The University of St.Gallen (HSG) aims to equip its students for professional and leadership roles in a world that is facing major challenges, both ecological and social. Accordingly, understanding issues such as climate change, social inequality, or the loss of biodiversity – and actively working towards solutions – will become increasingly important for companies in the future. To achieve its aim of preparing responsible leaders, HSG is working to integrate sustainability across its academic programmes through offering specialised certificate programmes, such as the Bachelor’s Certificate in Integrative Sustainability Management and the Master’s Certificate in Managing Climate Solutions, as well as through embedding sustainability-relevant content into the core curriculum of the HSG degree programmes.
An outstanding example of integrating sustainability-related content and skills into its curriculum is our Master in International Affairs and Governance (MIA). The programme examines the issue of climate change from different disciplinary perspectives - ranging from business administration to law to political governance - thereby preparing students for leading positions in international organisations or multinational corporations. Particularly sought after is the MIA’s Sustainability & Development specialisation, which uses a holistic approach when examining the economic, social, political, and ecological dimensions of global economies.
MIA is part of a comprehensive range of educational offerings in the area of International Affairs - from the Assessment Year through to the doctoral level. Faculty from various HSG schools, including the School of Management, the Law School, and the School of Economics and Political Sciences, actively engage in shaping this area.
For example, Professor Klaus Dingwerth teaches a course on ethics, climate, and justice, where students apply theoretical concepts to concrete real-world contexts. Among the issues discussed are migration, espionage, global climate justice, and food security. This critical engagement with theoretical concepts and their practical applications fosters a deep understanding of the complex interrelationships of global sustainability challenges.
In the spring semester of 2025, Klaus Dingwerth and his colleague Professor Adrian Rinscheid ran a new bachelor’s course, The Politics of Climate Change. The course’s student-centred approach allowed participants to explore the question of what every student needs to know about climate policy. The results of the student projects will be used for the new compulsory lecture course Political Science A, which will be part of the Assessment Year curriculum starting in the autumn semester of 2026. The aim of this lecture is to provide HSG students from all disciplines with a basic knowledge of climate policy and sustainability, as these topics affect all areas of society. In anticipation of the implementation, Professor Rinscheid commented:
"Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. This is why it must be part of the fundamental education that is provided at the very beginning of one’s university education. In Political Science A, we combine conveying fundamental concepts of political science with their application to climate change, thereby empowering students to become part of the solution themselves."
Prof Dr Adrian Rinscheid, Assistant Professor of Climate Policy & Decision Making (SEPS-HSG)
Sustainability has also been firmly anchored in HSG’s Executive Education programmes. Various institutes offer certificate programmes such as CAS Renewable Energy Management, CAS Sustainable Aviation Management, or the Sustainability Performance Management seminar. In EMBAx, a programme jointly run by the HSG Executive School and ETH Zurich, business ethics is one of the programme’s four core topics. Beyond that, an entire week is devoted to the question of how companies can develop sustainability strategies, focusing on climate change, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss. This is complemented by interactive programme elements such as the eXperiential week on social impact. Here, participants work on practical challenges faced by companies and non-profit organisations as part of the Business Model Innovation course, learning to develop innovative business models with social added value.
"A sustainable economy needs leaders who understand sustainability not as an add-on, but as a strategic core value and practice it integrally. Executive education is the key to anchoring this mindset and enabling real transformation."
Dr Fabian Takacs, lecturer of EMBAx Sustainability Module
These examples show that sustainability is already strongly integrated into HSG’s academic portfolio. Yet, embedding sustainability into education is an ongoing process that requires openness, innovation, and support.
With its Teach for Impact initiative, the University of St.Gallen supports faculty and programme management in their efforts to integrate environmental, social, and economic responsibility into courses and programmes. The aim is to create new sustainability-focused academic offerings while expanding existing programmes, ensuring that sustainability is incorporated across disciplines. Fostering collaboration among faculty, students, and programme management, Teach for Impact makes a valuable contribution to a holistic transformation of the curriculum.
Concrete offerings such as teaching exchanges, educator trainings, individual consultations, and support in programme reforms are already showing results. For example, Dr Benjamin Berghaus designed his course Research in Management mindful of the learnings from Exploring Sustainable Teaching: Insights and the Pedagogical Journey to Impact seminar organised by the Centre of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (HDZ-HSG) and the HSG Sustainability Curriculum team.
"Exploring Sustainable Teaching refocused my attention on what really matters today and our potential to make a difference as teachers. This helped me shape my teaching to offer sustainability as an attractive core topic for students to shine with - and not as a burdensome obligation that might cause reactance."
Dr Benjamin Berghaus, lecturer in Marketing, Strategy and International Management
Additionally, in 2023 and 2024, HSG was actively involved in developing a platform for teaching resources together with Network for Business Sustainability (NBS) and WWF Switzerland. Launched in 2025, the Sustainability in Academia (SiA) platform provides faculty access to high-quality teaching resources, supporting their efforts to integrate and strengthen sustainability in their courses.
