MSt in Sustainability Leadership

The Master’s in Sustainability Leadership is part of CISL’s mission to empower individuals and organisations to take leadership to tackle critical global challenges.

More specifically, through a combination of interdisciplinary insights, academic analysis, practical business application, peer-learning and personal reflection, it aims to develop a community of leaders who have:

• a wide awareness and deep understanding of the social, environmental, ethical and economic challenges and opportunities facing the world;
• the vision and ambition to drive business leadership to achieve real systems change;
• the knowledge, experience and ability to critically evaluate a range of strategic levers for change; and
• the leadership capacity and confidence at a personal and organisational level to best use these levers to effect transformation.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the programme, successful participants should have enhanced their ability in the following areas:

Understanding and awareness

• Have a broad and deep understanding of the global social, environmental, economic and ethical "system pressures" affecting business, government and civil society.
• Articulate the evolution of the sustainability debate and the conceptual frameworks that underpin it.
• Develop a multidisciplinary perspective on sustainability, with insights from departments across the University, and understand the contribution of these fields in addressing sustainability challenges and opportunities.
• Understand the systemic failings that drive unsustainability in our current economic system, and recognise the paradigm shifts necessary to achieve a sustainable economy.
• Identify relevant aspects of the broader social, economic, political, technological and legislative environment, and potential levers for wider system impact.
• Have a clear understanding of the major arguments advanced in the "business case" for sustainable business, as well as the research and limitations surrounding these claims.

Leadership and Change

• Understand their own personal leadership motivations and values, and how these align with wider business needs and drivers.
• Understand a range of theories of organisational change and embedding sustainability, and analyse their  own organisation’s approach to change.
• Gain knowledge on the different theories, types, actors and levels of change and to be able to apply these to a sustainability context.
• Develop the ability to communicate sustainability-related messages effectively to non-sustainability target audiences.
• Embody the characteristics of a change agent for sustainability, including listening, building coalitions, identifying key leverage points, influencing and inspiring others, and resilience.

Critical evaluation and analysis

• Able to be reflective and reflexive regarding sustainability worldviews or paradigms and the assumptions that shape those views.
• Understand and interpret academic and practitioner theory and apply this to an organisation.
• Engage with complexity and contradictions in the knowledge base, challenge and critically review evidence, and apply their own opinions and judgement to sustainability issues.
• Competently follow and contribute to academic and practitioner debates on sustainability issues. 

Engagement and collaboration

• Able to work collaboratively across subject disciplines, institutional sectors and functional silos in order to advance sustainability goals.
• Able to work effectively in a group setting (in situ and remotely) and to show the ability to learn from this experience. 

Innovative, creative and strategic response

• Develop an appreciation for a variety of leadership responses to sustainability, including policy development, international agreements, partnerships, advocacy, etc.
• Apply learning from best-practice cases of how business, government and civil society are responding to complex sustainability challenges.
• Frame and develop business strategies that address sustainability challenge(s). 

Academic research

• Appreciation of and experience with research methods and associated research skills.
• Able to access leading-edge insights and research on sustainability from leading Cambridge academics and other thought leaders.
• Able to undertake sound sustainability-relevant research using an appropriate research methodology.
• Able to write in a clear, concise, coherent and academically rigorous way

Find out more

View full information about the course - on the CISL website.

If you have any questions about the application process, contact our Admissions team: mst.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk or +44 (0)1223 746262.

For all other enquiries, contact the Programme Manager, Fergus Kirkpatrick: masters@cisl.cam.ac.uk or +44 (0)1223 768816.

Teaching

As an applied, practitioner-oriented master's, the programme is designed to support personal and professional development.  

The programme comprises a blended approach to learning, with four week-long residential workshops in Cambridge (broadly every six months) and remote learning coordinated through a virtual learning environment. In addition to attending the workshops, it is estimated that participants need to undertake at least three to four hours of work every week to complete the programme successfully.

Four key principles underpin our distinctive approach to learning:

• Flexibility – The programme is designed for an internationally diverse cohort, working full-time. Residential time is kept to a minimum, blended with a flexible E-learning programme and dedicated tutor support for assignments.
• Peer-learning – Participants come from a wide range of functions, sectors, and locations. Sharing experiences and insights builds a deeper understanding of how the business world can respond to the challenges of sustainability. 
• Practical relevance – The programme equips students with the skills to translate cutting-edge academic insight and research, into practical relevance. Assignments are focused on professional or institutional contexts.
• Personal application – Participants are encouraged to identify personal opportunities for leadership and engage in reflective practice throughout the programme, supported by peers and tutors.

The primary approaches to teaching and learning are:

• taught plenary and small group sessions by academics and practitioners, who are thought leaders and/or case study contributors;
• group work, involving dialogue, debate and presentations throughout the taught modules, as well as a group research assignment;
• experiential techniques including role plays, simulations, debates and field trips;
• individual work, involving structured reading and reflection, research, and written presentation of findings on selected topics;
• support and facilitation by a CISL-led team of faculty, tutors and supervisors from within the University; and
• a collaborative E-learning programme, including three online modules, webinars and content-based discussions to maximise knowledge sharing.

Supervision

9-12 hours per year.

Seminars and classes

50 hours per year.

Lectures

35 hours per year.

Small group teaching

26 hours per year.

Literature reviews

Some assignments and the dissertation require literature reviews.

Posters and presentations

Oral dissertation presentation in the second year.

Feedback

Students are given formal feedback on their assignments and informal feedback throughout their course, including during supervisions. First-year tutors give an annual progress report at the end of Year 1 and dissertation supervisors provide termly reports during Year 2.

Assessment

Thesis

In Year 2 of the programme students undertake:

• a dissertation of not more than 15,000 words, including footnotes and appendices, but excluding bibliography, on a subject approved by the Degree Committee. The assessment of the dissertation will include an oral presentation of the project work on which the dissertation is based.

Examples of previous dissertation topics, articles produced based on dissertation research undertaken during the master's programme, and example group project topics are available on Assignments and Dissertation page on the CISL website.

Essays, projects and written papers

In Year 1 of the programme, there are three written assignments:

• A 3,000-word Analysis Paper which takes the form of a detailed, critical analysis of a sustainability challenge or opportunity for a specific organisation, culminating in clear strategic recommendations
• A 3,000-word Strategic Action Plan, building on the Analysis Paper, developing a practical implementation plan for taking forward one or more of the recommendations, supported by a sound rationale and existing literature and cases.
• A 7,000-word Group Project (undertaken with five to seven other students) on an issue relevant to sustainability, business and leadership, producing an original piece of research that draws upon the group’s collective interest and experience.

Fees

The fees for 2020 entry will be £12,963 per annum for Home/EU students and overseas students. The combined graduate fee includes college membership.

Students will be expected to cover the application fee (£65 online) and any costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence during residential sessions in Cambridge. Students will need to pay for College accommodation, food and drink during the residential workshops. Field trips, gala dinners, matriculation and other group photos are optional additional costs.

Funding

Please see the CISL website for more information.

Applications will be accepted online until 20 February 2020.

The Apply Now button on the right will take you to the Applicant Portal, where you can create and submit your application and supporting documents, and request references.

An application is only complete when:

1. you have submitted your application and supporting documents via the Applicant Portal
2. you have paid the £65 application fee
3. your referees have provided their references.

If you miss the deadlines specified in this section, you will not be able to submit your application.

Please note:

1. Exceptional candidates who do not meet the above standard academic requirements may be considered, based on the ability to demonstrate suitability for postgraduate study through professional and other attainments. The submission of a GMAT (or GRE) score would be useful for supporting your case (achieving at least the 50th percentile in every sub-score e.g. verbal, quants in a single test).
2. Completing the Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business (PCSB) or the Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Value Chains (PCSVC) successfully does not negate the need to satisfy the above requirements; however the results can potentially be used to support the admission of "non-standard" candidates if, typically, at least a B grade is achieved.

Selection Process

Applications are considered as they are received (rolling admissions). Applicants should expect to receive an update on your application status within one month or applying. 

Read the MSt Application Guide to find out more about the application process and what you need to do and consider as a potential applicant.

Supporting documents

Below are details of the Course Specific Questions and other supporting information you will be asked to provide before you can submit your application. These are marked with an asterisk (*). References and transcripts can be provided either at the time of submitting your application or shortly after.

If you have any questions, please contact ICE Admissions: mst.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk and we will be happy to help.

References

You will need to provide the details of two referees who can provide academic or professional references. You will be asked to provide email addresses for your referees so that they can submit their reference via the online referencing system, so it is important for you to ensure that your referee is able to provide a reference for you before you submit your application form.

If your referees are unable to use the online referencing system, or do not have email addresses, please contact the ICE Admissions office for further assistance. 

Your referees should be two senior people acquainted with your work and who are able to comment on your academic and/or professional suitability to undertake the course. Ideally one of these references will be an academic. If this is not possible, two professional references will be accepted.

The referees should describe:

• How long they have known you and in what capacity.
• Their opinion of your experience, achievements, professional interests, and the capabilities which you will bring to the course.
• Whether they believe you will fit well on a Master’s level course concerned with sustainability leadership and requiring interdisciplinary group work and individual research.
• Whether they consider you to have the enthusiasm, commitment and determination necessary to complete the course successfully.

Academic transcripts

A transcript is a list of all the courses you have taken during a programme of study, with the result you obtained, and with the credit value if applicable.

If you are currently studying, please provide a transcript listing the courses taken during your programme of study, with the results or grades obtained for each. Current Cambridge students should upload a copy of their unofficial transcript from their Student Self-Service.

If you have previously completed degree-level study, please provide a transcript or degree certificate for each degree-level programme you have studied, showing the date the degree was awarded and the final class or grade obtained.

The transcript should be uploaded via your Self-Service, using the 'Academic - pre-decision' category. Please note that we may also ask you to send the originals via post if we make you an offer of admission and supplying these may be a condition of your offer.

If your documents are not in English, you must also upload a full translation of each document, prepared by a registered translator.

Research proposal*

Please include a research proposal relating to a sustainability topic aligned with the scope of the programme. It is possible for this proposal to evolve once accepted on to the programme, providing it remains aligned sufficiently. The proposal should be 500-1000 words in length, and outline the topic you wish to research, mostly during the second year of the course.

The proposal should include:

• A straightforward, descriptive, and informative outline of the scope of the research and what is intended to be achieved.
• An account of why this topic is relevant and worth investigating from a sustainability leadership perspective.
• A proposed main research question (or hypothesis), which should be focused and not overly broad,
• A brief account of the approach you will take, i.e. the research design and methods.
• A discussion of the likely data sources that your research will draw upon, and how you intend to gain access.
• A short bibliography, i.e. a list of sources you have used.

You will also be asked to provide a short summary of your proposal in your application form.

Curriculum Vitae*

You are required to provide a professional CV with your application.

Professional qualifications

If you have professional qualifications or memberships relevant to your application, you may upload documentary evidence, stating the date the qualification or membership was obtained.

This is not a requirement for this course, but may support your application.

Personal statement*

You will need to include an A4 paper that describes your:

• Existing leadership role or the potential to occupy a leadership role.
• Clear commitment to sustainable development demonstrated through previous qualifications, work experience or voluntary activities.
• Motivations for undertaking a postgraduate degree focused on global sustainability challenges

Letter of support from your employer

The Master’s is designed for those in full-time employment, with assignments undertaken in a work-based context. If you will be in employment during your studies, please ask your employer to provide a letter stating that they support your application and understand/accept that in undertaking the course you will need time away from work to attend the residential sessions. If appropriate, an employer may want to indicate their appetite for implementing some of your learnings from the programme.

If you are self-employed or in any other position not requiring the approval of an employer, then please provide a note signed by yourself in lieu of the letter of support from an employer.