Lappeenranta, Finland
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 13,500 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* annual tuition for non-EU/EEA students
Introduction
Climate change and the green transition bring new challenges to technological, economic, political, and social relations and circumstances.
There is a growing need to solve complex problems of the future and the sustainability crisis at the interface between people and technology. Society and people depend on the functioning of energy, water, and food systems. Making these sociotechnical systems more sustainable, just, and equitable for people and nature globally and locally is at the heart of this master’s program.
As a social scientist with a strong multidisciplinary background, you will gain knowledge and a wide range of skills to analyze social, economic, political, and technological aspects of energy, water, and food-related systems and develop these systems towards resource sustainability.
You can work in a variety of managerial and expert roles. Job titles may include public relations manager, business unit manager, consultant, sustainability expert, or data analyst.
The program also invites you to engage with entrepreneurs and associations, enabling you to build networks and learn from real-life cases.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Early Bird discount / First academic year
When required to pay a tuition fee, you are offered
- an Early Bird Discount of EUR 6 000
for the first academic year if confirming your place and paying the rest of the tuition fee of EUR 7 500 within 21 days from the date of having received your Certificate of Admission.
Early Bird discount is available in both Regular Admission and Early Admission.
LUT Scholarship / Second academic year
When required to pay a tuition fee, you are offered
- LUT Scholarship of EUR 6 000
for the second academic year if having completed a minimum of 60 ECTS credits of studies included in the personal study plan during the first academic year.
With LUT Scholarship the tuition fee is EUR 7 500 for the second academic year.
The required ECTS credits will be automatically checked for and they must be included on your Transcript of Records by the end of the first academic year i.e. by 31 July.
Curriculum
The Master's Programme in Sociotechnical Systems and Sustainability Transitions is a two-year programme. It leads to the degree of Master of Social Sciences, M.Soc.Sc., which is 120 ECTS credits.
The programme includes core, advanced specialisation, language and multidisciplinary studies on critical systems of society as well as a master’s thesis.
Core Studies, 30–31 ECTS Credits
Include courses on system theory, research methods, innovation policy, public policy analysis, economy and society.
Advanced Specialisation Studies, 30 ECTS Credits
Includes courses on sociotechnical food, energy and water systems, renewable energy policy, sustainable water use governance, food security governance, and smart cities.
Multidisciplinary Studies on Critical Systems of the Society, 25 ECTS Credits
Includes courses on sustainable strategy, societal challenges and data, coding, and elective critical systems.
Language Studies, 4–5 ECTS Credits
Any foreign language.
Master's Thesis, 30 ECTS Credits
An advanced research project during the programme's fourth semester. The Master's thesis is a part of the advanced specialisation studies and requires approximately six months of full-time work.
Program Outcome
By graduation, you will have gained expertise in the functioning of energy, food, and water systems critical to society, the economy, and our well-being. You will be able to analyze and address the sustainability challenges of these systems at the global and local levels. You will also have acquired knowledge to plan and develop the governance and cooperation of different public and private actors and organizations. A deep understanding of ethics and a just energy, water, and food transition will be your strengths in the working world.
You will:
- Acquire knowledge concerning energy, food, and water systems and their role in sustainability transitions;
- Understand the governance of sociotechnical systems;
- Obtain skills to analyze environmental, social, and economic impacts of the energy, food, and water system transition at the global and local levels;
- Apply innovative thinking and problem-solving to energy, food, and water systems.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
As a graduate of this programme, you will be able to understand the requirements of the sustainability transition and the governance of various sociotechnical systems in transition processes. The programme includes solution-oriented approaches and focuses on decision-making at global, national and local levels.
Possible jobs after graduation include data analyst, director of social responsibility, head of a business unit, officer in sustainability administration, project manager, sustainability specialist or sustainability consultant.
You will also have a firm basis for doctoral studies in the field of social sciences.