17.4.2 Education for SDGs: specific courses on sustainability

Special Courses on Sustainability and Sustainable Development at Boğaziçi University

Boğaziçi University offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate programmes that address sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These programmes include courses and degrees that aim to specialise in environmental, social and economic sustainability. Here are some of the programmes and courses offered at the university in line with these goals:

1. Master's Programme in Sustainable Tourism Management

This programme is a graduate programme that aims to address tourism activities in Turkey from a sustainability perspective and to minimise the environmental impacts of tourism. The programme is the first and only programme in Turkey to provide education in the field of sustainable tourism. It also aims to contribute to the human resources required in this field by examining global sustainable tourism practices.

2. Institute of Environmental Sciences

Boğaziçi University Institute of Environmental Sciences offers master's and doctoral degrees in environmental sciences and environmental technology. Students can specialise in areas such as socio-ecological sustainability, urban waste management, renewable energy by taking courses such as sustainable development, global climate change, social ecology.

3. Fuel and Energy Technologies Non-Thesis Master Programme

This is a master's programme that teaches sustainable energy technologies to engineers who aim to play a leading role in the fuel and energy sector. The programme includes courses covering the conversion of renewable energy sources, energy-environment relationship and sustainability.

4. Executive MBA and MBA Programmes

The Executive MBA programme covers sustainability topics such as renewable energy, carbon finance, corporate social responsibility, green marketing and environmental law. The MBA programme offers courses on ethical issues management, environmental ethics and sustainable business ethics.

5. Social Policy Master Programme

This programme includes courses that address the root causes of social problems such as poverty, social exclusion and inequality and offer solutions towards sustainable development goals. The programme aims to provide in-depth analyses in areas such as social policies, health, education, employment and gender.

6. Peace and Conflict Lectures

Peace education courses offered by the Department of Political Science and International Relations and the Department of Educational Sciences address issues such as human rights, social justice, disarmament and intercultural solidarity. These courses focus on peacebuilding, reconciliation and conflict resolution.

Boğaziçi University offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate programmes to support sustainable development goals and to equip students with the necessary skills. These programmes include a wide range of elective and compulsory courses that promote environmental, social and economic sustainability.

2024 Sustainability Report SDG-17 (Related Section)

Training for the SDGs: Specialised Courses on Sustainability

Boğaziçi University offers a variety of undergraduate courses and graduate programmes that address sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These programmes include courses and degrees that aim to specialise in environmental, social and economic sustainability. Some of the programmes and courses offered at the university in line with these objectives are as follows:

1. Institute of Environmental Sciences Programmes

Boğaziçi University Institute of Environmental Sciences offers master's and doctoral degrees in the fields of ‘Environmental Sciences’ and ‘Environmental Technology’. Students can specialise in Urban Waste Management and Renewable Energy (W2E), Pollution Control and Modelling (PCM), Molecular Ecology and Microbial Biotechnology (MNM), Socio-Ecological Sustainability (SES) according to their courses and thesis studies. In addition, the Institute of Environmental Sciences offers undergraduate courses on sustainability such as ‘Sustainable Development’, ‘Global Climate Change’,‘Social Ecology’.

Click here for information about the programmes:

https://bogazici.edu.tr/tr_TR/Content/Akademik/Lisansustu_Katalogu/Cevre_BilimleriEnstitusu

Click here to see the graduate course contents:

https://iesc.bogazici.edu.tr/tr/graduate-courses

Click here to see the undergraduate course contents:

https://iesc.bogazici.edu.tr/tr/courses

2. Chemical Engineering Programmes

Chemical Engineering undergraduate and graduate programmes offer a remarkable diversity of sustainability-oriented educational content. At the undergraduate level, there are courses such as ‘Renewable Energy Technologies,’ ‘Operation and Environmental Safety in Chemical Plants,’ and‘Hydrogen Technologies,’ while the master's and doctoral programmes include‘Analysis of Sustainable Technologies’ and‘Catalysis for Green Technologies’ courses. These courses aim to equip future engineers with both theoretical knowledge and practical approaches by addressing the concept of sustainability in the context of energy, environment and technology.

Click here for information about the undergraduate programme:

https://bogazici.edu.tr/tr/pages/lisans-programlari/58

Click here to get information about the graduate programme:

https://bogazici.edu.tr/tr/pages/lisans-programlari/58

3. Civil Engineering Programmes

Civil Engineering undergraduate and graduate programmes offer a variety of sustainability-related course content. At the undergraduate level, courses such as ‘Environmental Engineering Design,’ ‘Hydraulic Engineering,’ ‘Transportation Systems Engineering,’ ‘Foundation Engineering,’ and ‘Environmental Engineering’ provide students with basic knowledge on sustainable infrastructure, resource management, and mitigation of environmental impacts. At the graduate level, advanced courses such as ‘Environmental Geotechnology’ and ‘Soil Behaviour’ focus on the study of soil and environmental relations within the framework of sustainability. These programmes aim to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to develop sustainable engineering solutions.

Click here for information about the undergraduate programme:

https://bogazici.edu.tr/tr/pages/lisans-programlari/60

Click here to get information about the graduate programme:

https://bogazici.edu.tr/tr/pages/lisans-programlari/60

4. Master's Programme in Sustainable Tourism Management

This programme is a master's programme that aims to reassess the existing tourism activities in Turkey in line with global trends and within a sustainability perspective. From this perspective, it aims to contribute to the human resources required for the development of sustainable tourism in Turkey and beyond. The programme isthe first and only programme that provides education in the field of sustainable tourism in our country.

For more information about the programme click here:

https://strm.bogazici.edu.tr/en

Click here to see the course content:

https://strm.bogazici.edu.tr/en/course-descriptions

5. Fuel and Energy Technologies Non-Thesis Master Programme

It is a master's programme that teaches sustainable energy technologies to engineers who aim to play a leading role in the fuel and energy sector. The programme is structured to include the efficient conversion and utilisation of new and clean energy sources such as hydrogen and biomass as well as traditional sources such as oil, coal and natural gas. The programme also includes compulsory and elective courses on renewable and sustainable alternative energy technologies, energy-environment relationship and sustainability.

Click here to get information about the programme:

https://bogazici.edu.tr/tr_TR/Content/Akademik/Lisansustu_Katalogu/II_Ogretim_Tezsiz_Yuksek_Lisans_Programlari/Yakit_ve_Enerji_Teknolojileri_Programi

6. Executive MBA and MBA Programmes

Executive MBA Programme is a one-year training programme for experienced executives committed to the pursuit of excellence. The programme includes compulsory and elective courses on sustainable energy and its impact on financial decision-making, renewable energy and carbon finance, corporate social responsibility and ethics, green marketing, sustainable real estate development and its social, environmental and economic consequences, environmental law and sustainability.

In the MBA programme, there is a compulsory course ‘Management of Ethical Issues and Sustainability’ which covers the ethical foundations of sustainability, examination of the relationship of companies with the social environment, interference with private life, discrimination, trade secrets, harassment, plagiarism, unfair competition, unethical marketing practices, cyberethics, environmental ethics, sustainable business ethics, identification and resolution of real cases, corporate ethical behaviour structure and ethical programmes.

Click here to get information about Executive MBA Programme:

https://bogazici.edu.tr/tr_TR/Content/Akademik/Lisansustu_Katalogu/II_Ogr etim_Tezsiz_Yuksek_Lisans_Programlari/Executive_MBA_Yuksek_Lisans_Programi

Click here to get information about the MBA Programme:

https://bogazici.edu.tr/tr_TR/Content/Akademik/Lisansustu_Katalogu/Sosyal_BilimlerEnstitusu/Isletme_Lisansustu_Programi

7. Social Policy Master Programme

Social Policy Master's Programme focuses on the root causes of poverty and inequalities and the dynamics of social exclusion based on factors such as social class, gender and ethnic identity. The programme aims to examine the effects of these dynamics in areas such as employment, labour relations, health, education, social services, care and income, and to address policies designed to deal with these problems.

There are many elective courses on Sustainable Development Goals, including ‘Dimensions of Poverty and Inequality’, ‘Economics for Social Policy’, ‘Gender and Social Policy’, ‘Child Well-being’, ‘Care Policies’, ‘Health Policies’, ‘European Social Policy’, ‘Globalisation and Social Policy’, ‘International Organisations and the Impact of Civil Society Organisations on Social Policy’.

Click here to get information about the programme:

https://bogazici.edu.tr/tr/pages/lisansustu-programlari/389

8. Peace and Conflict Lectures

The‘Peace and Conflict’ course offered bythe Department of Political Science and International Relations and the‘Introduction to Peace Education’ and‘Conflict Resolution’ courses offered by the Department of Educational Sciences comprehensively address various dimensions of peace education. In these courses, issues such as human rights, social justice, disarmament, intercultural solidarity, environmental protection and internal peace are discussed; psychological, social, political and religious factors that shape conflicts are examined. In addition, theories of peacebuilding and reconciliation are analysed, focusing on issues such as conflict management, transformation and resolution at interpersonal, intergroup and organisational levels.

Click here to see the course contents:

https://peaceedu.bogazici.edu.tr/tr/dersler-0

https://ed.bogazici.edu.tr/tr/undergraduate-course-descriptions

University-wide Sustainability Focused Courses

Boğaziçi University aims to provide its students with an interdisciplinary perspective on environmental, social, economic and political sustainability through its sustainability-focused education programmes. In addition to prominent programmes and courses such as Environmental Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Sustainable Tourism Management, Fuel and Energy Technologies, all students gain a basic awareness in this field with the sustainability-related courses of different departments spread throughout the general education curriculum of the university.

In the 2022-2023 Academic Year Autumn and Spring Semesters, a total of 65 courses, including 31 undergraduate and 35 graduate courses, were offered on environmental sustainability and environmental issues.

Click here for detailed information about the courses:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mgJC9aysmavRhUmmlXZvQqDJeaIN5x2t/view

Boğaziçi University aims to educate individuals focused on sustainable development and solutions to social problems through its undergraduate and graduate programmes, which adopt an interdisciplinary approach. The University strongly reflects its responsibility to society and the environment by equipping its students with the knowledge and skills to produce effective solutions that are sensitive to global problems.

Click here for detailed information about the courses:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mgJC9aysmavRhUmmlXZvQqDJeaIN5x2t/view

BOĞAZİÇİ UNIVERSITY

Report on Courses Offered on Environmental Sustainability and Climate Science

This report documents the courses taught at Boğaziçi University that address the topics of environmental sustainability and climate science. The report has been prepared to serve as supporting evidence for ranking applications that require a documented overview of institutional sustainability reporting, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) reporting, and teaching activities related to the environment and climate.

The report covers three consecutive academic terms: the Autumn and Spring terms of the 2025/2026 academic year and the Autumn term of the 2026/2027 academic year, and specifies the terms in which each course was actually taught. The accompanying workbook, entitled ‘List of Courses on Environmental Sustainability and Climate Science’, contains the full set of records and the summary tables included herein.

A total of 59 different courses related to this theme have been identified: 37 are compulsory, 18 are related, and 4 are programme components. These account for a total of 577 ECTS credits. Course provision remained stable throughout the reporting period; between 35 and 38 courses were offered in each of the three terms.

Table 1. Thematic courses by academic term

Academic term

Compulsory

Related

Programme component

Total

Total ECTS

2025/2026-1

22

10

4

36

405

2025/2026-2

24

7

4

35

409

2026/2027-1

24

10

4

38

420

Unique courses (excluding repeats)

37

18

4

59

577

A course offered in more than one term is counted once in the deduplicated row and once for each term in the rows above it.

Table 2. Thematic courses by faculty and institute

Faculty / Institute

2025/2026-1

2025/2026-2

2026/2027-1

Specialised courses

Institute of Environmental Sciences

23

27

24

36

Faculty of Engineering

7

4

8

11

Graduate School of Science and Engineering

2

2

3

6

Graduate School of Social Sciences

3

2

2

5

Faculty of Science

1

0

1

1

Total

36

35

38

59

Table 3. Thematic subjects by level of education

Level of education

2025/2026-1

2025/2026-2

2026/2027-1

Specialist courses

Undergraduate

8

4

9

12

Master’s degree

26

27

26

43

PhD

2

4

3

4

Total

36

35

38

59

Table 4. Thematic lessons by sub-theme

Sub-theme

Unique courses

Sustainability management and policy

8

Water and environmental quality

7

Ecology and biodiversity

6

Energy transition and renewable energy sources

5

Programme component

4

Environment and ecological economics

3

Fundamentals of Environmental Science

3

Green technology and the transition process

3

Climate Science and Earth Systems

2

Climate Science and Policy

2

Energy infrastructure

2

Environment and health

2

Environmental chemistry

2

Environmental modelling and data

2

Climate adaptation and coastal systems

1

Climate science and the atmosphere

1

Ecology and society

1

Energy and resource efficiency

1

Energy storage

1

Environmental safety and risk

1

Sustainable built environment

1

Sustainable mobility

1

Each module is assigned a single sub-theme selected to reflect its main topic.

Course list

The table below lists all courses identified under the relevant theme, grouped by the departments in which they are taught. A tick indicates that the course is offered in the relevant term.

Table 5. Courses on environmental sustainability and climate science, by department

Code

Course title

Level

ECTS

Sub-theme

2025/2026-1

2025/2026-2

2026/2027-1

Related

Institute of Environmental Sciences — Environmental Sciences

ESC 301

ENVIRONMENTAL DIMENSION

Master’s Degree

6

Fundamentals of Environmental Science

●

●

●

Core

ESC 305

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

Master’s Degree

6

Climate Science and Policy

●

●

●

Core

ESC 306

EVOLUTION

Master’s Degree

6

Ecology and Biodiversity

 

●

 

Related

ESC 307

SOCIAL ECOLOGY

Master’s Degree

6

Ecology and Society

●

●

●

Core

ESC 315

MICROORGANISMS

Master’s Degree

6

Ecology and Biodiversity

●

●

●

Related

ESC 351

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Master’s Degree

6

Sustainability management and policy

●

●

●

Core

ESC 505

PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

Master’s Degree

8

Environment and Health

 

●

●

Core

ESC 509

RESOURCE CONSERVATION FOR ENERGY, FUELS AND CHEMICALS

Master’s Degree

8

Energy and resource efficiency

●

 

●

Core

ESC 510

GROUNDWATER FLOW AND POLLUTANT TRANSPORT

Master’s Degree

8

Water and environmental quality

 

●

 

Core

ESC 520

FUNDAMENTALS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Master’s Degree

8

Fundamentals of Environmental Science

●

 

●

Core

ESC 527

ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING

Master’s Degree

8

Environmental modelling and data

●

 

●

Core

ESC 528

DRINKING WATER DISINFECTION

Master’s Degree

8

Water and environmental quality

●

●

●

Core

ESC 530

RESEARCH METHODS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SPECIALISTS

Master’s Degree

8

Fundamentals of Environmental Science

 

●

 

Core

ESC 539

ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE

Master’s Degree

8

Sustainability management and policy

●

 

●

Core

ESC 541

ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS

Master’s Degree

8

Environmental and Ecological Economics

●

 

●

Core

ESC 542

ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS

Master’s Degree

8

Environmental and Ecological Economics

 

●

 

Core

ESC 549

CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY

Master’s Degree

8

Climate Science and Policy

 

●

 

Core

ESC 550

INSTRUMENTAL METHODS IN ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

Master’s Degree

8

Water and environmental quality

 

●

 

Core

ESC 551

ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

Master’s Degree

8

Environmental Chemistry

●

●

●

Core

ESC 554

Bioenergy and Biofuels

Master’s Degree

8

Energy transition and renewable energy sources

 

●

 

Core

ESC 557

ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY

Master’s Degree

8

Ecology and Biodiversity

●

●

●

Core

ESC 558

CONCEPTS AND MODELS IN ECOLOGY

Master’s Degree

8

Ecology and Biodiversity

●

●

●

Core

ESC 559

MOLECULAR ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

Master’s Degree

8

Ecology and Biodiversity

●

 

●

Core

ESC 569

MICROBIAL BIOTRANSFORMATION AND GENETICS

Master’s Degree

8

Ecology and Biodiversity

 

●

 

Related

ESC 572

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

Master’s Degree

8

Climate Science and Earth Systems

●

●

●

Core

ESC 577

DYNAMIC MODELLING OF SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

Master’s Degree

8

Environmental modelling and data

●

 

●

Core

ESC 578

SYSTEMS AND SUSTAINABILITY

Master’s Degree

8

Sustainability management and policy

 

●

 

Core

ESC 579

MASTER’S SEMINAR

Master’s Degree

2

Programme component

●

●

●

Programme component

ESC 594

SPECIAL TOPICS: GREEN TRANSITION IN INDUSTRY

Master’s Degree

8

Green technology and transition

●

●

 

Core

ESC 595

SPECIAL TOPICS: DATA SCIENCE FOR WATER RESOURCES

Master’s Degree

8

Water and environmental quality

 

●

 

Core

ESC 59Y

SPECIAL TOPICS: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS

Master’s Degree

8

Environmental and Ecological Economics

●

 

 

Core

ESC 651

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY

PhD

8

Environment and Health

 

●

●

Core

ESC 653

ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY

Master’s Degree

8

Climate Science and the Atmosphere

 

 

●

Core

ESC 690

Master’s Thesis

Master’s Degree

60

Programme component

●

●

●

Programme component

ESC 700

MASTER’S SEMINAR

PhD

2

Programme component

●

●

●

Programme component

ESC 790

PhD Thesis

PhD

120

Programme component

●

●

●

Programme component

Faculty of Engineering — Chemical Engineering

CHE 441

HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGIES

Undergraduate

5

Energy transition and renewable energy sources

 

●

 

Related

CHE 443

RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

Undergraduate

5

Energy transition and renewable energy sources

●

 

●

Core

CHE 465

OPERATIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY IN CHEMICAL PLANTS

Undergraduate

5

Environmental safety and risk

●

 

●

Related

Faculty of Engineering — Civil Engineering

CE 231

EARTH SCIENCES

Undergraduate

5

Climate Science and Earth Systems

●

 

●

Related

CE 315

HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING I

Undergraduate

6

Water and environmental quality

●

 

●

Related

CE 322

SUSTAINABILITY IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

Undergraduate

5

Sustainable built environment

 

●

 

Core

CE 414

COASTAL ENGINEERING

Undergraduate

5

Climate Adaptation and Coastal Systems

●

 

●

Related

CE 422

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING DESIGN

Undergraduate

5

Water and environmental quality

●

●

●

Core

CE 482

SP.TP: MICROMOBILITY

Undergraduate

6

Sustainable mobility

 

●

 

Related

CE 48C

SPECIAL TOPICS: PLANNING AND DESIGN OF ENERGY FACILITIES

Undergraduate

5

Energy infrastructure

●

 

●

Related

CE 48V

SPECIAL TOPICS: WATER RESOURCES, SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND SMART DECISION SUPPORT

Undergraduate

6

Water and environmental quality

 

 

●

Core

Graduate School of Science and Engineering — Chemical Engineering

CHE 542

ANALYSIS OF SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES

Master’s Degree

8

Green technology and transition

 

●

 

Core

CHE 543

CATALYSIS FOR GREEN TECHNOLOGIES

Master’s Degree

8

Green technology and transition

●

 

●

Core

CHE 581

SPECIAL TOPICS: SUPERCAPACITOR TECHNOLOGIES

Master’s Degree

8

Energy storage

 

 

●

Related

Institute of Science and Engineering — Chemistry

CHEM528

ENERGY SOURCES

Master’s Degree

8

Energy transition and renewable energy sources

 

 

●

Related

CHEM596

SPECIAL TOPICS: ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES OF THE FUTURE

Master’s Degree

8

Energy transition and renewable energy sources

●

 

 

Related

Institute of Science and Engineering — Civil Engineering

CE 681

SPECIAL TOPICS: FUNDAMENTALS OF ENERGY GEOTECHNICS AND THERMOACTIVE GEOSTRUCTURES

PhD

10

Energy infrastructure

 

●

 

Related

Graduate School of Social Sciences — Sustainable Tourism Management

TRM 521

DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Master’s Degree

7

Sustainability management and policy

●

 

●

Related

TRM 522

ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY AND TOURISM

Master’s Degree

7

Sustainability management and policy

 

●

 

Core

TRM 525

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Master’s Degree

7

Sustainability management and policy

●

 

●

Related

TRM 526

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND GOVERNANCE

Master’s Degree

7

Sustainability management and policy

●

 

 

Related

TRM 543

ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF TOURISM

Master’s Degree

7

Sustainability management and policy

 

●

 

Related

Faculty of Science — Chemistry

CHEM471

ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

Undergraduate

6

Environmental Chemistry

●

 

●

Core

Course titles have been reproduced as they appear in the institution’s catalogue. ● = a course offered during that term.