Studying sustainability at the Hertie School offers students the chance to develop a strong academic foundation in the areas of climate, energy and sustainability policy, learning, for example, how policy processes work, how energy markets function, and how policies such as emissions trading systems can be designed.

Learn more about our course offerings here.

The Centre for Sustainability offers a Certificate in Sustainability for students enrolled in the MIA, MPP, and MDS programs at the Hertie School. The Certificate is awarded to students who devote a meaningful portion of their studies to sustainability-related coursework. To be eligible, students must complete at least 2 sustainability courses and a Masters' Thesis on a sustainability topic.

Learn more about the Certificate in Sustainability here.

We welcome new graduate students and encourage them to embark on their master's thesis research with the Centre for Sustainability. Prof. Christian Flachsland and Prof. Lion Hirth offer their supervision for theses within climate, energy, and sustainability topics for students using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Learn more about writing your thesis with the Centre here.

At the Centre for Sustainability, we offer students not only excellent academic opportunities but also hands-on, practical opportunities to engage with sustainability topics. Our networking events and mentoring programmes are designed to help kick-start professional careers and develop in-demand skills.

The  Women in Sustainability Mentoring Programme is a group mentoring programme for women-identified students currently enrolled in Hertie School graduate programmes. The purpose of the programme is to support young women as they begin their careers, with the aim of helping them navigate and succeed in professions and industries that tend to be male-dominated. Our mentors include senior-level professional women in the fields of climate policy, energy policy or sustainability. Mentors draw on their cross-sectoral experience and leadership experiences to share professional insight and advice.

The HEEN Mentoring Programme for finding practice partners for MIA and MPP students of the Hertie School. HEEN is an international network of experts promoting a sustainable energy future. Students of graduate programmes at the Hertie School write their master's theses from November to May. Practitioners from politics, business and civil society have the option of supervising a master’s thesis in English as an external practice partner.

Twice a year we invite representatives of various organisations in Berlin and Europe focusing on energy and climate to a networking event with Hertie School students. They present their companies and institutions as well as talk about entry requirements and other professional opportunities. This event series is a cooperation between the Centre for Sustainability, Prof. Lion Hirth, the Hertie Energy and Environment Network (HEEN) and Career Development and is for Hertie School students and alumni.

Find information about the next edition on our events page.

Career Development and the Centre for Sustainability together with our faculty, students and alumni have prepared a few resources to empower you to take the first steps into the world of Sustainability in Berlin - and beyond! 

Read the document here and learn more about the Career Development team at the Hertie School here. 

The Hertie Sustainability Club is a group of students passionate about engaging the Hertie Community in the current debates surrounding sustainability. We aim to achieve institutional change at both Hertie School and Hertie Foundation as well as foster individual action. To do so, we host events and interact with students, the school leadership and Hertie Foundation on how our institutions and lifestyles can become more sustainable. The club contributes to the Hertie Sustainability Committee.

Find more information on the club's governance here.

Follow the Hertie Sustainability Club on Instagram here.

The Sustainability Colloquium Series aims to foster analysis and international debate on climate, energy and sustainability policy. We invite leading researchers working on climate, energy and sustainability topics to present their current work and exchange with students, researchers and the Hertie School community. The Sustainability Colloquium series is an opportunity for Hertie students to engage with the most impactful thinkers in sustainability research.