Since September 2024, PSL University has been offering a Master's in Sustainability Science, the result of an unprecedented synergy between the École Normale Supérieure - PSL, Dauphine - PSL, Chimie Paris - PSL, and the École Nationale des Chartes - PSL. This pioneering program aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and tackle the complex challenges of socio-ecological transitions. Through a resolutely pluralistic approach, students learn to mobilize multiple forms of knowledge (multidisciplinarity), to design and develop research projects that transcend disciplinary boundaries (interdisciplinarity), and to collaborate with non-academic actors to support transformative change (transdisciplinarity). The goal? To train a new generation of professionals and engaged citizens committed to a sustainable and just future.
The Master's in Sustainability Science is operated by the Center for Environmental and Societal Training (CERES) at ENS-PSL, in collaboration with Dauphine-PSL, Chimie Paris-PSL, and the École des Chartes-PSL. Open to students from diverse disciplines, this innovative program encourages the integration of complementary disciplinary perspectives and engagement with various stakeholders to address the complexity of socio-ecological transitions.
The Master's is organized over two years, each with complementary objectives.
In the first year (M1), students deepen their disciplinary specialization within one of the 14 PSL University’s "partner master's programs" while being introduced to interdisciplinarity through 2 courses offered by the master's.
In the second year (M2), they follow a common curriculum, focusing on acquiring theoretical and methodological knowledge in sustainability science, enriched by practical experience through a "transdisciplinary collective project." A key feature of the program, these projects provide a unique opportunity to engage in transformative action-research in close collaboration with students from diverse disciplines, researchers, and non-academic stakeholders. Finally, students develop individual projects during their internship in the second semester.
The program is designed for students to deepen their knowledge in their core discipline, learn to apply it to interdisciplinary research and generate new research questions about contemporary environmental crises that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.
- Detailed presentation of the master's degree
The Master's in Sustainability Science at ENS-PSL is designed for those who wish to develop a systemic understanding of the major challenges of socio-ecological transitions while cultivating an inter- and transdisciplinary approach. This program is open to a wide range of profiles, including students in initial training and professionals seeking a career transition, coming from diverse geographical and academic backgrounds. Applicants are expected to have a strong foundation in one of the disciplines offered by the program’s partner master's programs and demonstrate proficiency in both written and spoken French.
The Master's aims to train professionals capable of addressing ecological and social transition challenges with both creativity and scientific rigor. It combines theoretical and methodological instruction with practical experiences while fostering an appreciation for the complementarity of disciplines through inter- and transdisciplinary dialogue. Through multiple project-based learning experiences, students engage with concrete socio-ecological transition issues, strengthening their critical thinking, collaborative research skills, and ability to interact with other disciplines and non-academic stakeholders.
→ By the end of the program, students will have developed the following abilities:
Identify key sustainability challenges and understand the interactions between social and ecological dimensions of global change and transitions, considering the diversity of scales, stakeho