Mastering Sustainability: A Degree That Opens Doors Worldwide

14.02.2025.

How can a Master's degree be both a professional stepping stone and a life-changing experience? CHARM-EU's sustainability-focused programme offers valuable intercultural and practical knowledge that can make a real difference for students.

Completing a Master's degree gives you the opportunity to acquire expert knowledge. However, it can also offer unique experiences where students gain an intercultural and multidisciplinary perspective while facing real-life challenges. CHARM-EU Master's programme Global challenges for Sustainability follows this approach, fostering the acquisition of future-proof knowledge, intercultural competences and global skills. Students work in a unique international learning environment in collaboration with corporate and societal partners on the sustainable solutions of the future.

„I very much enjoyed all of our field trips. On the one hand, we had two blended intensive mobility programmes in the second phase – one in Budapest and one in Montpellier – and we visited very interesting places such as markets, wholesale businesses and food security organizations. We also had shorter local field trips, for example in the Netherlands we visited small gardens and community gardens.” – Lonci Tóbiás (Cohort 2021-2023). Full interview.

Graduating students of the third cohort of the programme – coming from 17 different countries – recently met at the University of Barcelona for the Grand Finale to present their Capstone projects to each other, their teachers and external partners. This conference is the key event of the Capstone phase of the programme. During this final semester, students work in teams and with external partners to address a specific sustainability challenge and create a product also of practical use (e.g. a set of policy recommendations, communication tools, guidelines, publications, platforms).

„I graduated with a solid network of professional contacts, from colleagues and professors to industrial and institutional partners. After graduating, I received job offers in sustainability from various sectors, in public institutions, private companies and academia.” – Itziar Salazar Caballero (Cohort 2021-2023).

Two groups of CHARM-EU students spent the Capstone phase in Budapest under the supervision of Andrea Velich (ELTE Faculty of Humanities) and Attila Varga (ELTE Faculty of Education and Psychology) and collaborating with two external partners, the Budapest Spas and the Budapest Waterworks. The students worked with the corporate partners on two Capstone challenges related to the city and to the topic of water: one group focused on sustainable water, spa and heritage governance in relation to Budapest's thermal baths, while the other explored sustainable water management and creative innovations related to the Danube.

Over the past year, CHARM-EU has worked on the expansion of the Masters programme to integrate the new partner universities and to further increase opportunities for mobility and gaining practical experience. The new, four-semester version of the course includes an additional specialisation focused on energy and sustainable cities and an internship semester to better prepare students for working with various companies and institutions around the world.

„I recommend the programme to practically anyone who is open to learning in an international environment with innovative teaching methods and willing to travel and work with students and teachers coming from various countries. Overall, I believe that we have great opportunities with a CHARM-EU degree in hand.” – András Kovaloczy (Cohort 2022-2024). Full interview.

Applications to the fifth cohort of the Master's programme (starting in September 2025) will open on 24 February, with a deadline of 16 March 2025. CHARM-EU will hold an online information session on 20 February 2025, from 17:00. More information on the official website of the training.