Education

Students graduating from Örebro University should have the ability to identify and solve societal problems in line with the goals set out in Agenda 2030. Sustainable development is therefore to be integrated systematically in our courses and study programmes. Education for a sustainable future should create prerequisites for sustainable development of our society – ecologically, economically and socially.

One of PSF@ORU’s objectives is for the courses and study programmes offered at Örebro University to provide the best possible knowledge base for meeting society’s wide-ranging needs in terms of research, development, management and communication on matters that pertain to a sustainable future. We aim to do this by:

• providing subject and cross-disciplinary expertise in terms of the courses and study programmes offered at Örebro University (within sustainable development)
• ensuring that courses and study programmes contain cross-disciplinary perspectives of sustainable development
• developing new initiatives for courses and study programmes as well as alternative teaching methods
• offering professional development in a life-long learning perspective
• pursuing co-operation across universities
• pursuing international exchange and collaboration, primarily at the master’s and doctoral levels
• The sustainable development perspective should be included in all university courses and study programmes and the interdisciplinary perspective for a sustainable future is of particular importance in creating prerequisites for a socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable societal development.

The objective is for students to understand sustainable development within their own subject and to acquire knowledge and understanding of the overarching questions that can only be dealt with through having obtained a cross-disciplinary understanding of, for instance, the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals, Sweden’s national environmental objectives and the European Green Deal. Students also need knowledge on the societal stakeholders responsible for creating a sustainable future for all. How to provide students with this cross-disciplinary knowledge is a challenge and one of the main tasks for the platform.

The platform works in collaboration with the Centre for Academic Development to create new courses and study programmes and alternative teaching models – models that integrate sustainable development and enable student influence and participation both in content and format.

Our courses and study programmes are to provide students with the best possible knowledge base, enabling them to meet society’s need for developing, managing and communicating matters linked to a sustainable future and to do so within a wide range of sectors.  Besides, today’s students are tomorrow’s researchers, and as such, they will continue to seek sustainable solutions to the challenges of our society.

Örebro University offers several study programmes with a clear sustainable development perspective:

Analytical Science Programme in Chemistry (with a Focus on Forensics)
Master's Programme in Chemistry in Environmental Forensics
Master's Programme in Business Administration
Master's Programme in Public Planning for Sustainable Development

Courses:

Sustainable Development, 30 Credits
Sociology, Sustainability and Organization Theory, 7.5 Credits

Since 2016, a sustainability conference for students is organised twice yearly, gathering students from several study programmes. Students work with questions related to Agenda 2030 to find solutions to societal problems.