Practice-oriented projects with local and international impact are a hallmark of HSG teaching approach. It allows students to develop solutions to real-world challenges both as part of the regular curriculum and through their engagement in co-curricular activities. This teaching approach, being strongly based on experiential learning, not only imparts specialist knowledge, but also equips students with skills essential for future employment, such as systemic thinking, critical and problem-solving thinking, teamwork and cooperation skills, as well as entrepreneurial creativity. The aim is to provide HSG students with education that enables them to become architects of a sustainable future.
The space where innovative and impact-oriented teaching takes place at HSG is its Contextual Studies programme. The courses offered here provide a holistic view of sustainability, considering not only the ecological but also the social, political, and economic dimensions. Every semester, students can choose from a wide range of courses that seamlessly integrate with their core subjects, enhancing and complementing them.
One flagship project is the Be the Change course series, which is now firmly embedded in the curriculum. The peer-learning-based format brings students together with start-ups, NGOs, and alumni, creating a learning environment of mutual respect. In small teams, students work on real-case challenges - from market launch strategies and process development to socio-ecological product innovations—gaining deep insights into the complexity of sustainable business models. This results in solutions with a visible impact for both the students and the partner organisations.
What makes the Be the Change course series unique is the close cooperation with HSG student associations and the fact that the students themselves help to shape the course content. This turns a seminar into a learning lab for sustainable transformation that combines critical thinking, practical relevance, and social responsibility.
"Through our final project in St.Gallen, I realised that systemic leadership is much more than a theoretical concept. Working with my peers on a solution for the local ecosystem made me slow down, reflect, and really listen to different perspectives before acting. This experience gave me the confidence and mindset that would enable me to contribute to systemic change in my community and beyond."
Participant, 2024, Be the Change course
Contextual Studies offer much a selection of individual innovative course formats. It provides a structural framework in which sustainability and social responsibility are anchored in teaching and practice. This is where local and international links are established. For example, through courses such as Amazonia NexBio—Entrepreneurship and Socio-Bio-Economy in the Amazon, the HSG Hub in São Paulo opens up new perspectives on sustainable business in the Global South. Another example is the Energy Transition and Material Flows in a Net Zero Society course, run in cooperation with Empa, which explores the complex challenges of the energy transition. Social responsibility can be experienced in everyday situations as part of the Social Engagement in Practice and Theory course, thanks to the collaboration with the local Spitex.
These offerings emphasise the role of Contextual Studies as an integral part of HSG education, systematically integrating sustainability, responsibility, and innovative strength into teaching, thus giving students access to experiences far beyond the classroom.
The desire to work on real-world challenges is also evident outside the curriculum. The HSG student body is exceptionally active, with initiatives ranging from sustainable investment and social entrepreneurship to LGBTQI+ topics. These associations are not only places for exchange, but they also offer diverse platforms for concrete projects with a social impact. One example is Rock Your Life - an initiative that focuses on the social integration of young people with a refugee background in St.Gallen. Students enter into mentoring relationships with young people as equals in order to locally champion equal opportunities. In 2023 and 2024, 12 young Ukrainian refugees were among the mentees. The mentors helped them with their professional integration and took part in leisure activities together, for example in a guided tour of the St.Gallen Natural History Museum.
The NextGen Impact initiative, launched by the sustainability team for co-curriculum development in collaboration with various internal stakeholders at HSG, aims to promote student engagement in an even more targeted manner. The initiative connects students and creates informal learning spaces for exchange, co-creation, and greater visibility of student projects. The best of these are recognized with the SHSG NextGen Impact Innovation Award and supported with financial resources and access to networks.
"NextGen Impact is a learning cycle in which students work together not only to develop their own ideas and meaningful and impactful student projects, but also to learn from each other. In cooperation with HSG Alumni, we encourage them to take responsibility, help shape social change and build the relevant skills to do so."
Dr Jost Hamschmidt, Lead NextGen Impact
The coaching and mentoring programmes also help students further develop their ideas and grow personally. The HSG's mentoring programme brings experienced individuals together with students and supports and encourages their development. In collaboration with sustainability team for co-curriculum development, students and mentors can also focus specifically on sustainability topics if they are interested.
