Master's Program in Global Challenges for Sustainability
Barcelona, Spain
DURATION
18 Months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2024
TUITION FEES
EUR 3,000 *
STUDY FORMAT
Blended
* fee for EU students | fee for non-EU students: 19000 EUR
Introduction
CHARM-EU Master’s Program in Global Challenges for Sustainability offers a unique international learning opportunity. Students have the chance to address the pressing need for sustainability in a transdisciplinary and challenge-based environment. This international program employs innovative pedagogical approaches and mechanisms to engage staff and students of diverse backgrounds and disciplines to facilitate, foster and enhance the links between education, research and innovation. Active engagement with an extended network of academic experts and extra-academic actors increases the potential development and employability of our graduates.
CHARM-EU students are part of the co-creation and innovation process. They are expected to actively participate in shaping and improving the program for future editions.
This master's program offers a full intercultural experience: students attend lectures in one of the five universities that provide the master and connect to the other campuses online over the 18-month duration of the program. Mobility is a comprehensively integrated aspect of the program and hence the course combines a variety of mobility options: switching campuses from one phase to the other, short mobilities within the phase and virtual mobility.
The delivery of the course incorporates flexible, blended and hybrid formats. The degree is accredited and jointly awarded by the CHARM-EU alliance institutions* that provide the master: University of Barcelona, Trinity College Dublin, Utrecht University, Eötvös Loránd University and University of Montpellier.
*Master's program accredited in Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Hungary and France.
The CHARMobility experience
You, the other CHARM-EU students and CHARM-EU staff will be one international university community in 5 beautiful university cities across 5 countries. An important and exciting part of your CHARM-EU journey is the wide range of opportunities to meet and interact with your international classmates both online and in person, to develop your academic, personal, social and professional competencies and strengthen your communication and language skills in a unique intercultural environment.
CHARM-EU mobility combines the best of a truly international classroom and mobility activities. You will be able to follow a unique learning path through Europe, supporting your learning needs and ambitions.
CHARM-EU integrates the exchange of knowledge, experience and people into its educational model. You will participate in virtual exchange programs, travel physically for a co-creative project and a bit of both in a blended mobility activity. CHARM-EU mobility can be short & intensive, mid-length & deeper or longer & comprehensive and you can embark on this journey on your own or in a group.
CHARM-EU mobility encourages you to travel (green!) to participate in international activity in at least one other CHARM-EU university than the one you start at. Your destination(s) will of course be linked to the academic content and learning goals of the modules of your choice.
Integrated mobility options
Mobility is a norm in CHARM-EU and is embedded in the curricula, thus you will be offered a predefined set of mobility options. The mobility actions always need to be related to your academic path!
In the Master’s program, participation at phase mobility during Phase 2 is obligatory. It means that you will move to a different university from your Phase 1 location in Phase 2, following the field of your choice. In addition, you can also change to another institution in Phase 3 depending on the challenge of your choice.
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Scholarships & other grants
We invite you to investigate different grants at the European, regional and national level, including the opportunities available in your institution. Please contact Universitat de Barcelona and CHARM-EU fore more information.
CHARM-EU grants
One of CHARM-EU’s core values is inclusiveness. We strongly believe in the power of diversity. Learning and growing in a diverse environment leads to the personal development and cultural enrichment of all students. We understand that diversity can take many forms, and we are aware of the potential sensitivity of disclosing the nature of the circumstances.
Many structural barriers and inequalities persist for students when accessing and participating in higher education. Financial support is strongly correlated with postsecondary completion, and it, even more, applies to underrepresented groups.
CHARM-EU Grant
The grant aims to minimize barriers that hinder the access and participation of students who meet all the admission requirements and cannot access other grants and scholarships.
However, please bear in mind that in line with the capacity and resources of the CHARM-EU, the grant is limited to 5% of the total students enrolled in the edition of the Master. For that reason, we encourage you to check other grants and opportunities.
There are two grant models: total (tuition fee waiver and phase mobility aid) or partial (tuition fee waiver or phase mobility aid).
Once you have been admitted, you will receive information on applying for the CHARM-EU grant.
A step-by-step application process for the CHARM-EU Grant
We want to create an inclusive and human-centred approach according to the core values of CHARM-EU inclusiveness ethos. This application process enables us to understand better the individual’s life circumstances and eligibility for the grant.
1. When considering applying for the CHARM-EU grant, we require you to make sure that you meet the criteria by self-assessing your eligibility circumstances beforehand.
2. Eligibility criteria are (non-exhaustive list):
- low-income/ low socioeconomic background
- instability of income
- employment circumstances
- loan
- geographical location
- civil/family circumstances
- health and other social needs
- with children/caring
- disability/mental health, chronical illnesses
- immigration status
- orphan status
- have been displaced within, or beyond, their home country due to conflict or violation of human rights, such as persecution, refugee, an asylum seeker, an individual with long residency in the EU but who is unable to access government support, a stateless individual, undocumented individuals
- any other hardship or experience of discrimination and emergency can be documented/justified to be eligible.
3. We require a short explanation for any applicant to be considered for the CHARM-EU Grant. We require a short letter, a minimum of half to 1 pager, where applicants explain why they need the CHARM-EU grant.
4. The applicant will be requested to provide justification and relevant documentation in all cases. Please, share any supplementary documentation, i.e., nationally/regionally or locally authorised/official documents (if possible with English translation) or otherwise, that you consider relevant.
5. Disclosure: we understand that diversity can take many forms. We are aware of the potential sensitivity of disclosing the nature of your decision to request grant consideration. We want to assure you that any information you provide to us on this matter will be treated with the utmost confidence. Any information collected or related communications will be stored and managed by the Diversity-equity-inclusion Office in compliance with GDPR and confidentiality agreements between the applicant and the CHARM-EU Diversity-equity-inclusion Office.
6. Justification of circumstances: Additionally, to document provision, we require applicants to explain their circumstances to the CHARM-EU Diversity-equity-inclusion Office. Elaborating briefly on why you are eligible for grant, we offer you a short 5-10 minute call either via phone call, any video call or any equivalent tool that is accessible. CHARM-EU Diversity-equity-inclusion Office will contact you to schedule a meeting.
7. Questions, Queries: Please feel free to share with the CHARM-EU Diversity-equity-inclusion Office any questions, comments, or issues on your CHARM-EU application, admission process and grant request. You are welcome to contact us at [email protected]. If there are any technical issues with the [email protected] email address, do not hesitate to email Diversity-equity-inclusion Office Team Leader Agnes Sarolta Fazekas at [email protected].
The Programme Board will review all the applications and will consider the following aspects:
- Academic achievement.
- Personal background and circumstances, as demonstrated by various factors, including educational experience.
- As demonstrated by extracurricular activities, community service, work experience, and interpersonal skills.
Curriculum
The 90 credits (ECTS) Master’s degree consists of seven modules in total divided between three consecutive phases. The different phases consist on modules with combination of lectures, seminars and workshops. Additionally, these will also be paired with self-study work, assignment preparation and project work both individually and in teams.
Phase 1
A preparatory phase with three compulsory 10 credit (ECTS) modules (30 ECTS credits in total):
- Sustainability
- Social Innovation
- Transdisciplinary Research
Phase 2
A flexible phase with three 10 credit (ECTS) modules in one theme, selected from three thematic pathways (30 ECTS credits in total):
- Food
- The Food-Health-Environment Nexus
- Food Systems and their Transformations
- Socially Just and Sustainable Food Systems
- Water
- Extremes in the Water Cycle and Their Complex Consequences
- Adaptation Measures and Strategies in Water Management
- Resilient Cities: Water in Urban Environments
- Life and Health
- Health Systems and Policies
- Health Challenges
- Healthy Lives and Wellbeing
Phase 3
A Capstone phase consisting of one 30 ECTS module. During this phase, students work collaboratively with their peers, academic staff, and extra-academic actors (e.g., business and society) on an authentic sustainability challenge which is based on the student’s original disciplinary field.
Program Outcome
Upon successful completion of the Master’s programme students will be able to:
- Develop creative and critical thinking skills.
- Research and evaluate complex societal challenges from different stakeholder and intercultural perspectives.
- Assess and integrate different disciplinary and transdisciplinary knowledge and research methodologies.
- Demonstrate expertise in the identification and application of the latest technological tools to source, analyze, handle, use and communicate complex bodies of data ethically.
- Acquire expertise and communicate effectively on complex issues.
- Formulate an advanced understanding of transdisciplinarity and demonstrate expertise in the facilitative, communicative, reflexive and collaborative skills to support its practice.
- Acquire advanced transversal competencies in problem-solving, entrepreneurialism, innovation, digital skills, and a life-long learning disposition.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
The master’s program strongly supports student employability, professional-specific competencies, and academic career progression. It strengthens these aspects through identifying multiple career pathways, aligning learning outcomes to business and civil society stakeholder needs, and fostering of a broad industry-ready skillset.
Four potential postgraduate student pathways (i.e., fields of employment) have been identified:
- sustainable policy and communication roles.
- social innovation and action either within existing companies (intrapreneurship) or via the generation of new enterprises (entrepreneurship).
- managers with the ability to deal with complex issues from a sustainability perspective and to advise company senior management on sustainability matters.
- progress further along the academic pathway.
Specific roles that graduates might consider are:
- Sustainability Specialist
- Communications Specialist
- Social Innovation Analyst
- Entrepreneur (Environmental Strategist)
- International Consultant (for enterprises, governmental institutions and NGOs).
- Researcher