Education and Student Experience
Education and student experience can promote environmental and social change by integrating sustainability into curricula, fostering collaboration and encouraging student-led initiatives and hands-on learning.
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Overview
Education is a foundation of sustainability and the provision of quality education and student experience is a core function of the university.
Education is specifically enshrined in SDG 4 Quality Education: to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
UCD is one of the world’s top universities for education, with four top-50 and 16 top-100 subjects ranked in the 2025 QS World University Subject Rankings. It is repeatedly ranked number one in Ireland for graduate outcomes.
Innovative new degree programmes for sustainability include the BSc Sustainability, from which the first cohort graduated in September 2024. This course provides an interdisciplinary education in sustainability theory, policy and practice, equipping students to work in areas like renewables, clean technology management and energy efficiency within organisations. Graduates are also prepared for roles advising industries on social and environmental strategies.
The MSc in Sustainable Development addresses the SDG agenda, equipping students to solve the world’s most pressing problems. The BSc in Sustainable Food Systems, launched in 2024, will provide students with an understanding of the entire food chain from on-farm production to human consumption and attendant scientific principles and policies.UCD also offers an extensive range of courses and modules directly related to sustainability from all Colleges and from the (opens in a new window)UCD Innovation Academy, along with microcredentials and other professional training.
Further information on education and training at UCD in relation to sustainability can be found under each of the Action Areas listed on this website.
Core Working Group
The UCD Sustainability Core Working Group on Education, Training and the Student Experience will further develop UCD’s educational offering in relation to sustainability by working to ensure that all UCD students become familiar with sustainability, are encouraged to take action for sustainability and equipped to succeed in a rapidly evolving world.
As a first step, sustainability has been incorporated into orientation for all first year undergraduate students.
This video has been shown in lectures for all new incoming students, who are invited to respond to the question, 'What does sustainability mean to you?' Their responses are collated into this word cloud below.
UCD is the first university in Ireland to become a signatory to the CANIE Accord, which is both a public commitment and a menu of practical actions designed to guide the international education sector's response to the climate crisis.
Student Experience
The UCD Student Experience is a holistic approach to maximising the benefits of time at UCD for the most diverse student body in Ireland. It combines academic excellence with social,cultural and sporting opportunities and career guidance, all within a thoughtfully created environment. Its library, catering outlets, student centre, sports fields and the UCD Village are also part of the experience. All present opportunities to demonstrate and innovate for best practice in sustainability.
UCD is home to many innovative and unique spaces developed for learning and research with an emphasis on sustainability. One of these is UCD Lyons farm, which supports teaching and research in the areas of beef, crops, dairy, equine, sheep and pigs. Another is the (opens in a new window)UCD Greenacre Sustainability Hub being developed by the (opens in a new window)UCD Innovation Academy to support experiential learning, research and engagement.
Students have opportunities to get involved in national and international projects being undertaken by UCD researchers. For example, the (opens in a new window)UCD Plan’eat Living Lab is an applied research project that aims to better understand how environmental, social, cultural and individual factors affect people’s food choices. It co-designs interventions to improve dietary behaviour. A Horizon Europe research project, it seeks to engage students directly to positively influence their dietary habits.
Along with supporting students, sustainability entrepreneurs are also encouraged through NovaUCD, UCD’s incubation facility for knowledge-intensive companies. Entrepreneurial students also have opportunities to engage with institutional and international competitions, such as the Hult Prize and a new Tri-Continental Student Innovation for Sustainability Competition, developed through partnership between UCD, Notre Dame University USA and Strathmore University Kenya.
Students also have opportunities for engagement in sustainability through initiatives like UCD Volunteers Overseas and UCD in the Community and through international university networks such as(opens in a new window) Universitas 21 and(opens in a new window) Una Europa and through events run by the UCD Earth Institute, which also runs an annual competition with the (opens in a new window)Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland to identify the undergraduate environmental science researcher of the year.
UCD Global’s (opens in a new window)Green Guide offers resources for a sustainable student experience, including tips on packing sustainably, using public transport in Ireland and shopping and eating sustainably.
The University Observer and the College Tribune newspapers are distributed throughout the campus. They are run by students for students. They have complete editorial independence and often run stories about sustainability, climate action and decarbonisation.
UCD has an incredibly wide range of (opens in a new window)student clubs and societies. The following are among those with a particular emphasis on sustainability.
Since its foundation in 2023 the (opens in a new window)UCD Sustainability Society (Sus Soc) has already grown to 450+ members from all across the university. Sus Soc hosts many events including clothes swaps, academic guest speakers, a sustainable fashion show and sustainability winter and spring formals.
The UCD Horticulture Society was founded in 2014 with the aim of educating and engaging students in general horticultural activities and knowledge and fostering sustainability and environmental awareness.