Master's Degree in Sustainable Development

Master's Degree in Sustainable Development MSD

In Oktober 2005, the University of Basel broke new ground with the implementation of the unique, specialized Master's Degree in Sustainable Development MSD. Prior to this program, students at the University of Basel  could enrol in an interdisciplinary program called "Mensch-Gesellschaft-Umwelt" which had been doing pioneering work in the field of sustainable development as a scientific research topic since the early 1990s. In the meantime, the program has been revised, always taking into account new issues in the debate on sustainability. The current study program has been established in fall 2026 (= MSD 2026). 

Contributing to sustainable development is a contemporary challenge that must be approached in an interdisciplinary manner. Thus, in addition to specific disciplinary competences, the master’s program draws on concerns of sustainability that are generated by the natural, social and economic sciences. Methodological aspects of the curriculum include the analytical and integrative skills and knowledge necessary to work on complex questions relevant to sustainability, together with reflexive skills and proficiency in dealing with a broad range of instruments. Considerable importance is placed on competences facilitating and providing constructive work in interdisciplinary and research-based settings.