Study Sustainable Development and Global Governance in Madrid

MASUS is a Master's Degree at Carlos III University of Madrid offering a vanguard multidisciplinary training to analyze the most pressing problems of sustainable development and global governance

MASUS is a Master’s Program in Sustainable Development and Global Governance at Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M)

Under the direction of Dr. Isik Özel, Dr. Esteban A. Nicolini, and Dr. Emiliano Travieso

Comprehensive training to tackle the multifaceted challenges of sustainable development

Focused on the most pressing issues: climate change & energy, ecosystems & planetary health, biodiversity, poverty & inequality, gender, globalization & green politics

Hands-on approach: equipping students with skills to produce evidence-based solutions to real-world sustainability problems

State-of-the-art methodological training: expert international faculty from a wide range of disciplines (from Ecology and Mathematics to Political Science, Economics, and History)

Study at the Puerta de Toledo Campus in the heart of Madrid

Embracing a hands-on approach, this one year-and-a-half-long master program equips students with necessary skills to generate evidence-based comprehensive solutions in addressing the challenges of sustainable development.

Conceptual and methodological training in different areas of sustainable development and global governance based on four modules:

  • Introduction to sustainability entails courses on the Foundations of complex systems for sustainability and governance, Methods in sustainability studies and Integrative workshops.

  • Socioeconomic sustainability includes courses on Hunger, poverty and inequality; Education and health; Gender equality; Labor markets and sustainable work.

  • Environmental sustainability encompasses courses like Climate change, energy and global governance; Ecosystems and planetary health; Biodiversity, land and water; Impact evaluation in sustainability; and Environmental Impact Assessment.

  • Global governance involves courses on Governing the global commons; Geopolitics of natural resources; International law and sustainability; Globalization and international order; Development, international cooperation and finance; Conflict, violence and development; Political economy of immigration; and Green politics, among others.

Faculty

Coming from a range of academic departments in 10 different universities and research centres

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Events

Sustainability Seminars, held regularly throughout student’s studies in Madrid. Join us for an upcoming event

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Blog

Sustainability Notes is the MASUS blog, showcasing some of the best work produced by our current students

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Key Facts

  • Cosmopolitan and diverse student body: current students coming from 17 different countries bringing along a wide range of professional and academic backgrounds.

  • International faculty trained in top world universities in a range of specialist disciplines, from mathematics and biology to history and political science.

  • MASUS is taught 100% in English.

  • MASUS is part of the Erasmus+ Program and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).

  • MASUS students undertake internships with international organizations (such as the UN Refugee Agency), Madrid-based think tanks and cooperation units, and global NGOs working in the field across the world from Bolivia to Uganda.

Graduates prepared for sustainability careers including:

Public offices specialized in climate change, biodiversity, energy transition, environmental governance, alleviation of social risk, poverty, inequality, and gender

International and regional organizations dealing with environmental and socioeconomic sustainability (such as the respective UN and EU agencies)

Sustainability consultancy firms and other companies committed to developing sustainable solutions, adapting to the green transition, and undertaking environmental impact assessment

Research institutes, think-tanks and NGOs focusing on problems and issue areas that fall into environmental and socioeconomic sustainability as well as global governance.

  • "MASUS will enable me to acquire expertise in the management of sustainability from an interdisciplinary perspective. Moreover, the international environment that you offer seems to me to be a real advantage."

    "MASUS will enable me to acquire expertise in the management of sustainability from an interdisciplinary perspective. Moreover, the international environment that you offer seems to me to be a real advantage."

    Elsa Boscherie (France, 2023-24 cohort)

  • "I am captivated by various avenues within the sustainable development field and I know my time in the MASUS program will provide me with a thorough comprehension of global sustainable development and governance, along with the ability to apply this knowledge to real-world challenges."

    Avery Cecere (United States, 2023-24 cohort)

  • ‘MASUS impressed me from the very first moment thanks to its multidisciplinary training, its international and extremely open environment, an innovative teaching method linked to current events, and its varied academic tracks enriched by workshops and courses taught by renowned professors.’

    Agata Ghirardini (Italy, 2022-23 cohort)

  • "MASUS offers an invaluable opportunity to understand many of the world's most pressing challenges, because of its multidisciplinary perspective, its emphasis on the intersection between environmental and socioeconomic dimensions of sustainability, its methodological rigour, and its wide range of optional courses."

    Óscar García Rivas (Colombia, 2023-24 cohort)

  • ‘MASUS will provide me with skills that will help contribute to socioeconomic transformation.’

    – Hafisat Oladimeji (Nigeria, 2022-23 cohort)

  • "I value that MASUS is a small and flexible program consisting of highly international students. I have always enjoyed being in a diverse and cosmopolitan environment and communicating in English with other people. I am certain that studying at UC3M will be a perfect continuation of this."

    Hannah Holste (Germany, 2023-24 cohort)

  • 'I am seeking a fulfilling challenge that involves the aspects I enjoy the most about international relations: equal development based on women's empowerment, food security, cooperation and sustainability.'

    Laura Martínez Gálvez (Spain, 2022-23 cohort)

  • ‘MASUS enables us to rethink conventional paradigms, understand the interrelationships of our world and its burning issues today and in the future.’

    – Sofie Sittenauer (Germany, 2022-23 cohort)

  • "I want to learn the skills and perspectives needed to be an agent of positive change in a deeply unequal and unbalanced world. MASUS will be an amazing opportunity to collaborate and learn from peers and professors at a world-class institution."

    Samira Omar (Norway, 2023-24 cohort)

  • 'I enjoy the fact that the program offers electives in order for its students to specialize their studies based on their interests. The module The Global South and Sustainable Development immediately called my attention. I want to graduate as someone who can create actual change for the most vulnerable and improve their life to the best of my abilities.'

    Emma Debregeas (Canada, 2022-23 cohort)

  • "The education that MASUS provides is essential for me to understand the complex problem of sustainability in all of its dimensions, as well as the multiple challenges which it poses in the different areas that it affects. In order to be an active participant in the solutions to this problem, I think that my education has to be broad, rigorous and multidisciplinary, all of which I believe this graduate program will provide."

    Paula Serratosa (Spain, 2023-24 cohort)

  • 'I believe that the education, international components, and academic rigor that is offered through this degree will fulfill my desire to advocate for those who are marginalized, especially migrants.'

    Gabrielle Amorelli (United States, 2022-23 cohort)

  • ‘I chose Carlos III University of Madrid for the rich history the institution has in the furtherment of international relations, diplomacy, and the pursuit of knowledge.’

    – Oreatlile Maloka (South Africa, 2022-23 cohort)

FAQs

  • Encouraging applications from all academic and professional backgrounds, MASUS offers conceptual and methodological training in different areas of sustainable development based on four modules.

  • Our graduates are likely candidates for a broad range of future careers including:

    Public offices specialized in climate change, biodiversity, energy transition, environmental governance, alleviation of social risk, poverty, inequality, and gender

    International and regional organizations dealing with environmental and socioeconomic sustainability (such as the respective UN and EU agencies)

    Sustainability consultancy firms and other companies committed to developing sustainable solutions, adapting to the green transition, and undertaking environmental impact assessment

    Research institutes, think-tanks and NGOs focusing on problems and issue areas that fall into environmental and socioeconomic sustainability as well as global governance.