New study offers

The University of Kassel is currently establishing a unique selling point with a whole series of new sustainability courses. Enrolment is now possible for the first of these subjects: from the coming winter semester, Kassel Bachelor's students will be able to combine a major subject with the new minor subject "Sustainability Studies".

"With this minor subject, you can really shape your studies yourself," enthuses Tobias Leiß. The 21-year-old has already finished his political science degree and is now helping to promote the new course as an assistant at the Kassel Institute for Sustainability. Specifically, students can combine a Bachelor's major with a minor in "Sustainability Studies" and choose one of 29 specializations in the minor, for example "Socially just urban development" or "Water management". Another central element is a project: students work on a practical task in mixed teams and together with practice partners.

The minor subject is a kind of pilot; next year, the University of Kassel will offer an independent Bachelor's degree course in "Sustainability Studies" as well as a whole series of specialist courses that are enriched with a sustainability component: business law with a sustainability component, electrical engineering with a sustainability component and so on - a major offensive that is already attracting attention beyond the region. "No other university has anything like this," says Vice President for Teaching, Prof. Dr. René Matzdorf.

"The University of Kassel is specifically planning new degree courses that prepare students to help shape the transformation to a sustainable world. On the one hand, the demand for qualified specialists is enormous, and on the other hand, expertise is needed for an effective transformation towards sustainability. Our degree programs will combine both. The demand for such graduates is growing - both regionally and globally, in companies and institutions."