Sustainability Science: Entrepreneurship, Agency and Leadership (M.A.)

Change agents for sustainability possess the knowledge and ability to encourage and enable a wide range of stakeholders to engage in sustainability transformations in and with organisations.

This programme offers a unique combination of psychological and management knowledge on how to become a change agent for sustainable development and how to foster sustainability transformations at the individual, group and organisational level. Students learn theories and gain empirical insights about perceptions, decision-making and behaviour on each of these levels, as well as how these levels are linked with each other. They develop knowledge about the effectiveness of different approaches to establish new social businesses, how to transform established companies and how to change resource-intensive consumption patterns towards sustainable ones. Leading and failed cases are analysed in light of theories on barriers and drivers of sustainability transformation. Students test the learnt approaches in a transdisciplinary project together with students of other sustainability science master programmes.

The master programme is organised in three parts: Introductions, Deep Dive and Elective Focus.

Introductions into organisational transformation management and entrepreneurship, individual change agency and psychology, sustainability science and transdisciplinary research design lay the foundations of this programme. Here you gain an overview of psychological and management theories and approaches to systematically analyse key sustainability challenges and to distinguish individual and organisational approaches of sustainability transformation at the individual and organisational level.

The Deep Dive phase analyses practices of sustainable entrepreneurship, foundations of social entrepreneurship, (un)sustainable consumption, approaches of market-oriented sustainability management and market transformations, with the aim of establishing new social businesses and transforming established companies. You will reflect on theories and empirical studies about perceptions, decision-making and behaviour related to sustainability transformations on the individual, group and organisational level. In a practice-oriented transdisciplinary project together with students of other sustainability science master programmes the newly acquired knowledge is applied, deepened, and reflected.

The Elective Focus offers a wide range of options to develop an individual specialization focus with sustainability and social science modules of your choice. The programme core is complemented with Leuphana’s complementary studies courses, organised in the three modules ‘Engaging with Knowledge and Sciences’, ‘Reflecting on Research Methods’ and ‘Connecting Science, Responsibility and Society’.

Here you can find further information on the course content of the Masters programme Sustainability Science: Entrepreneurship, Agency and Leadership soon.

The following link provides access to documents which set out the general conditions for examinations, an overview of the curriculum, as well as detailed and legally binding regulations.

General Assessment Regulations and the Subject-Specific Schedules

• Prof. Dr. Steffen Farny (International Sustainable and Social Entrepreneurship)
• Prof. Dr. Jacob Hörisch (Sustainability Economics and Management)
• Prof. Dr. Astrid Kause (Sustainability Science and Psychology)
• Prof. Dr. Stefan Schaltegger (Sustainability Management)
• Prof. Dr. Roman Trötschel (Social-, Organisational and Political Psychology, especially empirical Negotiation Research)
• NN. (Sustainable Purchasing and Consumption Behaviour)
• NN. (Sustainability Innovation)

Students of this Masters programme have the opportunity to spend a semester of their studies abroad. For that, we recommend the third semester. For any questions or to apply, please contact the International Center. The International Center will provide all further information on Erasmus+ funding, and on preparing for and organising your semester abroad.

Graduates are qualified for the large and increasing market for actors organising sustainability transformations at the individual and organisational level. Knowledge and skills are developed to qualify for jobs in various areas such as:

Social businesses and non-profit organisations aiming to provide solutions to pressing social or environmental problems in dedicated areas as for example addressed in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Entrepreneurial small and medium sized companies aiming to become sustainability pioneers with the purpose to transform their market.

Multinational companies aiming to transform their existing business towards a sustainable business.

Consulting organisations supporting companies in their sustainability transformation process and consulting political representatives with regard to options, barriers and drivers of sustainability transformations at the organisational level.

Advisory organisations supporting individuals towards a more sustainable consumption and advising political representatives with regard to sustainable consumption.

Research and academia in the area of sustainable entrepreneurship, management and consumption.

The job prospects for graduates are both manifold with regard to the type of organisation as well as with regard to topics of specialization. Graduates are equipped with key in-depth knowledge of barriers and drivers of change, and have acquired the ability to manage sustainability transformations in and with organisations. 

You can find all information about the admission requirements, the application and the selection procedure on our "Apply" page.

The study programme matches your interests? Then you will find further information for prospective international students on residence and social matters, such as visa, residence permit, health insurance or finding accommodation, on the following pages. Please note that the information for incoming exchange students and international degree-seeking students differs slightly.

Information for incoming exchange students

Information for international degree-seeking students

Degree awarded: Master of Arts (M.A.)
Application deadline: EU degrees: 1 June / Non-EU degrees: 1 May
Type of programme: consecutive, restricted admission
Study places: 25
Start date: October 1
Extent: 120 CP according to ECTS
Duration: 4 semesters
Language: English
Semester contribution: ca. 320 EUR