Italian and Sustainable Development

Italian and sustainable development is a degree combination that pairs one of Europe's great languages with one of the most pressing intellectual and practical challenges of our time. Italian is the language of a country whose contributions to art, architecture, design, music, literature, and culinary culture are among the richest in the world, and it provides access to a living intellectual and cultural tradition of extraordinary depth. Sustainable development examines how societies can meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own, drawing on economics, ecology, political science, and social science to address questions of climate change, resource use, biodiversity, poverty, and global governance.

At the University of St Andrews, this five-year, full-time MA programme develops your Italian to a high level of proficiency, engaging you with Italian literature, culture, history, politics, and film alongside specialist topics in the field. The programme incorporates a working integrated year in which the practical and applied dimensions of sustainable development are emphasised alongside the academic content, recognising that the challenges of sustainability require practitioners as well as scholars. A typical entry tariff of 216 points reflects the high academic standard of this programme.

Graduates of this unusual combination go on to work in international development organisations, environmental policy, sustainability consulting, European institutions, NGOs, cultural diplomacy, journalism, and academic research. The Italian language specialism is particularly valuable in roles involving Italian institutions, the European Union, Mediterranean environmental policy, and Italian business and cultural organisations. Postgraduate study in sustainability, environmental governance, Italian studies, or international development is a natural further step.