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Teaching & Learning

Our Commitment to Meaningful Education around the SDGs

University of Galway is committed to meaningful education around the SDGs across the university, relevant and applicable to all students. We recognise the importance of increasing sustainability knowledge among all campus users, including students, staff and community partners. We are working towards an internationally-acclaimed sustainability curriculum that is relevant to the needs of society and responsive to change.

The University of Galway Strategic Plan 2025–2030, Of Galway for the World, reaffirms sustainability as a core University value and commits to embedding sustainability across all programmes and the campus experience. It aims to develop Galway graduates with the knowledge, skills and experiences to lead the transition to a sustainable future.Building on this commitment, the University of Galway Sustainability Strategy 2026–2030 sets out our ambition to embed sustainability and the SDGs across teaching and learning, with a particular focus on Education for Sustainable Development and developing the next generation of sustainability leaders and innovators.

Since 2024, two lecturers based in the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) have been working collaboratively across the University to support the integration of the SDGs and key sustainability competencies across undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes.

It is mandatory for all new staff members to undertake induction training. This includes a section dedicated to Sustainability & the SDGs (covering topics including energy & greenhouse gas emissions; nature & ecosystems; built environment; and health & wellbeing). Sustainability Induction training is a mandatory requirement for our Student Sustainability Champion Badge. All new members of CUSP and its working groups undertake sustainability induction training. Sustainability forms part of new student orientation.

Your Quick Guide to SDGs in our Prospectus

If you have a passion for sustainability, then grow it in Galway. University of Galway offers a wide range of courses – at undergraduate and postgraduate levels – with a specific focus on sustainable development.

Click here to find a Quick Guide to the SDGs in our Prospectus

University of Galway embedding sustainability across the curriculum

The University has set a target that sustainability will be embedded in all programmes. As programmes are built from their constituent modules, to gain a snapshot of progress to date, we first assessed the extent to which sustainability is covered in modules. A keyword scanning method was used to identify whether a module potentially covered sustainability (the method and its limitations are detailed below).

A sample of approximately one-third of University modules with learning outcomes was extracted from Akari, the curriculum management system. Following the keyword scan, three members of the sustainability team reviewed the flagged modules and agreed a final list of ‘sustainability modules’. We classified 226 of the modules as ‘sustainability modules’. Further data collection and analysis is currently underway to provide a performance indicator for the full set of modules and degree programmes offered by the University. This will be complemented by new visualisation tools for sustainability in the curriculum.

Keyword scanning tool: A research group at the University of Galway developed a tool to scan the curriculum for SDG keywords. This spreadsheet can take curriculum material (module learning outcomes) and scan the text for the presence of keywords related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This creates an “ESD baseline” from which universities can begin creating an ESD implementation roadmap. Using the tool to label modules as supportive of or focussed on certain SDGs can spark the conversation on campus as to what the SDGs are and how we can best educate them. A version of the tool is downloadable here: SDG Keyword Scanner - Code & Guide.‌ The two accompanying Excel spreadsheets can be accessed here: Excel Sheet 1: SDG Keyword Database, E‌xcel Sheet 2: Curriculum Metadata

Introduction to Sustainability Module

University of Galway introduced the Introduction to Sustainability module in Academic Year 2020/21 to provide students with a broad understanding of environmental, social and economic sustainability and the interconnectedness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Developed collaboratively across disciplines, schools and colleges, the module draws on academic expertise from across the University and explores topics including climate change, biodiversity, the circular economy, sustainable consumption and social sustainability.

The module has since expanded and is now available across all four colleges, with in-person and online learning options, supporting the University's ambition to make sustainability education accessible to all students. It forms part of the University's wider commitment to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), which aims to embed sustainability knowledge, skills and competencies across teaching and learning. See module breakdown here.

Dedicated programmes on sustainability and the SDGs

At University of Galway, we have many undergraduate and postgraduate programmes dedicated to sustainability and the SDGs. Here are just a few of them:

University of Galway also offers microcredentials on sustainability.

Sustainability literacy (Sulitest)

We use Sulitest to measure and track students' sustainability literacy. Since 2020, Sulitest has been incoporated in several sustainability courses, including Introduction to Sustainability, Green Labs: Principles and Practices, BSc Environmental Sciene, BSc Applied Social Sciences, MSc Sustainable Environments and MSc Environmental Leadership. 1,287 University of Galway students have taken Sulitest to date. In 2025, Sulitest continued to be used to assess students' sustainability literacy. Assessment records from September and October 2025 demonstrate the University's continued implementation of sustainability literacy testing within its academic programmes. An Irish module of Sulitest is currently in developed and, on completion, this will be rolled out to all University of Galway first year students at the beginning and end of their studies.

Education for the SDGs in the wider community

We provide education and outreach on the SDGs for alumni, local communities and the wider public through our communications channels, annual SDG Week events, annual Nelson Mandela Anti-Racism Week events and much more. See here.