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Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)

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Applications for the 2021 part-time Master’s and Postgraduate Certificate are now open. 


Leaders today are making decisions in a world which is more volatile, complex and uncertain than ever before. Many organisations are recognising the need to better understand this changing context and equip themselves to lead positive change.

At the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, we focus on building the capacity to effectively tackle the world’s most critical social and environmental challenges. Our part-time graduate programmes are based on a blended approach of short residential workshops and virtual learning. 


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Part-time Postgraduate and Master’s courses in sustainable business


Mst in Sustainability Leadership

Master of Studies in Sustainability Leadership

Location

Develop leadership capacity to tackle critical sustainability challenges, with practical assignments and a research dissertation


Date

Full Master’s degree, part time over 2 years

Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Business

Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Business

LocationExplore emerging and cutting-edge responses to topical sustainability challenges and opportunities, with practical assignments.


Date

Equivalent to 2/3 of a Master’s, part time over 1.5 to 3 years

Postgraduate Certificates in Sustainable Business

Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business – organisational/value chains  

LocationExplore embedding sustainability within organisations, or across value chains, with practical assignments and a group project.


DateEquivalent to 1/3 of a Master’s degree, part time over 9 months

 

Find out more

 

Unrivalled credibility


The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) is a globally influential institute based at the University of Cambridge, with HRH The Prince of Wales as Royal Founding Patron. With more than 30 years’ experience of developing interdisciplinary leadership for a sustainable economy across multinationals, governments and individuals around the world, CISL’s delivery of these part-time courses provides unrivalled sustainability credibility.

 

Learn to lead transformational change


Study a part-time Master’s-level course to strengthen your leadership skills and embed sustainability in your organisation. These are some of our graduate students leading transformational change:

"I highly recommend the Master’s to any sustainability practitioners looking to be inspired, learn at the heart of where the action is and benefit personally as well as professionally from the experience - at a time when the sector is gaining increasing momentum."

Katerina Fragos, Manager of Sustainability and Climate Change at Procter & Gamble, Canada

 

"Within my cohort, we had participants from a range of sectors and countries. Having mainly worked in retail and fast-moving consumer companies, I relished sharing professional war stories with peers from automotives, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and finance, and from both in-house practitioner, consultancy, and civil service roles."

Helen McTaggart, Senior Sustainability Manager, Amazon

 

"Professionally, the courses definitely gave me the credibility and skills to communicate and be a leader on sustainability issues within my working environment. I also felt I had earned the right to talk about them. On a personal level, I became more reflective and considered in the way I approached issues."

Andrew Phillips MA FCA, Rural Director of Finance for the Duchy of Cornwall

 

"The course equipped me with the knowledge to move to the next level of my career. I had developed the expertise and confidence to use sustainability frameworks and models so fund managers could use that knowledge to ‘do well by doing good."

Elena Vydrine, Head of Portfolio Management and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Integration at Ryedale

 

"The individual assignments set throughout the course gave me the opportunity to reflect on the topics that we had learnt and how these could be applied to real world examples. They answered questions that I had asked throughout my career."

Galina Parmenter, PG Diploma student, Project Manager, Global Sustainability, C&A

 

Read about our graduate students leading transformational change


Foresight, guidance and valuable insights

22 January 2019

22 January 2019 – Natasha Walji, Sector Lead for Telco, Government, Entertainment & Technology at Google Canada, on forcing change, elevating the sustainability agenda and becoming a leader through her experience on CISL’s Master's in Sustainability Leadership.

A holistic approach to a global problem

13 December 2018

13 December 2018 – Andrew Phillips MA FCA, Rural Director of Finance for the Duchy of Cornwall, reflects on his time spent studying with CISL, and the impact of attaining both a Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business (PCSB) and the Master of Studies (MSt) in Sustainability Leadership on his personal outlook and professional career.

We need a radical shift in how we collaborate for the sake of the planet

30 November 2018

3 December 2018 – We have the power to change, take collective ownership and shift the built environment towards sustainable development, argues Dr Kayla Friedman, Course Director for the Master’s and Postgraduate Certificate in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment. We just need to seize it.

“I signed up for a course and left with a new network.”

29 October 2018

Helen McTaggart, Senior Sustainability Manager at Amazon reflects on how undertaking the Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Value Chains (PCSVC) at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) in 2015 enabled her to strengthen her professional network. PCSVC is now offered as an elective stream of the Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business.

Staying ahead of the curve: a Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma student’s journey

24 October 2018

25 October – Dr Carole Anne Wilkinson, of the Global Fabrics Sustainability Team at W.L. Gore & Associates, reflects on her experiences and the benefits of studying both the Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Sustainable Business, and attending multiple Leadership Labs with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

Stepping outside your comfort zone: the positive impact of the Master’s in Sustainability Leadership

22 October 2018

22 October 2018 – Shameela Soobramoney, Senior Manager: Group Strategy & Sustainability at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, reflects on the impact of studying the Master’s in Sustainability Leadership and how developing a deep understanding of the sustainability agenda helped her to integrate it in a meaningful and persuasive way into her own corporate sphere of influence.

Asking the right questions, unlocking the possibilities

27 September 2018

27 September 2018 – Paloma Lopez, Global Strategy Lead for Kellogg’s Masterbrand on finding clarity of purpose and a new beginning through studying CISL’s Master’s in Sustainability Leadership.

A profound change in design ideology: the impact of studying the IDBE Master’s

18 September 2018

18 September 2018 – Tony Ip reflects on the lasting impact of studying the Master’s in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE) and the need for a visionary approach and a global perspective to drive change within the built environment.

Problem solving: The sustainable way of thinking

2 May 2018

2 May 2018 – Vincent Triesschijn, Director of Sustainable Investments at ABN AMRO Bank, reflects on the development of the sustainability agenda and his own progress as a sustainability leader since studying CISL’s Master’s in Sustainability Leadership.

The IDBE Master's: Instilling a confidence for my future

30 April 2018

1 May 2018 – Gary Cass, Regional Operations Manager for Aedis Regulatory Services Ltd explains how studying the CISL’s Master of Studies in The Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE) has catalysed his career.

About

Strengthen your leadership skills, further your career and learn how to implement change and embed sustainability in your organisation.
Study a part-time Postgraduate or Master’s course through online learning and residential workshops.

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CISL is monitoring the Covid-19 situation and responding accordingly to UK Government and WHO advice. At present, we expect to deliver our Graduate programmes in 2021 as advertised. We are well equipped to deliver workshops remotely should the situation demand.


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Minette Belingham

“CISL helped me recognise that within the sustainability space I can have an impact within my sphere of influence.”

Minette Bellingan, Director of Global Sourcing, Amazon

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