Higher Education for Sustainable Development Goals (POK)

Offered by Politecnico di Milano,
Higher Education for Sustainable Development Goals (POK)

The course introduces the concept of Sustainable Development and the recent debate and policies promoted at the global level to face urgent environmental and societal challenges. 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the SDGs, aiming at addressing ambitious sustainability challenges by 2030, are presented across the course program. The course concludes with a call for action to accelerate and demonstrate the active commitment of the HE community.

The course introduces the concept of Sustainable Development and the recent debate and policies promoted at the global level to face urgent environmental and societal challenges. 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the SDGs, have been promoted by the United Nations in 2015 aiming at responding to those global challenges by 2030. We all are called to transform our world toward a sustainable future, combating most of the inequalities and reducing the environmental impact of our societies. No one has to be left behind in this race, hence we need innovative solutions to address most of the SDGs on time and achieve these ambitious targets.
It is evident that Higher Education plays a major role in this challenge and has a big responsibility in driving the change. Educating future society leaders to sustainability is a must and has to permeate all aspects of your future career and personal life. We want our students to be ambassadors for a sustainable development.

Let’s start by creating knowledge and awareness on sustainability, discovering the richness and interdisciplinary connections that can be established among several topics, at least among the 17 SDGs. In the first week, the course introduces the main concepts and aims at giving back the transversal links existing among the goals. Along the next five weeks, the SDGs are presented, grouped according the 5Ps principles: people, prosperity, planet, peace and partnerships. Beside introducing the main concepts and definitions, we will accompany the SDG with practical examples, from research outcomes to on campus applications. Hence, a comprehensive picture of all the challenges will help you getting a holistic vision of the global challenges and position yourself with your theoretical and professional competences acquired through your study plan as part of the broad society. You will understand your potential contribution and societal mission; in short, you can make the difference towards a sustainable future!
You can access the course absolutely free of charge and completely online.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Introduction to Sustainability (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Introduction to Sustainability (Coursera)

This course introduces the academic approach of Sustainability and explores how today’s human societies can endure in the face of global change, ecosystem degradation and resource limitations. The course focuses on key knowledge areas of sustainability theory and practice, including population, ecosystems, global change, energy, agriculture, water, environmental economics and policy, ethics, and cultural history.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Sustainable Urban Water Systems (POK) Polimi OPEN KNOWLEDGE
Politecnico di Milano

Sustainable Urban Water Systems (POK)

Solutions for Sustainable Water Management in Resilient Smart Cities. The MOOC “Sustainable Urban Water Systems” aims to provide knowledge about modern and sustainable solutions for urban water management in water-sensitive cities. The focus is on stormwater control and water supply strategies for the mitigation of effects on the water cycles due to human settlements and climate change. In particular, the integration of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into urban drainage systems, the use of alternative water resources, and the reduction of losses and waste, make cities more resilient and add benefits to both the environment and community.

Available now
3 Weeks
Sustainable Tourism – promoting environmental public health (Coursera) Coursera
University of Copenhagen

Sustainable Tourism – promoting environmental public health (Coursera)

The MOOC introduces learners to key environmental health and natural resources management challenges associated with the rapid growth in international tourist arrivals into low-income countries. Since infrastructural and regulatory capacities in such countries are often limited they are more exposed to the negative implications of such development. The MOOC will present experiences and potential avenues to develop a more sustainable form of tourism.

Sep 28th 2026
3 Weeks
Embracing the Next Production Revolution for a new Africa Narrative (POK) Polimi OPEN KNOWLEDGE
Politecnico di Milano

Embracing the Next Production Revolution for a new Africa Narrative (POK)

A short introduction to the Next Production Revolution (NPR) paradigma as a means to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and unlock Africa’s potential to innovation. The course is part of a series of Sprint MOOCs addressing the Next Production Revolution (NPR) paradigma, as a new wave of technological innovation with disruptive implications in production processes, society and environmental concerns.

Available
4 Weeks
Sustentabilidad y Economías Sociales (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad de Chile

Sustentabilidad y Economías Sociales (Coursera)

En los últimos años el fenómeno del Emprendimiento con Sentido, la Innovación Social y la relevancia de la Sustentabilidad dan cuenta de la imperiosa necesidad de modernizar los esquemas de gestión de empresas y adaptarlos a una realidad cambiante, modificando paradigmas hacia las nuevas economías enfocadas en un desarrollo sustentable.

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Criterios para la Gestión y el Aseguramiento de la Calidad en la Educación Superior (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad de Chile

Criterios para la Gestión y el Aseguramiento de la Calidad en la Educación Superior (Coursera)

El presente curso tiene como propósito comprender el concepto, componentes e implicancias en la Gestión y Aseguramiento de la Calidad en la Educación Superior. Por ello, se revisará: los fines de las educación superior; qué son los sistemas de educación superior, criterios o ámbitos a considerar en la educación superior; procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje; sistemas de acreditación entre otros.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Sustainable Development Goals – A global, transdisciplinary vision for the future (Coursera) Coursera
University of Copenhagen

The Sustainable Development Goals – A global, transdisciplinary vision for the future (Coursera)

In 2015, the UN launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adopted by 193 member states, the goals represent an important international step in setting humanity on a trajectory towards sustainable development. Within this course, you will get a historical overview of how sustainability has been understood, as well as a thorough introduction to the SDGs – what they are, how progress can be measured, and how the SDGs are relevant for the management of the global systems supporting humanity. The course will examine how various societal actors are responding to and implementing the SDGs.

Sep 27th 2026
3 Weeks
ODS y sostenibilidad: una mirada desde los colegios (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad de los Andes

ODS y sostenibilidad: una mirada desde los colegios (Coursera)

En este curso veremos cómo podemos generar cambios y transformaciones (a nivel individual, organizacional y social) para la sostenibilidad desde la educación formal y no-formal. Partiremos del concepto de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) como un marco potente para generar reflexiones críticas, que nos lleven a generar acciones colectivas desde la escuela en pro de la sostenibilidad.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Global Environmental Management (Coursera) Coursera
Technical University of Denmark - DTU

Global Environmental Management (Coursera)

Learn about the best environmental technologies for a sustainable development and how they are managed in various settings around the world. This course gives you an opportunity to learn about global trends that influence our environment and the living conditions and how different management systems and approaches that are used around the world to manage the environment. This includes current environmental technologies built for the environment and technologies for sustainable soil management, groundwater protection methods and integrated Water resources management.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Energy, Environment, and Everyday Life (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Energy, Environment, and Everyday Life (Coursera)

This course teaches you everything you need to know about energy, the environment, and at least a number of things in everyday life. It starts by talking about energy itself and where it comes from. This includes how much we have, who has it, who uses it, and what that all means. The video clips are produced in a fast-paced multimedia format during which Professor Ruzic throws in fun and demonstrations. There are multiple-choice questions to check your understanding and some more in-depth exercises to guide you deeper into the subject.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Designing and Implementing Effective Entrepreneurship Policies (POK) Polimi OPEN KNOWLEDGE
Politecnico di Milano

Designing and Implementing Effective Entrepreneurship Policies (POK)

Description and analysis of the rationales, modalities, monitoring and evaluation of entrepreneurship policies. This course is targeted to policy makers, policy influencers, public servants and administrative officials who at various levels are interested in entrepreneurship dynamics and are responsible for the design and the implementation of related policies.

Available
4 Weeks
Natural Attenuation of Groundwater Contaminants: New Paradigms, Technologies, and Applications (Coursera) Coursera
Rice University

Natural Attenuation of Groundwater Contaminants: New Paradigms, Technologies, and Applications (Coursera)

Cleaning up the large number of groundwater contamination sites is a significant and complex environmental challenge. The environmental industry is continuously looking for remediation methods that are both effective and cost-efficient. Over the past 10 years there have been amazing, important developments in our understanding of key attenuation processes and technologies for evaluating natural attenuation processes, and a changing institutional perspective on when and where Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) may be applied.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks