What does a degree in Sustainability Studies entail?

Under different specializations in Sustainability studies, one can study sustainable development, sustainable energy, product development, leadership, change, etc.

How much does a sustainability graduate earn in the USA?

A humanities graduate can earn up to 70,000 USD in the early career stages. The pay increases to 100k-150K in 3-7 years’ time.

Do I need to take an English language test to study sustainability studies?

Countries like the USA, UK, Canada, etc require candidates to take an English language test like IELTS or TOEFL to study sustainability studies.

Best Global Universities for Sustainability Studies in 2022-2023

Top collges and universities for Sustainability Studies and Development in the world

About Sustainability Studies

Environmental degradation and climate change are global emergencies. The demand for people in the sustainability field is greater than ever. Sustainable studies is a branch of Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences that focuses on solving problems of Ecology, Biodiversity, and Conservation, tapping into the earth’s natural resources and using them to their full potential responsibly.

Sustainable study is an interdisciplinary field that involves knowledge from Environmental Economics, Policy Making, and Resource Management. Best universities for sustainable studies will bring your focus to the global goals and long-term actions that can be taken to protect nature against harmful, unsustainable activities and build a career around it.

Areas of study under Sustainability Studies

A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Sustainable Development covers courses and concepts connected to Sustainability Risks and Opportunities, Natural, Environmental and Social Sciences, Ecology, and other subjects. The following are a couple of areas of study under sustainability studies.

Sustainable Leadership
Sustainable Energy
Sustainable Change
Climate Change
Pollution
Global Change
Sustainable Development
Environment
Natural Resources

Popular degrees under Sustainability Studies

For Bachelor Level

Bachelor in Sustainable Environmental Management
BSc in Global Responsibility & Leadership
Global Development and Sustainability BSc (Hons)
Bachelor in Sustainable Solutions
BBA in Sustainability Management
Bachelor of Arts in Social Justice and Sustainability
BSc in Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
BA(Hons) in Sustainable Product Design

For Master Level

MS Sustainability Management
MSc in Urban Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change
MSc in Sustainability Transformation
Master of Science in Global Challenges for Sustainability
Master in Leadership for Sustainability
Master in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability

Duration of Programs in Sustainability Studies

Country	Bachelor’s Degree	Master’s Degree	Doctoral Degree
USA	3-4 years	1-3 years	3-5 years
UK	3-4 years	1-2 years	3-4 years
Canada and Australia	3-4 years	1-2 years	3-4 years
Others	3-4 years	1-2 years	3-4 years

Top 50 global universities for Sustainability Studies based on popular rankings

QS rank	THE Ranking	University	Country	Bachelors	Masters
1	4	University of Oxford	Uk	Click Here	Click Here
2	3	University of Cambridge	USA	Click Here	Click Here
3	6	Harvard University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
4	9	University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	USA	Click Here	Click Here
5	1	Stanford University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
6	12	Yale University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
7	11	Columbia University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
8	17	New York University (NYU)	USA	Click Here	Click Here
9	10	The University of Edinburgh	UK	Click Here	Click Here
9	13	University of California, Los Angeles	USA	Click Here	Click Here
11	5	UCL	UK	Click Here	Click Here
12	34	National University of Singapore (NUS)	Singapore	Click Here	Click Here
13	2	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	USA	Click Here	Click Here
14	8	University of Chicago	USA	Click Here	Click Here
15	7	Princeton University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
16	39	The University of Melbourne	Australia	Click Here	Click Here
16	26	University of Toronto	Canada	Click Here	Click Here
18	28	The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)	UK	Click Here	Click Here
18	21	Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin	Berlin	Click Here	Click Here
20	32	The University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Click Here	Click Here
21	36	University of Amsterdam	Netherlands	Click Here	Click Here
22	46	The University of Sydney	Canada	Click Here	Click Here
23	NA	Sorbonne University	France	Click Here	Click Here
23	53	The University of Tokyo	Japan	Click Here	Click Here
25	29	The Australian National University	Australia	Click Here	Click Here
26	47	Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne	France	Click Here	Click Here
27	30	King’s College London	UK	Click Here	Click Here
28	26	Freie Universitaet Berlin	Germany	Click Here	Click Here
29	16	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	USA	Click Here	Click Here
30	59	University of British Columbia	Canada	Click Here	Click Here
31	24	Leiden University	Netherlands	Click Here	Click Here
31	14	University of Pennsylvania	USA	Click Here	Click Here
33	NA	Universidad Nacional Autónoma de	Mexico	Click Here	Click Here
34	85	The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)	Hong Kong	Click Here	Click Here
35	101-125	Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)	Singapore	Click Here	Click Here
36	21	Cornell University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
37	35	McGill University	Canada	Click Here	Click Here
37	101-125	Seoul National University	Korea	Click Here	Click Here
39	80	Sapienza University of Rome	Italy	Click Here	Click Here
40	18	Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München	Germany	Click Here	Click Here
41	26	Durham University	UK	Click Here	Click Here
42	83	Monash University	Australia	Click Here	Click Here
43	21	Peking University	China	Click Here	Click Here
43	38	University of Vienna	Austria	Click Here	Click Here
45	44	The University of Manchester	UK	Click Here	Click Here
46	25	KU Leuven	Belgium	Click Here	Click Here
46	NA	The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney)	Australia	Click Here	Click Here
46	NA	Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin	Ireland	Click Here	Click Here
49	36	University of St Andrews	UK	Click Here	Click Here
50	50	University of Texas at Austin	USA	Click Here	Click Here

Top Universities for Sustainability Studies in the USA

The demand for sustainability professionals and experts is the highest in the USA. With the increase in companies who are wishing to become sustainable, the demand is only going to go higher. Therefore, for sustainability enthusiasts, studying in the USA is a pristine choice.

Bachelor degrees in the USA are offered by some of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in the world like Harvard University, Columbia University, Yale University, etc. Master degrees in the USA are usually coupled with great research the universities have been carrying out.

QS rank	THE Ranking	University	Country	Bachelors	Masters
2	3	University of Cambridge	USA	Click Here	Click Here
3	6	Harvard University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
4	9	University of California, Berkeley (UCB)	USA	Click Here	Click Here
5	1	Stanford University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
6	12	Yale University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
7	11	Columbia University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
8	17	New York University (NYU)	USA	Click Here	Click Here
9	13	University of California, Los Angeles	USA	Click Here	Click Here
13	2	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	USA	Click Here	Click Here
14	8	University of Chicago	USA	Click Here	Click Here
15	7	Princeton University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
29	16	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	USA	Click Here	Click Here
31	14	University of Pennsylvania	USA	Click Here	Click Here
36	21	Cornell University	USA	Click Here	Click Here
50	50	University of Texas at Austin	USA	Click Here	Click Here

Top Universities for Sustainability studies in the UK

The United Kingdom is one of the most sustainability-conscious countries. The degree programs offered by universities in sustainability studies are a great reason to study in the UK.

Bachelor degrees in sustainability studies in the UK cover a wide range of specializations like sustainable energy, development, leadership, change, management, product design, etc. Master degrees in the UK are generally 1-2 years long and offered in several specializations.

QS rank	THE Ranking	University	Country	Bachelors	Masters
1	4	University of Oxford	Uk	Click Here	Click Here
9	10	The University of Edinburgh	UK	Click Here	Click Here
11	5	UCL	UK	Click Here	Click Here
18	28	The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)	UK	Click Here	Click Here
27	30	King’s College London	UK	Click Here	Click Here
41	26	Durham University	UK	Click Here	Click Here
45	44	The University of Manchester	UK	Click Here	Click Here
49	36	University of St Andrews	UK	Click Here	Click Here

Academic requirements for studying Sustainability Studies

Sustainability studies cover a lot of things, issues, and specializations. As there are many different specializations available in this field of study, the admission requirements for each program would be different. The following mentioned requirements are to give the candidates a general idea of the requirements for studying sustainability studies.

For Bachelor Level

IELTS Academic 6.0 overall score, with at least 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening
High School Diploma
Motivation letter, essay
Academic Transcript

For Master Level

IELTS, TOEFL or PTE English Language Proficiency Test
Minimum 3 years of Undergraduate degree
Official certified transcripts and diplomas of Bachelor’s studies, with certified translation (if not originally in English).
CV/Resume indicating both complete education and any work experience in reverse chronological order.
Motivation Letter
Interview

Career Scope in Sustainability Studies

The sustainable development sector is a rapidly growing area full of new opportunities and career paths. Experts anticipate a $600 billion investment into sustainable infrastructure projects over the next 10 years in the UK alone. The emotional factor in a career in the sustainability sector comes with the involvement in the social and environmental issues, and the financial one is related to the fast-growing job market. These two combined, form the baseline of a successful and happy life.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage across various sustainability careers is $166,910. After graduation, students will find jobs in a wide range of careers, including job titles such as

Project manager
Sustainability analyst
Sustainable design professional
Energy efficiency analyst
Operations manager.

Average salary of Sustainability Studies graduates

Country	Average Annual Salary in USD*
United States	69,865
United Kingdom	42,263
Canada	59,750
Australia	63,011

* Please note that average have been converted from their local currencies to USD at the current exchange rates. Exchange rates are subject to periodic change.