a personal motivation to contribute to its improvement from different areas of action —scientific, technological, managerial, and public policy—. The student is expected to be willing to work in interdisciplinary and international teams, as well as to show sensitivity to ethical, social, and equity issues related to sustainability.

The preferred entry profile corresponds to university graduates from fields of knowledge related to environmental, experimental, technical, or social sciences, as specified in section 3.1.b of this document. Likewise, an interdisciplinary background in environmental sciences and previous professional experience in sectors linked to sustainability are positively valued, as they contribute to enriching learning in the discipline.

Knowledge

  • Relate the advanced and interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological foundations of environmental, economic, and social sustainability to their application in research contexts and applied projects.
  • Define the principles, tools, and advanced methodologies of industrial ecology, including Life Cycle Analysis and Material Flow Analysis, for the improvement of productive and urban systems.
  • Describe strategies and technologies for sustainable waste and material management within the framework of the circular economy, including their valorization and impact minimization.
  • Describe the drivers, interactions, and types of impacts of global change (including climate change) on terrestrial and marine ecosystems, as well as on biogeochemical cycles.
  • Explain methodologies for analyzing and assessing environmental changes at different scales in natural spaces, recognizing their implications for conservation and management.
  • Define the theoretical principles and fundamental concepts of ecological economics, including the relationship between economy, biophysical systems, and equity issues.
  • Explain political ecology as a critical approach to understanding power dynamics, unequal ecological distribution, and environmental governance in relation to environmental problems.
  • Describe theories, concepts, and resources for scientific communication and dissemination in the field of sustainability, considering audience diversity and communication ethics.

Skills

  • Apply interdisciplinary knowledge and methodologies to address complex problems of environmental, economic, and social sustainability in new or little-known contexts aimed at improving products, processes, or services.
  • Use specialized software programs for environmental and statistical analysis within environmental studies.
  • Independently select relevant information from scientific literature to support and design research in the field of environmental studies.
  • Summarize knowledge, arguments, and conclusions on sustainability in academic formats intended for specialized audiences, clearly and unambiguously, both orally and in writing.
  • Autonomously apply information resources and continuous training to update knowledge in sustainability.
  • Determine possible strategies to apply co-production tools in the field of transdisciplinary environmental studies.
  • Select relevant stakeholders in the context of an interdisciplinary project in the field of sustainability.
  • Select appropriate methodologies for each environmental, economic, and social sustainability project, depending on its spatial scale.

Competences

  • Analyze complex socio-environmental problems considering interactions between ecological, economic, and social systems from an interdisciplinary approach.
  • Design innovative strategies and proposals to address current environmental challenges, using tools and evaluation methods that enable sustainable management of resources and ecosystems.
  • Implement sustainable management solutions, integrating critical analysis of environmental impacts and applying assessment tools (such as LCA, environmental valuation, and climate scenarios) for mitigating complex problems.
  • Work effectively in international and interdisciplinary contexts, promoting inclusion and diversity, and participating in collaborative projects to tackle complex global sustainability challenges.
  • Communicate research results and environmental management strategies effectively to specialized and non-specialized audiences (academic, political, business, and social), adapting the message to the context and adopting a critical and inclusive approach.
  • Critically evaluate the ethical and social implications associated with the developed sustainable management solutions.
  • Propose measures to reduce social inequalities, with special attention to gender perspective, in the development of sustainable management projects that globally consider environmental, social, and economic aspects.
  • Demonstrate ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights, diversity, and democratic values in the development of projects on environmental, economic, and social sustainability.