When the guiding principle of sustainable development is embedded in teaching, research, and campus development, our university not only contributes to achieving the global sustainability goals. It also strengthens the ability of its students and researchers to address complex societal challenges in a responsible and innovative way. In this context, TU Braunschweig carried out a systematic evaluation for the first time in 2024 to assess the extent to which our degree programmes address themes of sustainable development - particularly the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For this purpose, the module descriptions of all degree programmes were reviewed in detail and analysed for their connections to the global sustainability goals.1
The evaluation shows that our degree programmes not only contribute to SDG 4 (Quality Education), but also provide key impulses for a sustainable future – for example in the areas of innovative technologies, future-oriented business models, health and well-being, and resource-efficient production methods. In particular, the technology-oriented and engineering degree programmes at TU Braunschweig make a significant contribution to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure).
The following section provides a more detailed overview of the SDG priorities identified for each faculty’s degree programmes.
The six faculties at TU Braunschweig address a wide range of SDGs in their teaching and contribute to sustainable development through their individual academic focuses. For example, the Psychology and Pharmacy programmes in the Faculty of Life Sciences have a clear link to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), as do selected modules in the Computer Science programmes at the Carl-Friedrich-Gauß Faculty. The Faculty of Life Sciences provides the academic foundations for SDG 15 (Life on Land) through its Biology programmes and connects these to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) through topics such as biotechnology.
At the Faculty of Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Environmental Sciences, scientific questions are combined with ecological urban and regional planning as well as sustainability strategies in the construction sector, providing important contributions to sustainable city development (SDG 11). The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering explores sustainable production patterns (SDG 12), while the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, and Physics sets one focus on innovative energy systems (SDG 7).