In light of the urgent need to educate students on today’s major challenges—climate change, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss— the University of Montpellier has actively committed to an ambitious and multifaceted educational policy focused on the ecological transition, led by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Campus Life and the Vice President for Environmental Issues.
This policy and the resulting action plan are based on the report by Jean Jouzel and Luc Abbadie, *Raising Awareness and Providing Training on the Challenges of Ecological Transition and Sustainable Development in Higher Education*, and on the *Climate, Biodiversity, and Ecological Transition Plan for Higher Education and Research*.
To achieve this goal, the institution has chosen to integrate the concept of the Ecological Transition into its curriculum in various ways: dedicated degree programs, specific course modules, and the incorporation of the Ecological Transition for Sustainable Development (TEDS) into the curriculum of various programs. It has also supported the deployment of technology demonstration projects that enable the development of hands-on workshops essential for students—the future professionals and citizens of tomorrow—to acquire knowledge and skills related to TEDS.
The TEDS Course Unit for Undergraduate Students
Following recommendations from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research ( Research , MESR), the institution has established specific course units dedicated to the ecological transition and intended for allundergraduate students: the TEDS course units. The goal is to raise awareness among allundergraduate students—regardless of their field of study—about issues related to the TEDS and thereby help foster a culture of ecological transition within society and the socioeconomic sphere.
The topics covered in the course are organized into four main areas:
- Climate change, including mitigation and adaptation
- Biodiversity and Its Conservation
- Resources and Their Availability
- Just Transition and Social Equity
To ensure that the proposed course units best address the specific characteristics of each bachelor’s degree program—whose curricula, depending on the field of study, inherently incorporate ecological transition issues to varying degrees—the institution has chosen to offer the academic departments, schools, and institutes several implementation options that can complement one another:
- Use of the TEDS digital learning module—UM —created and offered by the school
- Creation by academic departments, schools, and institutes of TEDS teaching units that are tailored as closely as possible to their specific characteristics and needs
- Creation by academic departments, schools, and institutes of TEDS course units based on existing courses.
Incorporating TEDS into Training Programs
In addition to its curriculum specifically dedicated to the ecological transition for undergraduate students, the University is committed to ensuring that its students, as broadly as possible, learn to address the challenges of the ecological transition for sustainable development across all academic disciplines. With this in mind, the University has adopted a policy of integrating the TEDS into its various academic programs.
In practice, this approach can take several forms: dedicated course units within a program, topics addressed from an “ecological transition” perspective, analysis of the ecological impacts of certain activities, case studies focused on ecological transition, integration of sustainable solutions into projects, and more. The goal is to develop a cross-disciplinary approach that links the TEDS to various disciplines.
Ultimately, the goal is to equip every student with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to apply these concepts in their future careers, regardless of their field of expertise, and to prepare them to become citizens who are aware of environmental issues. In this way, this initiative helps to train professionals and citizens who are committed to preserving our planet in their daily lives.
TEDS-related training opportunities at theUM
Through its 8 academic departments, 7 institutes, 3 schools, and 1 affiliated institution, the University of Montpellier offers a multidisciplinary range of programs covering the major fields of law, economics, management, political and social sciences, science, technology, and health, thereby providing students with a variety of programs tailored to their interests and career goals.
Across this entire range of programs, an increasing number of degree programs include modules dedicated to the ecological transition. Some programs are even entirely devoted to these issues at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, in both national and institutional degree programs, and across all fields of study offered by the institution.
For example, here are a few degree programs focused on the ecological transition in various fields:
- Professional Bachelor's Degree in Energy Management, Electrical Engineering, and Sustainable Development (IUT Montpellier)
- Professional Bachelor's Degree – Study and Development of Natural Areas (Faculty of Science)
- Master's Degree in Law and Environmental and Sustainable Development Management(UFR D & SP)
- Master's in Environmental Economics (School of Economics)
- Master's in Management of the Ecological Transition and the Circular Economy (MOMA)
- Master's in Environmental Management (Faculty of Science)
- University Certificate in Green Finance (School of Economics)
- University Degree in Law, the Sea, and the Coast (UFR D & SP)
- University Degree in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development (SFC)
- European Diploma in Global Challenges for Sustainable Development (Charm-EU)
- Executive MBA in the Circular Economy and Ecological and Energy Transition (MOMA)
- Economic Assessment and Climate Change Adaptation (School of Economics)
For more information, explore our training program catalog.
