Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeitsmanagement

Semesters 1–3

The core areas

The introductory phase of the degree programme lays the interdisciplinary foundation for the more advanced subjects in environmental and sustainability management. You will familiarise yourself with the technological and ecological basics and explore the interplay between sustainable development, economics and politics. Building on this, we place the focus in the following semesters on the core competencies of environmental and sustainability management.

The first semester lays the interdisciplinary foundation and consists of three central elements:

• You will take an in-depth look at the economic, political and legal framework of the social-ecological transformation, within which environmental and sustainability management takes place.
• You will acquire essential technical and ecological fundamentals that prepare you for the advanced technical courses in the second and third semesters.
• The module Responsible Management I: Ethics & CSR lays the ethical and theoretical foundation of environmental and sustainability management. It is the basis for the more advanced subjects in the coming semesters.

In the second semester, the core competencies of environmental and sustainability management take centre stage:

• You will engage with the central topic of sustainability strategies and get to know key tools from the areas of stakeholder management as well as environmental management systems and standards. In addition, you will gain comprehensive knowledge of sustainability reporting and ESG controlling.
• You will explore the (production) networks in which companies and organisations are embedded, and work on issues relating to sustainable supply chain management as well as circular material management and the circular economy.
• The semester is rounded off with essential technical knowledge of renewable energy and energy management.

In the third semester, you will build on the competencies you have already acquired:

• You will examine how companies and organisations can be transformed sustainably and what role innovation and sustainable product development play in this process. You will also analyse and reflect on forms of responsible sustainability communication.
• You will acquire important practical skills in the field of environmental cost accounting, with a focus on greenhouse gas accounting and life cycle assessment (LCA).

In the third semester, you will also have a number of specialisation options:

• Every degree programme at IMC Krems offers a “Future Skill” module (currently being expanded). You can freely choose a “Future Skill” module from this list, for example the module “Sustainability Consulting and Auditing”.
• In addition, we offer two specialisations: would you like to gain even deeper economic expertise with the module “Sustainable Finance”, or would you prefer to deepen your knowledge in the scientific field with the module “Waste Management & Recycling Technology”?

Semesters 1–4

Scientific foundation meets practical focus

As a university of applied sciences, it is central to our mission to connect scientific findings with practical application – and this is exactly what is reflected in our teaching. After completing your degree, you will therefore not only be an excellently qualified leader, but also able to engage in discourse at the highest level.

For us, a practical focus is more than just a buzzword: our lecturers bring their many years of professional experience into the classes. Specific problems are discussed and solved in a hands-on way using case studies and projects. You will also benefit from exchanging ideas with your fellow students, who contribute valuable experience from their everyday working lives.

A highlight in the second semester are engaging excursions to companies and organisations. Complemented by a cross-module project, this gives you the opportunity to apply what you have learnt directly in practice. You will visit companies that play a pioneering role in sustainable business – and build valuable contacts for your future.