Education for SDGs commitment to meaningful education (17.4.1)

Széchenyi István University is committed to ensuring that sustainability and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are embedded throughout its educational ecosystem and are relevant to all students, regardless of the discipline. Sustainability is not treated as a standalone topic but as a cross-cutting principle integrated into education, research, innovation, student projects, international programmes, industrial collaborations, and community engagement.

The University’s commitment is supported by dedicated institutional structures, including the Sustainability Competence Centre and the Department of Applied Sustainability, as well as by strategic initiatives that connect students with real-world sustainability challenges through project-based learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, industry partnerships, cultural programmes, and international experiences. Széchenyi István University actively develops sustainability awareness, ESG competencies, environmental responsibility, intercultural understanding, and global citizenship among students while providing opportunities to apply this knowledge in practice.

The institutional significance of sustainability is further reflected in Széchenyi István University’s dedicated sustainability platform, its participation in international sustainability rankings, and its continuous expansion of sustainability-related educational opportunities across all study levels and disciplines.

Institutional Commitment to SDG Education

The Sustainability Website of the Széchenyi István University is a dedicated platform presenting activities related to all 17 UN SDGs, including courses, training opportunities, publications, programmes, events and institutional sustainability activities.

The Sustainability Competence Center of Széchenyi István University coordinates sustainability-related educational, research and outreach activities and promotes sustainability awareness among Hungarian and international students.

The Department of Applied Sustainability of Széchenyi István University is a dedicated academic unit responsible for sustainability-focused education and research in areas including circular economy, water management, renewable energies and ESG.

Sustainability strategy of Széchenyi István University (2022-2030)

The Sustainability strategy of Széchenyi István University 2022-2030 establishes a university-wide commitment to meaningful, quality and ethical education around Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that sustainability principles are relevant and accessible to all students across all disciplines. The strategy identifies “Quality and Ethical Education” as one of its four core strategic objectives and states that sustainability and ethical values should become an integral part of the educational process. The university is committed to embedding sustainability more deeply into curricula across all faculties, increasing the number of sustainability-related courses and student workshops, launching interdisciplinary sustainability education initiatives, and making general sustainability training available to all students. The strategy also emphasizes active student participation in sustainability projects, partnerships, and decision-making processes, while promoting diversity, equality, environmental awareness, and responsible citizenship. Through these measures, Széchenyi István University aims to equip all graduates—regardless of their field of study—with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to contribute to sustainable development and the achievement of the SDGs.

This commitment is visible in the curriculum. Sustainability-related courses are present in environmental protection, waste and water management, environmental management systems and impact assessment: at every level from BSc and MSc to postgraduate and PhD level, both as standalone courses and integrated into other subjects. The subjects listed below are only a selection of courses connected to SDGs. Sustainability education at Széchenyi István University is not confined to optional courses available to interested students; in several full degree programmes, it forms the compulsory structural core of the curriculum. In the ESG Expert MSc, all 54 mandatory credits are dedicated to sustainability and ESG-related courses, covering the fundamentals of sustainability, the environmental, social and governance dimensions of ESG, sustainability finance and accounting, ESG reporting, and the development of ESG strategy. In the Environmental Management Agricultural Engineering MSc, environmental subjects account for more than half of the 112 mandatory credits, including environmental chemistry, environmental and nature conservation law, ecotoxicology, waste management, and environmental planning and monitoring.

Selected Sustainability-related subjects/courses:

University Unit

Name of the Course

Level

Department of Applied Sustainability

Design Thinking in Sustainable Project Planning

MSc

Department of Applied Sustainability

Energy Management and Sustainability

Postgraduate

Department of Applied Sustainability

Sustainable Food Processing

MSc

Department of Applied Sustainability

Fundamentals of Sustainability

MSc

Department of Applied Sustainability

Sustainability Indicators

MSc

Department of Applied Sustainability

Fundamentals of Sustainability Finance and Accounting I, II

MSc

Department of Applied Sustainability

Sustainability Analysis of the Hydrogen Ecosystem

Postgraduate

Department of Applied Sustainability

Environmental Protection and Sustainability for Vehicle Engineers

BSc

Department of Applied Sustainability

Responses to Sustainability Challenges

MSc

Department of Animal Science

Sustainable Technologies in Animal Product Production

MSc

Department of Humanities and Human Resource Development

Measurement, Sustainability and Organisational Learning

Postgraduate

Department of Architectural History and Urban Planning

Sustainable Architecture

BSc

Department of Architectural Art

Sustainable Architecture 1: Climate

MSc

Department of Architectural Art

Sustainable Architecture 2

MSc

Department of Architectural Art

Sustainable Architecture 3

MSc

Department of Vehicle Maintenance and Diagnostics

Sustainable Vehicle Manufacturing

BSc

Department of Vehicle Manufacturing and Technology

Sustainability in Additive Manufacturing

Postgraduate

Department of Transport Infrastructure and Water Resources Engineering

Sustainable and Climate-Friendly Urban Development

Postgraduate

Department of Transport Infrastructure and Water Resources Engineering

Sustainable Road Networks

Postgraduate

Department of Transport Infrastructure and Water Resources Engineering

Sustainable Settlements

Postgraduate

Department of Transport Infrastructure and Water Resources Engineering

Sustainable Settlements and Transport

MSc

Department of Transport Infrastructure and Water Resources Engineering

Sustainable Roads

Postgraduate

Multidisciplinary Doctoral School of Engineering Sciences

Sustainable Mobility

PhD

Department of International and Applied Economics

Sustainable Management

BSc

Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology

Pedagogical Foundations of Sustainability

MSc

Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology

Pedagogical and Psychological Foundations of Environmental and Sustainability Education

Postgraduate

Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology

Sustainability and Environmental Education

Postgraduate

Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology

Sustainability and Environmental Protection

Postgraduate

Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology

Studies in Sustainability Education I-II

BSc

Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology

Education for Sustainability

Postgraduate

Department of Plant Science

Sustainable Crop Production

MSc

Department of Plant Science

Sustainable Weed and Pathogen Management

MSc

Department of Methodology

Studies in Sustainability Education III: School Gardens

BSc

Department of Methodology

Education for Sustainability and Health Education

BSc

Department of Methodology

Environmental Culture, Quality of Life and Sustainable Development

MSc

Department of Tourism and Hospitality

Sustainable Tourism Development

BSc

Department of Tourism and Hospitality

Sustainable Tourism

BSc

Department of Defense Innovation and Critical Infrastructures

Sustainable Mobility and Product Market Introduction

Postgraduate

Wittmann Doctoral School

Economics of Sustainable Animal Production

PhD

Wittmann Doctoral School

Economics of Sustainable Food Production

PhD

Wittmann Doctoral School

Economics of Sustainable Crop Production

PhD

Wittmann Doctoral School

Sustainable Cattle Farming

PhD