University College Dublin – ProfDip in Foundations of Sustainable Development

The stability of the Earth as a system is currently at risk as five of the nine planetary boundaries – describing the environmental limits within which humanity as a species may continue to thrive – have now been exceeded. The practice of sustainability is crucial to our management of life under water, life on land, the environment, and for societal health and wellbeing now and in the future. This is what this course on Foundations of Sustainable Development hopes to achieve.

Utilising the digital resources of the SDG Academy and the sustainability expertise of UCD academic staff, the Professional Diploma in Foundations of Sustainable Development is taught through the lens of the SDGS and has the unique ability to address the large range of issues covered by the 2030 agenda. Ultimately, it will equip students to solve some of the most pressing issues of our times.

Entry Requirements

A primary degree with at least Second Class Honours Grade II (2H2) or equivalent in a relevant subject such as planning, political science, international relations, social science, sociology, history, geography, economics, global studies, public policy, development studies, EU studies, law.

Course Content and Structure

The programme is a fully online programme ensuring a flexible learning environment for students. This programme can be completed over 1 trimester (Sept start only) or over 2 Trimesters (Sept & Jan start) giving the student lots of flexiblity.

Career Opportunities

The programme utilises the best available online sustainability education resources from global experts and is delivered in partnership with the UNSDSN SDG Academy, graduates will have excellent career opportunities including:

As a sustainability expert in corporate entities
Almost all NGOs now require expertise in sustainability
Environmental corporate governance (e.g. ESG)
Education for sustainable development careers
Sustainability consultant

About University College Dublin

University College Dublin is one of Europe’s leading research-intensive universities; an environment where undergraduate education, Masters and PhD training, research, innovation and community engagement form a dynamic spectrum of activity.

Ranked in the top 1% of higher education institutions world-wide, UCD is Ireland’s largest and most globally engaged university; enrolling over 30,000 students drawn from 136 countries, including almost 4,000 students based at locations outside of Ireland.

UCD is also Ireland’s leader in graduate education with over 9,500 graduate students; almost 20% of whom are graduate research students. This excellence in teaching and learning is globally recognised – 13 subjects are ranked in the top 100 in the world. For the last three years UCD has ranked number one in Ireland for Graduate Employability rankings.