This degree programme offers students the opportunity to explore, understand, and analyse the challenges associated with the broad theme of sustainability, delving into its environmental, social, economic, and cultural dimensions through an innovative educational model that combines theoretical and experiential learning, research, project development, and internationalisation.
The programme provides knowledge, skills, and methodologies rooted in the social sciences, complemented and enhanced by insights from technical and scientific disciplines, in order to ensure a transdisciplinary approach to sustainability. This approach fosters the understanding and analysis of complex contemporary challenges at international, national, and local levels.
The curriculum aims to strengthen core foundational areas (history, economics, philosophy, law), progressively developing more specialised and sector-specific skills through courses and workshops covering multiple aspects of sustainability and international cooperation, including offerings taught in English.
The international focus of the degree program is fostered by an extensive network of well-established collaborations with institutions, public and private organizations, and universities actively engaged in various dimensions of sustainability and international cooperation (including UNESCO, the Community of Sant'Egidio, and the International Committee of the Red Cross). This network enables students to enrich their educational experience through international mobility opportunities for study, research, and internships, including placements abroad.
Key topics addressed during the program include peace, the circular economy, globalization, the digital transition, environmental issues and climate change, as well as social and intercultural relations.
Course information
- strengthen and deepen knowledge and skills in anthropological, social, legal, institutional, and technical-scientific disciplines related to sustainability, development, and international cooperation
- provide appropriate critical analysis methodologies for examining phenomena such as globalization, intercultural and gender dynamics, cooperation, environment and climate change, and social and political change at local, national, and international levels
- ensure fluency, both written and oral, in two foreign languages in addition to Italian (English and Spanish)
- develop soft skills, particularly those aimed at enhancing the ability to design and manage projects on both micro and macro levels, including in interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral, and international contexts
The programme offers employment opportunities across a wide range of professional fields, from international relations to science diplomacy, from the protection of human rights to environmental safeguarding, from emergency management to peace promotion, through:
- the ability to independently apply the knowledge acquired during the programme, enabling immediate entry into institutional, entrepreneurial, and non-profit sectors engaged in sustainability, cooperation, and peacebuilding (public administrations, educational institutions, international, governmental and non-governmental organisations, and third sector bodies at the local, national, and international levels)
- further specialisation in the areas of sustainability and international cooperation through advanced studies, particularly offered by the University for Foreigners in the Master's degree programme in International Relations and Development Cooperation
| SSD | Courses | ECTS |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| HIST-03/A | Contemporary History | 9 |
| STEC-01/B | Economic and Development History | 9 |
| GSPS-04/B | Theory and History of Global Politics | 6 |
| GIUR-11/B | Institutions of Italian and Comparative Public Law | 9 |
| ANGL-01/C | English Language and Culture | 9* |
| GSPS-02/A | Comparative Politics | 9 |
| PHIL-05/A | Philosophy of Sustainability | 6 |
| Elective Courses | 3 | |
| Total First Year | 60 | |
| Second Year | ||
| ECON-01/A | Political Economy | 9 |
| GSPS-04/C | Africa and Globalization | 9 |
| GIUR-09/A | International Law and Peace Promotion | 9 |
| GIUR-01/A | Human Rights, Protection of Vulnerable Groups (6 ECTS) and Migration Law Module (3 ECTS) | 9 |
| INF-05/A | Cyber Security and Sustainability (6 ECTS) and ICT for Sustainability Module (3 ECTS) | 9 |
| GSPS-02/A | International Relations | 6 |
| SPAN-01/C | Spanish Language and Culture | 9* |
| Total Second Year | 60 | |
| Third Year | ||
| ECON-01/A | Green and Circular Economy | 9 |
GIUR-09/A CEAR-/B | Disaster Risk Reduction (Integrated Course): Disaster Risk Reduction (6 ECTS) Disaster Risk Reduction (3 ECTS) | 9 |
| GSPS-/A | Sociology of Migration Processes | 6 |
| GSPS-/A | Democracy, Social Rights and Public Health | 6 |
SDEA-01/A GEOG-/A | Geoglobal Changes and Human Resilience (Integrated Course): Changes and Human Resilience (6 ECTS) Geography for Sustainability (3 ECTS) | 9 |
| Elective Courses | 9 | |
| Internship | 6 | |
| Final Exam | 6 | |
| Total Third Year | 60 |
* The 9 ECTS assigned to foreign language courses include 3 ECTS taught by a native-speaking language instructor.
Students can check their study plans to see which courses are compulsory, optional, or elective.
First semester
Philosophy of Sustainability - prof. Flavio Orecchio
Contemporary History - prof. Valerio De Cesaris
Economic and Development History - prof. Alessandro Albanese Ginammi
Second semester
Institutions of Italian and Comparative Public Law - prof. Francesco Duranti
English Language and Culture - prof. Marco Bagli - Dr. Bridget Clare Collins
Comparative Politics - prof. Emidio Diodato
Theory and History of Global Politics - prof. Federico Niglia
First semester
Africa and Globalization - Prof. Federica Guazzini
Cyber Security and Sustainability and Computer Science for Sustainability Module - Prof. Valentino Santucci - Prof. Lucia Ballerini
International Law and Peace Promotion - Prof. Maura Marchegiani
International Relations - Prof. Carlo Belli
Second semester
Human Rights, Protection of Vulnerable Groups and Migration Law Module - Prof. Paolo Morozzo della Rocca
Political Economy - Prof. Filippo Sbrana
Spanish Language and Culture - Prof. Giovanna Scocozza - Dr. Maria Luisa Sevilla Garcia-Montiel
First semester
Democracy, Social Rights and Public Health - Prof. Alessandro Simoncini
Environmental Vulnerability: Science and Law - Integrated Course
- International Law and Emergency Situations - Prof. Ottavio Quirico
- Disaster Risk Reduction - Prof. Chiara Biscarini
EU Law and Diplomacy for Sustainability Lab -Prof. Ottavio Quirico
Soft Skills for Sustainability Lab - Prof. Maura Marchegiani
Renewable Energy Sources Lab - Prof. Chiara Chiatti
Sociology of Migration Processes - Prof. Stefania Tusini
Second semester
Geo-global Change and Human Resilience - Integrated Course
- Change and Human Resilience - Prof. Piero Ciccioli
- Geography for Sustainability - Prof. Chiara Biscarini
Green and Circular Economy - Francesco Asdrubali
International Security and Sustainable Development Lab - Prof. Federico Niglia
Water Diplomacy and Science Lab - Prof. Tommaso Pacetti
The programmes from the previous academic year are available in the archive.
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Notices
Publication of timetables for the 2026-2027 academic year, first semester
Please note that the timetable for the first semester has been published