???????????????????????????????????????????????????Centre for sustainabIlity transitions

The Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST) is a flagship research, teaching and training centre situated within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at Stellenbosch 肆客足球. It brings together research on the complex dynamics of sustainability transitions and transformations which is achieved through education and training, research, and engagements and which focuses on five key research themes - knowledge co-production, social-ecological resilience, transformative futures thinking, finance and resource flows, and political economy and development - that informs pressing national, continental, and global sustainability development challenges.

The CST is a vibrant hub for leading scientists and students from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and fosters collaborations and partnerships with a variety of local and international universities. Our teaching and learning approach emphasises knowledge co-production, enabling the CST to bridge the gap between science, policy, and practice. By promoting collaboration, we foster an integrated and impactful approach to research and sustainable development. ?

The CST offers three postgraduate training programmes: Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Sustainable Development (NQF level 8), Master of Philosophy in Sustainable Development (NQF level 9) and PhD in Sustainable Development (NQF level 10).

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Development is an honours-level qualification and comprises of eight modules that can be completed over one or two years. The programme is offered in hybrid format.?

Modules run over five weeks and include a combination of synchronous online learning sessions, self-paced activities and assessments. Two modules – Sustainability transitions and transformations, and Leadership for sustainability transitions and transformations – include an additional compulsory five-day block contact period that takes place on Stellenbosch 肆客足球's main campus. The programme is aimed at working professionals, activists and practitioners, and recent graduates who want to strengthen their engagement with current sustainability thinking, research and practice.

The PGDip provides the entry point into the CST's wider research and postgraduate training environment. Students who graduate from the PGDip and are eager to continue their academic research training can apply for the MPhil in Sustainable Development, and thereafter the PhD in Sustainable Development.

Curriculum

The PGDip's curriculum consists of eight modules that reflect the core research areas of the CST, which speak to the heart of our global polycrisis in the ways that students approach challenges and solutions. Modules provide a global perspective on sustainability transitions and transformations while delving into the dynamics and trends across biodiversity and climate change, just energy transitions, water and food nexus, and sustainable urbanisms. The programme emphasises complexity literacy, governance and institutional change, and leadership and ethics to support just and sustainable futures.

The teaching, learning and assessment approach facilitates rigorous theoretical engagement to internationally relevant bodies of knowledge alongside considered application of knowledge to a diverse range of contexts. Students will access dynamic, innovating experts who will take them on a journey that exposes them to local, African and global worldviews, and cutting-edge research and concepts.

MPHIL IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The MPhil in Sustainable Development is an interdisciplinary programme designed to equip students with theoretical knowledge and practical skills to enhance their ability to tackle complex social, environmental, and governance challenges.

The programme welcomes students from diverse academic disciplines who are keen to explore issues of sustainability and societal transitions in more theoretical and methodological depth. Given the complex nature of these challenges, we strongly encourage applications from candidates with varied expertise in both the natural and social sciences.

Through in-depth exploration of relevant frameworks and theories, students will be adept at formulating research questions, designing effective methodologies during structured coursework and independent research.

By fostering a comprehensive and transdisciplinary perspective, the MPhil in Sustainable Development equips students to become leaders in sustainability, capable of navigating and influencing local and international industries and organisations.

Programme overview and audience

The field of sustainability transitions and transformations is a dynamic and continuously growing area of academic study and practical application. This field is highly relevant for students who are working professionals, practitioners, and activists from various sectors. In the MPhil programme, students will develop a holistic understanding of sustainability through rigorous coursework and in-depth research projects. They will gain interdisciplinary skills – academic and practical – to analyse and solve complex sustainability challenges locally and globally.

Curriculum

The curriculum is designed to provide students with a solid foundation for innovative and thought-provoking research, featuring expert-led lectures and practical projects that enhance analytical and critical thinking. Intensive coursework and research focused on real-world problems, coupled with interactions with leading scholars and policymakers, aim to cultivate a deep understanding of sustainability challenges and the skills to devise innovative solutions. The 180-credit MPhil is structured over two years and consists of three mandatory coursework modules (30 credits each) and a research thesis (90 credits).

Phd IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The PhD at the Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST) is a four-year full-time research-intensive programme, embedded in both theory and practice, to capacitate students towards leadership in addressing sustainability challenges, with purposeful transformative student development.?

The programme seeks to develop powerful African thinkers who can address pressing socio-technical and social-ecological challenges at local to global levels.

Programme overview and audience

In alignment with Stellenbosch 肆客足球's mission to provide a transformative student experience, networked and collaborative teaching and learning, purposeful partnerships, and inclusive networks. The programme takes seriously the structural challenges faced by future African academic leaders whilst:

• Training PhD students to be competitive for industry or for applying to academic jobs locally and internationally.
• Offering a globally groundbreaking sustainable development programme within an African context.
• Offering international experience and exposure in the global North and South.
• Capacitating powerful thinkers and leaders that can navigate global societal challenges in the Anthropocene; powerful leaders from the global South, drawing on their African identities.
  

We offer a four-year full-time research-intensive programme, embedded in theory and practice, to capacitate students towards leadership in addressing sustainability challenges, with purposeful transformative student development. The programme comprises four key elements:

• Thesis by publication, supported by trans/interdisciplinary training, deep supervision, and mentorship
• Coursework as a supportive element
• Support for professional development
• Networks at multiple scales