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Key competencies in sustainability: a reference framework for academic program development

Sustainability Science volume 6, pages 203–218 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

The emerging academic field focused on sustainability has been engaged in a rich and converging debate to define what key competencies are considered critical for graduating students to possess. For more than a decade, sustainability courses have been developed and taught in higher education, yet comprehensive academic programs in sustainability, on the undergraduate and graduate level, have emerged only over the last few years. Considering this recent institutional momentum, the time is seemingly right to synthesize the discussion about key competencies in sustainability in order to support these relatively young academic programs in shaping their profiles and achieving their ambitious missions. This article presents the results of a broad literature review. The review identifies the relevant literature on key competencies in sustainability; synthesizes the substantive contributions in a coherent framework of sustainability research and problem-solving competence; and addresses critical gaps in the conceptualization of key competencies in sustainability. Insights from this study lay the groundwork for institutional advancements in designing and revising academic programs; teaching and learning evaluations; as well as hiring and training faculty and staff.

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Notes

  1. Some scholars articulate apprehension regarding the term ‘sustainability science’ (e.g., Hirsch Hadorn et al. 2006). Even if used in a broad sense including natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, other important fields addressing sustainability issues such as engineering, business, design, and planning are not sufficiently captured and recognized under the term ‘science’. With the formulation used above, we propose to overcome all of these demarcations as the field develops its genuine program beyond disciplinary anchoring (Wiek et al. 2010).

  2. This is a selected list of sustainability programs worldwide. The indicated universities are the pioneering ones to offer a PhD program specifically in Sustainability (Science); with the exception of Harvard University, which offers doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships in Sustainability Science. The PhD-granting programs are all members of the nascent International Network of Programs in Sustainability. All PhD programs were initiated between 2007 and 2010.

  3. Envisioning methods are a good example of methods that require two ore more competencies to be employed effectively. Here, envisioning requires anticipatory competence, as visions are future oriented, and normative competence, as they focus on desirable future states.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Beth Mercer-Taylor (University of Minnesota), Anne Kapucinski (Dartmouth College), and Kathleen Lambert (Dartmouth College) for helpful comments on our research. We would like to thank Katja Brundiers for helpful comments on earlier versions of this article (Arizona State University) and Robert Kutter (Arizona State University) for editorial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, PO Box 875502, Tempe, AZ, 85287-5502, USA

    Arnim Wiek, Lauren Withycombe & Charles L. Redman

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  1. Arnim Wiek
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  2. Lauren Withycombe
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  3. Charles L. Redman
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Correspondence to Arnim Wiek.

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Edited by Didac Ferrer-Balas, Technical University of Catalonia, Spain.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 3 Excerpts from the literature on systems-thinking competence
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Table 4 Excerpts from the literature on anticipatory competence
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Table 5 Excerpts from the literature on normative competence
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Table 6 Excerpts from the literature on strategic competence
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Table 7 Excerpts from the literature on interpersonal competence
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Wiek, A., Withycombe, L. & Redman, C.L. Key competencies in sustainability: a reference framework for academic program development. Sustain Sci 6, 203–218 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-011-0132-6

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Keywords

  • Education for sustainable development
  • Curriculum development
  • Sustainability expertise
  • Sustainability professional
  • Transformative learning