First graduates of Master’s Programme Governance of Sustainability
The first generation of Governance of Sustainability master's students has graduated. They received their diplomas during a festive ceremony at Wijnhaven on 17 September. And they will not be the last: The master's programme is only growing in popularity. ‘We are very proud of our first graduates, especially given the difficult circumstances of the past 18 months.’
In 2019, the new master's programme Governance of Sustainability (GofS) started with 45 enthusiastic students. ‘By now this number has more than doubled and we are happy to welcome 95 new students this year,’ says Paula van den Berg, study advisor of GofS.
Fortunately, the graduation ceremony was held in real life, at Wijnhaven in The Hague. ‘Because of the maximum group size of 75, some family members and friends of the graduates could attend live. The other guests joined via a live stream, as did some of the graduates who were staying abroad. We could see them online on the big screen.’
A celebration for everyone
Van den Berg and her colleagues are proud of 'their' students, especially regarding the difficult circumstances that came with the corona pandemic. The students followed a large part of their master's online. ‘That is why it was extra nice that they could complete their study together,’ says Van den Berg. Students who still need some extra time to finish their thesis in the coming weeks were also present at the ceremony. This way everyone could congratulate each other (in advance) and say goodbye to their studies together in a festive way.
Improving policy with broad knowledge
With a GofS degree, you are the perfect intermediary between scientific experts, policy-makers and politicians: a change manager in the field of sustainability. During the programme, students gain in-depth knowledge of sustainability from both a governance and environmental science perspective. ‘Experience has shown that in order to solve complex sustainability issues, it is very important to combine these different perspectives,’ Van den Berg explains. ‘It is up to our graduates to improve the quality of policy solutions for major sustainability challenges.’
Van den Berg: ‘By combining a science background with thorough knowledge of policy processes, our alumni are perfectly equipped to get started as change agents (at ministries, provinces, municipalities, consultancy firms, NGOs and semi-private organisations such as drinking water companies or the water boards; a place where several graduates have found jobs immediately.’