Our Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development (MPP) made it into the Top 20 of the Going BEYOND Award from the ‘Global Business School Network’, a non-profit organisation founded by the World Bank in 2003, based in Washington DC, USA.
The award recognises programmes and initiatives that demonstrate a positive impact on society, and that go BEYOND traditional offerings from academic institutions and research journals. In particular, winning entries should show how they:
- Empower and enable people
- Catalyse inclusive and sustainable development
- Demonstrate contextual relevance
- Foster international connectivity and collaboration
The MPP’s intrinsic focus on policy and development, combined with its status within the United Nations, mean that all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are addressed throughout the programme and featured in Master’s theses.
In the autumn semester, SDG 1 is particularly addressed when training students to analyse policies. Other SDGs are introduced via Maastricht University’s trademark focus on Problem-Based Learning, whereby cases are used to explain major concepts and theories. Through these cases, students are trained to understand policy from a sustainable human development perspective, focusing variously on poverty, education, equality, and climate.
In the spring semester, each of the SDGs can be assessed through a course ‘specialisation’ focusing on one of the following elements: foreign policy, innovative governance, migration, multi-level governance, risk, social entrepreneurship or social protection. By the time they graduate, students have a deep understanding of the SDGs – and how public policy can address them and contribute to sustainable human development.
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The opinions expressed here are the author’s own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of UNU.
MEDIA CREDITS
Global Business School Network