Supplementary Studies on Sustainable Development: Transformation Knowledge for Everyone
(Begleitstudium Nachhaltige Entwicklung)
Please note:
In summer semester 2024, it will be possible to register for the Supplementary Studies on Sustainable Development and attend the basic module Interdisciplinary Lecture + Tutorial Sustainable Development for the last time.
Registration is still possible for those who have already completed the basic module in previous semesters (but have not yet officially registered for the accompanying studies at the ZAK). In this case, please register by September 30, 2024 and send the registration to stg∂zak.kit.edu.
All courses required for the elective and specialization module will be offered up to and including summer semester 2027. All credit points required for the accompanying studies must be booked in the Campus system by 30.09.2027. Courses that have already been completed can be credited in the new Supplementary Studies Science, Technology and Society.
Curriculum
Supplementary Studies on Sustainable Development at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) provide students with various approaches to transformation knowledge, as well as with the basic principles and application areas of Sustainable Development. The focus is both on experiential knowledge and application-oriented competencies as well as on theories and methods. The aim is to support students in taking responsibility for sustainability issues and for their own actions as individuals, citizens, researchers and future decision-makers.
The curriculum includes the following features:
- Overview of the basic principles of current research on sustainability
- Introduction and application of theories and methods
- Freedom of choice and selection from a wide range of seminars for students: from technology assessment to yoga
- Hands-on sustainability research and solution development
- Promotion of team skills, presentation competencies and reflective abilities
- Interdisciplinary learning and teaching in cooperation with social and business partners
- Integrative concepts for sustainability as a global social challenge
- Open for all students, including PhD students
- Certified qualification, credit points recognized for key skills module
The curriculum has been designed in cooperation with the Karlsruhe School of Sustainability. As most courses are taught in German, a good working knowledge of German is essential.
Target Group
All courses are open to KIT students of all faculties, students of the University of Arts and Design (HfG), the University of Music (HfM), the University of Education (PH), as well as to graduate school students and doctoral students. Guest students can participate in the courses if there are free places available. Due to this unique mixture of participant backgrounds, the curriculum offers an intercultural and transdisciplinary learning experience.
Video: Living ESD: Technological Future, featuring the KIT
Academic Requirements
The curriculum comprises 19 credit points and consists of four modules: basics, optional subjects, specialisation, and oral exam.
- Basic Module (3 credit points): Interdisciplinary lecture series with compulsory accompanying class (offered only in summer semester)
Students are required to write the minutes for two lectures and hand them in at the end of the semester. The lecture series should either be taken prior or parallel to the required elective module. The basic module will not be graded. - Required Elective Module (6 credit points): Two courses out of two different areas.
The courses must be graded. In each course, students will earn three credit points. - Specialisation Module (6 credit points): Transdisciplinary project seminar
Students will work in a team on a case study. The criteria for grading are the general outcome of the project, the project presentation, individual contributions such as research work or individual analyses, and reviews of the project. - Oral Exam (4 credit points): 45-minute oral exam about two topics of the curriculum
The broad variety of courses offered by the ZAK enables students to obtain the certificate for “Supplementary Studies on Sustainable Development” within three semesters. There is no time limit for completing the curriculum, but participants must be enrolled as KIT students (BA, MA or PhD).
Certificate
After having successfully completed the curriculum, students will receive a KIT certificate, signed by the KIT president and the director of the ZAK.
Enrolment
The application form for Supplementary Studies on Sustainable Development can be downloaded here (in German). Please either submit it by email to christine.myglas∂kit.edu or hand it in at the ZAK office, Rüppurrer Str. 1a, Haus B, 5. OG.
More detailed information about the Supplementary Studies on Sustainable Development can be found in the German description.