Master of Arts [M.A] [Leadership for Sustainability] From Malmo University

What is Leadership for Sustainability at Malm? University about?

The master?s degree programme is grounded in four core premises:

• Sustainability requires new forms of organising, especially when it comes to project-based organisations involving diverse stakeholders.
• Organising and leading sustainability requires new and diverse leading and organising skills, understanding and knowledge for managers and leaders of sustainable projects.
• Organising and leading sustainability requires a new way of thinking sustainability within and between organisations. Current research on social entrepreneurship and social innovation can reveal new methods and strategies with regards to this.
• Methodological and methodical knowledge and understanding are needed to enable leaders to make sustainable decisions.

Based on these four premises, the programme bridges together the fields of organisation theory, leadership, project management, social innovation and social entrepreneurship so that together new ways of organising and leading sustainability can be created. This will enable students to rethink commonly held perceptions of leadership and organisational development.

In this programme students are taught to reflect upon organisational and leadership challenges linked to organisational development and sustainability. This programme provides students with knowledge and critical understanding of current research in the fields of leadership and organisation, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development.

This master's programme is also focused on action and doing via diverse projects and even via the thesis work. This is a way to develop students? professional, conceptual and human skills so that as for example future sustainable leaders and social entrepreneurs, they will drive sustainable changes and have the capacity to make informed decisions about organisational and leadership issues in the management of sustainable organisations and projects.

Finally, embedded in this program is the idea that sustainability can be reached if individuals rethink commonly held perceptions of leadership and organisational development.

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars, and workshop enable interaction in small and large class. Group work is used to generate discussions about sustainability, especially while doing case studies. Study visits and guest lectures connect learning with practice. Individual papers, individual studies and the thesis work enable to focus and gain specific and in-depth knowledge to master the subject at hand.

This programme lays a solid foundation for those seeking to work as key players in project management and organisational development environments, and where the broader issues of societal development are important. The skills acquired will be relevant for managers in local, national and international governmental bodies, the private and non-profit sector and in consultancy work.

The entrepreneurial content of the course is designed to stimulate and encourage students to initiate projects, businesses or organisations with the purpose of working towards sustainable development.