Case Study: MSc Sustainability at Anglia Ruskin University and the Eden Project; integrating the UNESCO Sustainability Competencies into higher education

Introduction

This piece explores how UNESCO Sustainability competencies are embedded within the content and pedagogy of a UK university master’s course aiming to equip graduates with the proficiency and self-efficacy to address global challenges such as climate change and sustainability.

It introduces the MSc Sustainability postgraduate course run in collaboration between Anglia Ruskin University and the Eden Project, an environmental education charity. The article then discusses how the UNESCO sustainability competencies have guided its design. Finally, it reflects on student feedback regarding the benefits of our approach and the future adjustments we will make to the UNESCO framework.

The MSc Sustainability at Anglia Ruskin University, UK

Education is a key driver for social change, and yet it’s the decisions of individuals that have graduated from the most prestigious higher education institutions around the world that led our system to its current state: unsustainable, crippled, unbalanced. In fact, we find that some ‘Sustainability’-labelled courses don’t seem to tackle the root causes of unsustainability, namely siloed thinking and unsustainable development paradigms, like the endless pursuit of economic growth at all costs.

In 2013, a group of experienced educators came together to design a master’s course that offered a new kind of higher education in sustainability, one driven by academic practice, yet more holistic than traditional transactional or didactic models. By delivering an inspiring and engaging transformative educational experience, they aimed to support individuals in leading positive change in their current and future professional and private lives. An MSc in Sustainability was hence developed using innovative active learning pedagogies, ensuring students were active participants in their personal, professional and academic development. 12 years on, and after supporting over 150 individuals on their journey as agents of change, the course offering is still innovative in the sector and constantly evolving according to students’ needs and developments in sustainability. In 2024 we decided to refresh the course guided by the UNESCO Sustainability Competencies.

The course is delivered predominantly online, with intensive in-person residentials based at Anglia Ruskin University’s Cambridge Campus and at the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK.

The MSc is highly interdisciplinary, embracing sustainability as complex and messy. We approach sustainability from many different angles while implementing a systems approach. This is not a Business course, nor a Geography course, nor do we focus solely on environmental and climate challenges. Instead, we explore all these topics by focusing on different sectors and themes (e.g., agriculture, tourism, heritage, social-ecological systems) using a systems lens - that is, examining how all the components of the complex system that is our world are interconnected.

For this reason, there are no set requirements for applying to the course beyond the university requirements for master’s-level applicants, and no predefined student background. Indeed, every cohort is highly diverse, with students coming from a wide range of sectors (e.g. nursing, policymakers from the UK education sector, consulting in the finance sector, teaching, to name but a few).

We believe that this diversity is one of the course’s greatest strengths. To harness it, we apply innovative pedagogies such as active and peer learning, ensuring that everyone can contribute and learn from each other as much as from the course lecturers. Students can also customise their learning journey by choosing the topic of most assignments, allowing them to align the MSc with their personal interests and professional development.

Skills for Change and UNESCO Sustainability Competencies

The MSc Sustainability was originally developed around a set of ‘Skills for Change’; twelve skills that future sustainability professionals need in order to enact the change they wish to see in the world. These were a range of ‘soft’ skills that, at first glance, may seem unrelated to sustainability, such as systems thinking, collaboration, and others¹.

Through research conducted by the Education for Sustainability team at Anglia Ruskin University, we identified the eight UNESCO Sustainability Competencies (Advance HE and QAA, 2021) as a more current, updated framework. Following a mapping exercise we adopted the UNESCO framework. During the implementation we introduced a ninth, customizable competency - which students can tailor to align their personal learning journey and professional aspirations. In the future, we will continue to review and refine these competencies to best support the development of future sustainability professionals.

How the UNESCO Sustainability Competencies are used in the MSc Sustainability

The MSc is structured to ensure the development of the UNESCO Sustainability Competencies as part of the students’ learning journeys. These are embedded in every aspect of the course: each assignment is designed to support (and help demonstrate) a specific mix of competencies (see Figure 1 below).

Students are encouraged to reflect on and monitor their development journey. At the start of the course - and at key stages throughout - they audit their progress using a competencies audit document. This is structured like a CV and comprises both a summary table where students can indicate their current ‘level’ for each competency and individual tables for each competency, including the ninth, tailored competency (see Figures 2 and 3 below). In these, students can write their own interpretation of the competency, record key evidence of development for that competency and any future planned development.

Students use this document at (minimum) three key stages of the course:

1. at the start, to create a baseline for the competencies
2. at the beginning of the professional placement and
3. upon completion of the placement, to observe their development.

Indeed, the competencies are also the focus of the Working Towards Change module, which involves undertaking a professional placement revolving around a sustainability-related project/task in a host organisation. To keep the MSc flexible and customisable, students can undertake the placement with their current employer or find a new host.

At the start of the module, students work with their tutor to identify two to four key competencies they want to develop and, only after, contact potential host organisations to explore projects/tasks that can help them develop those very competencies. This competencies-based approach is designed to ensure students think about what they will get out of the placements first and foremost, and helps them avoid signing up for a placement which only utilises competencies they are already very good at (which could be a missed opportunity).

Focus of tutoring system

The competencies are also the focus of our tutoring system. Each student is assigned with an academic tutor (member of the Global Sustainability Institute or The Eden Project teams) who is in charge of the pastoral care of the student during their time on the course. Tutorials take place monthly and often involve discussions on the development of the sustainability competencies or the identification of the ninth competency.

Different students will be more naturally inclined towards some competencies compared to others, but usually see the value in developing the ones they feel are further behind. For instance, Gayle Boulton, MSc Sustainability student and Head of Sustainability Support at the UK Department for Education said

'I have found the use of the UNESCO Sustainability competencies (used at the core of ARU’s MSc Sustainability course) to be really helpful in critically reflecting on my role as a sustainability leader at the Department for Education.'

'While general leadership and civil service competencies have been helpful throughout my career, the UNESCO competencies have allowed me to specifically consider my role as a change agent by taking a deeper exploration into key competencies such as future and systems thinking. I have found this hugely beneficial for both evaluating my impact and identifying areas to develop in my academic learning and professional role.'

By allowing students to deliberately choose their ‘weaker’ competencies, the course also encourages genuine self-reflection and personal development. It promotes learning from others, rather than simply showcasing strengths and successes—as is often the case in professional life.

In terms of future development, each year we gather feedback from students to improve the course, including on the sustainability competencies. This year, we noticed that students struggled to connect with the "Normative" competency. As a result, we plan to revise the way we explain this competency next year to make it more accessible and relatable.

Conclusion

As we've explored throughout this blog, the MSc Sustainability is more than just a degree; it’s a transformative learning experience. Rather than treating sustainability as a standalone subject, the course integrates it into every aspect of the learning journey. It empowers students to think critically about the future, reflect on their role in shaping it and understand how their knowledge can drive meaningful change.

Through interactive, interdisciplinary, and learner-driven pedagogies, and by embedding UNESCO’s sustainability competencies in our curriculum, we help students develop the skills they need to become agents of change in their chosen fields.

We also encourage ongoing reflection, enabling students to actively track their progress throughout the course. This approach equips them with the tools needed to critically assess today’s sustainability challenges and to design system-based solutions that tackle root causes. At the same time, we prepare them to recognise that every action may have unintended consequences—and to face those complexities with confidence and resilience.

Notes

1. This is the full list of the original Skills for Change:

• Are systems thinkers with the ability to address current and future problems creatively.
• Have the ability to assess and critique a range of information sources.
• Have a critical understanding of environment, social and economic connections
• Are capable of engaging in self-reflection and analysis
• Have a commitment to life-long learning for themselves and others
• Are innovative and adaptable, proactive rather than reactive
• Are engaging and dynamic communicators (written and oral skills)
• Are effective networkers and facilitators
• Work well in cooperation with others
• Can organise themselves and manage their time effectively
• Have an understanding of how to act as a responsible citizen
• Can critically engage with different visions for the future

References

Advance HE and QAA (2021) Education for Sustainable Development Guidance.

Dr Davide Natalini

Davide is an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist and educator, undertaking research in complex social-ecological systems using a range of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Davide is keen to empower the next generation of sustainability change makers with systems and critical thinking and is the current Course Director of the MSc Sustainability.

Dr Philippa Calver

Philippa is an interdisciplinary researcher and educator. She is passionate about supporting individuals to become leaders of change, and is experienced in facilitating and delivering sustainability education. Philippa is part of the core MSc Sustainability teaching team within the Global Sustainability Institute (GSI).

Professor Rosie Robison

Rosie is Professor of Social Sustainability at Anglia Ruskin University. Her research looks at developing sustainability policies which work with and for communities, as well as exploring the emotional dimensions of climate change. Rosie has led three different modules on the MSc Sustainability within the Global Sustainability Institute (GSI) and currently oversees the students professional development placements.

Professor Alison Greig

Alison is Director of Education for Sustainability (EfS) at Anglia Ruskin University and leads the EfS research theme at the Global Sustainability Institute (GSI).

Alison's research interests relate to how higher education, both formal and informal, can help prepare individuals to bring about change for a more sustainable future, and how educational institutions can facilitate this process. Alison uses mainly an action research methodology to explore sustainability learning both as an interdisciplinary ‘subject’ and an approach to learning and teaching.

More information on MSc Sustainability at Anglia Ruskin University