Sustainable Education has been recognised as a core strength for the University of Canterbury (UC), with the University being ranked 11th globally in this category in the first QS World Ranking: Sustainability results, which were released last night.
“We are pleased to achieve this recognition in the inaugural edition of QS’s new rankings that review higher education’s work on sustainability. UC has scored above the median in both environmental and social impact among the 700 institutions that submitted data,” says Professor Ian Wright, Tumu Tuarua Rangahau |Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research.
“We have quietly been working to incorporate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into our programmes. Every UC graduate is made aware of sustainability solutions relevant to their discipline and can contribute in their area. It’s fantastic to see this work recognised by QS,” says Professor Jan Evans-Freeman, Amorangi Toitū | Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Sustainability.
At UC, students thrive through learning with leading sustainability experts such as Professor Bronwyn Hayward, who is a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Professor Simon Kingham, who is the first Chief Science Advisor for the Ministry of Transport, Distinguished Professor David Schiel, marine resources advisor, and many others.
Students are increasingly seeking study options that will enable them to negotiate a changing world and make a difference, whether in engineering, education, political science, arts or science. At UC they can find innovative, sustainability-focused degrees, including Disaster Risk and Resilience, Environmental Science, Forest Engineering, Renewable Energy, Urban Resilience and Renewal, and Youth and Community Leadership.
This year UC added further sustainability-focused options, launching the innovative, cross-disciplinary Bachelor of Social and Environmental Sustainability, which builds understanding of how human behaviour, investment decisions and socio-cultural practices impact the world we live in.
This year UC also launched new SDG scholarships to facilitate PhD research – one of the many ways the University is delivering on the sustainability goals of its Strategic Vision.
UC was ranked in the top 100 overall in the QS World Ranking: Sustainability, based on comprehensive measurements of social and environmental sustainability.
The University aims to become carbon net neutral by 2030 and has plans in place to improve biodiversity, waste management, and water conservation on campus.
To hear from some of UC’s leading sustainability experts, join the Tītohu Tūroa | Sustainability Showcase this Friday 28 October – see the programme and register for free here.
