Leadership for Sustainability: One-year master programme

Programme - second cycle - 60 credits

Overview

Admission requirements

Bachelor´s degree, consisting of 180 credits. The equivalent of English B / English 6 in Swedish secondary school.

Description

The challenges of sustainability cannot be addressed with technical solutions alone. There is a need to rethink commonly held perceptions about leadership and organisational development. This master’s degree programme is multidisciplinary and deals with the issues of managing and leading organisational development to reach sustainability.

The programme comprises six courses.
  • Semester 1: "Organising and Leading Sustainable Organisations” and ”Leadership and Organisation for Sustainability - Research Methods” provide students with knowledge and understanding regarding organisational and leadership theory and research methods for sustainability. ”Project Management and Sustainability” enables students to touch up project management in theory and practice while planning a sustainable project.
  • Semester 2: ”Sustainable development: Individual, Organisational and Network Perspective” and “Social entrepreneurship, social innovation and sustainability” provide in-depth knowledge on sustainable development and sustainability. The programme ends with the thesis work.

This programme lays a solid foundation for those seeking to work as key players in the development of a sustainable world, via the management of sustainable projects and organisational development. The skills acquired will be relevant for managers and leaders in local, national and international governmental bodies, the private and non-profit sector, and in consultancy work.

Content

studenter

This programme is composed of lectures and seminars along with individual study and essays.

What is Leadership for Sustainability about?

The master’s degree programme Leadership for Sustainability is grounded in four core premises:

1. Sustainability requires new forms of organising, especially when it comes to project-based organisations involving diverse stakeholders.

2. Organising and leading sustainability requires new and diverse leading and organising skills, understanding and knowledge for managers and leaders of sustainable projects.

3. 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.

4. 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.

What makes Leadership for Sustainability unique?

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.

The programme structure

The programme is organised in six courses over two semesters.

Semester 1 provides the basic knowledge and understanding needed in the programme. The courses "Organising and Leading Sustainable Organisations” and ”Leadership and Organisation for Sustainability - Research Methods” provide students with knowledge and understanding of organisation and leadership theories and research methods for sustainability.The semester ends the ”Project Management and Sustainability” course providing students with knowledge on project management and enabling students to develop their own project management skills. This course ends with the planning of a sustainable project in order to apply knowledge acquired so far in all three courses.

Semester 2 comprises specialised in-depth courses. At the start of the semester, the students take two courses: ”Sustainable development: Individual, Organisational and Network Perspective” and “Social entrepreneurship, social innovation and sustainability”. These two courses provide in-depth knowledge on sustainable development and sustainability as well as social innovation and entrepreneurship. The semester ends with the thesis work focusing on leading and organising sustainability.

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.

Interviews

Althea Spence from Jamaica

What had you studied before your master's at Malmö University?
At the University of Technology in Jamaica I pursued a master's degree in Workforce Education and Development.

 Althea Spence

Why did you choose Malmö University and Leadership for Sustainability?
I received an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship and I wanted a master’s degree that would equip me with competence in project management as I was working on projects and in project management but had no certification – Malmö was the only university that offered this course in English. Further, the idea of Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation were quite new to Jamaica, but very significant to my area of interest and Jamaica’s social and economic development - so I got the best of both worlds choosing Leadership for Sustainability as I was building my career, not just “doing a Masters.”

I believe it is a good programme as it was comprehensive. Excellent lecturers to build foundation on evolving leadership and leadership styles; hands on experience in writing project proposal and evaluation; face time, seminars, and field trips with social entrepreneurs - all this while building analytic and academic writing competence.

Do you have any advice for prospective students wanting to come to Malmö?
Malmö is such a fun city with so many exciting things to do! Be careful to balance the academic side with the social side.

What are your plans for the future?
I will continue my work in social and economic development specifically working on projects that will make a difference in the lives of people – especially Jamaicans.  But this time around I don’t only have the experience but the academic capabilities to support or lead sustainable projects and development.

Career

What career will I be prepared for?

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.

Syllabus

Programme Code: SALSU

Institution:
Department of Urban Studies
Revision:
4
For students admitted fall 2013  

Other set versions

  • Version 1
    approved 2009-11-18
    For students admitted fall 2010  
  • Version 2
    approved 2009-11-18
    For students admitted fall 2011  
  • Version 3
    approved 2009-11-18
  • Version 3.1
    approved 2012-02-28
  • Version 3.2
    approved 2012-05-31
    For students admitted fall 2012  

Approval

The programme was established 18 November 2009.
This programme syllabus (version 4) was approved 31 May 2012 by the Board of Studies at Faculty of Culture and Society.
The syllabus is valid from 02 September 2013.

Entry requirements

Bachelor´s degree, consisting of 180 credits. The equivalent of English B / English 6 in Swedish secondary school.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding
After a successful completion of this programme the student will be able to:
  • demonstrate insight into current research in the fields of leadership and organisation, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development.
  • acquire a critical understanding of the fields: leadership and organisation, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development.
  • demonstrate an understanding of the challenges involved in organising and leading sustainable development as well as organisational development and project management.
  • acquire and develop a set of perspectives and tools for approaching the challenges of organisational development and particularly different approaches to project management and demonstrate an understanding of how these tools relate to creating and sustaining a coalition of stakeholders.
  • demonstrate knowledge of a number of different models and techniques for broad stakeholder involvement.
  • discuss basic values underpinning social entrepreneurship and sustainability.
  • acquire a critical understanding of philosophical, methodological and ethical approaches in research focused on leadership and organisation.

Skills and competences
After a successful completion of this programme the student will be able to:
  • find, evaluate and synthesize current research in the fields of leadership and organisation, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development.
  • identify and assess ethical issues in balancing the interests of different stakeholders with an end toward creating sustainable development.
  • critically reflect on the roles of leaders and social entrepreneurs as change agents as well as on the roles of followers in the context of sustainable development and thus reflect on their future role in sustainable development.
  • develop organisations and leadership processes following scientific methodological and methodical standards in leadership and organisation studies.
  • make informed decisions on choices of organisational and leadership models and strategies in the management of sustainable projects.

Judgement and approach
After a successful completion of this programme the student will be able to:
  • demonstrate capacity to critically use his/her understanding of the current research in the fields of organisation and leadership, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development to identify a problem, analyse it and solve it via the generation of new alternatives/knowledge.
  • develop a multi-frame set of mind to address sustainable development in the context of organisation and leadership.
  • assess challenges in a sustainable project or organisational development and be able to reflect on the leadership role in areas suited to his/her competences.
  • argue for an approach to organisational development based on a developed understanding of its implications for sustainable development.
  • critically and reflexively relate to contemporary research in the fields of leadership and organisation, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development.

    • Content

    Courses

    For programme with start Fall 2013:

    Fall 2013

    Spring 2014

    Organisation

    The master programme "Leadership for Sustainability" is intended for students and professionals within a wide area of different backgrounds but with a common interest to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in leading projects and organisational development to reach sustainability.

    The master programme “Leadership for Sustainability” is a multidisciplinary master dealing with the issues of organising and leading organisational development to reach sustainability. The standpoint of this master is that sustainability requires new forms of organising especially project-based organisations involving diverse stakeholders. Organising and leading sustainability thus require new and diverse leading and organising skills, understanding and knowledge for project managers and leaders. It also requires a new way of thinking sustainability within and between organisations. This new way is to be found in contemporary and on-going research in the fields of social entrepreneurship and social innovation. The master programme provides methodological and methodical knowledge, understanding and skills of research to enable sustainable decision-making in organisations.

    The programme is organised around six courses divided into two semesters. At the start of the first semester, the courses "Organising and Leading Sustainable Organisations” (OL641E - 7,5 credits) and ”Leadership and Organisation for Sustainability - Research Methods” (OL642E - 7,5 credits) provide students with a common knowledge and understanding on organisation theories, leadership theories and research methods, with a focus on sustainability. The first semester ends with the course ”Project Management and Sustainability” (OL643E - 15 credits) that enables students to touch upon project management in theory and practice while students plan their sustainable project.

    During the first part of the second semester students go in-depth into sustainability and sustainable development via the respective courses ”Sustainable development: Individual, Organisational and Network Perspective” (OL644E - 7,5 credits) and “Social entrepreneurship, social innovation and sustainability” (OL645E - 7,5 credits) which are taught in parallel. The end of the second semester is then dedicated to the thesis course “Master Thesis with a focus on Leadership and Organisation for Sustainability” (OL646E - 15 credits). Here students, in pair, have the opportunity to focus on issues in organisation and leadership for sustainability in which they have a special interest.

    Degree

    Master of Arts / Science (60 credits).

    Degree of Master of Arts (60 credits) with a Major in Leadership and Organisation.


Contact

Further information

Åse Falk, student services assistant
Phone: 040-66 58039
E-mail: ase.falk@mah.se

Jean-Charles Languilaire, programme responsible
Phone: 040-66 57736
E-mail: jean-charles.languilaire@mah.se