Towards holistic and interdisciplinary education for sustainable development: an analysis of English-medium ESD master’s programs in Europe

Purpose Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is critical in providing individuals with the information and abilities required to promote and achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This study aims to present a thorough overview of ESD master’s programmes programmes across Europe, the subjects and issues that these programmes address and most importantly, how these themes are connected. Design/methodology/approach This study uses content and network analysis to investigate 16 English-medium ESD master programmes across Europe, looking for important elements, thematic focuses and interdisciplinary approaches in their curricular. Findings The findings show a high level of interdisciplinarity, with 11 of 16 programmes incorporating various sustainability themes. Overall, the curricula’s main focus is the sociocultural dimension, which encompasses cultural values, ethics and citizenship. Themes of environmental sustainability and place-based education have the strongest connections throughout the courses, while social and economic sustainability are often studied together. Research limitations/implications The authors call for future research that examines the extent to which holistic ESD curricula address the moral and ethical aspects of sustainability, and the integration of sustainability governance and sustainability in a digital age into higher education curricula. Originality/value This study adds to the body of literature on ESD in higher education by highlighting the main focus (sociocultural topics), the most connected subjects (place-based learning and environmental sustainability) and the less common interactions (governance and sustainability in digital era with the three sustainability pillars) in English-medium ESD programmes offered in European institutions.