International Master's Programme in Leadership for Sustainable Development – Economics
Stockholm, Sweden
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
15 Jan 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
30 Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
SEK 117,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* tuition fees do not include living expenses, such as accommodation, food, course literature, etc.
Urgent need for critical and creative solutions
We must think critically and creatively if we are to live more sustainably on our planet. We need the courage to be leaders and agents of change, to adopt holistic perspectives on knowledge and society, and we need to understand the complex links between phenomena. Leadership is vital to this societal transformation.
The programme’s multidisciplinary background in the social sciences (business studies, economics and sociology) means that its content continually develops, giving you up-to-date and nuanced knowledge about complex societal and ecological phenomena. One theme is the use of new perspectives and creative problem formulations to meet the challenges generated by the transformation to a sustainable society. The programme provides in-depth knowledge of your chosen specialisation and an understanding of its relationship to subject traditions and the field of sustainable societal development. The programme is designed to give you the opportunity to study a semester at another university in Sweden or abroad.
This multidisciplinary two-year Master’s programme will provide you with an understanding of the complexities of sustainable development, focusing on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Based on the critical insights and analytical tools found in business studies, economics, and sociology, you will be encouraged to acquire leadership and management skills that will promote sustainable societal development.
Teaching is conducted in close cooperation with external partners in the public sector, industry, and civil society. The programme has three specialisations: Business Studies, Economics, and Sociology. Each of these provides a specific foundation on which you can develop your leadership skills in sustainable development at organisations, in society, and elsewhere.
Economics is important for democracy, as the purpose of the subject is to investigate how we manage and distribute scarce resources. The subject, therefore, has a strong link to most of the UN global goals. The subject has a broad perspective that covers many societal functions, everything from conditions for businesses and employees to those for sustainable development and the role of the financial market in global stability.
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Teaching and learning methods
Lectures by university staff and invited guests, seminars, and workshops offer a range of learning opportunities during the first two semesters. In the third semester, the public sector, industry and civil society provide challenge-driven cases on which groups of students will work, so applying their skills to real-life problems. Study visits to stimulating workplaces illustrate what sustainable leadership can be in practice. Individual assignments, individual studies and work on your dissertation focus on in-depth knowledge in your chosen specialisation.
With opportunities in challenge-driven project management, work placement courses, and close contact with sustainability leaders from industry, the public sector and civil society, you will develop the knowledge, methods and social skills to help transform organisations and society.
This programme provides links between theory and practice, and interdisciplinary knowledge and the ability to communicate sustainability solutions – essential skills in the workplace. Potential job titles include sustainability strategist, sustainability manager, project manager or process leader for sustainability projects or processes, sustainability educator, or sustainability consultant. The competence and skills gained during your studies are vital for leadership in national and international settings, in governmental och intergovernmental organisations, in industry, the public sector or civil society.
Södertörn University Tuition Fee Waiver
The tuition fee waiver scholarship is aimed at students from countries outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland. The Swedish government distributes funding to higher education institutions, which in turn award scholarships to individual students. The tuition fee waiver is intended for Master level program studies at Södertörn University.