Leadership for Sustainability, Master's Programme (One-Year) SALSU

Programme, master’s level

60 credits

Malmö | daytime | 100%

1 September 2025 - 7 June 2026

Open for late application

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How to apply

International students

Full tuition fee: 100,000 SEK

EU/EEA students are generally not required to pay tuition fees.

Admission rounds

Tuition fees

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About the education

This multidisciplinary one-year master’s programme provides students with an understanding of organisation and leadership theory in the context of sustainability. Students will acquire a critical understanding of sustainable development and sustainability leadership. Furthermore, they will learn research methods for exploring and analysing sustainable challenges using leadership and organisation theory. This education provides a foundation for those seeking to lead and/or manage sustainable initiatives, in research and practice, that bring about change in the workplace, community and the world.

The master’s degree programme is grounded in four core premises:

that sustainability requires new forms of organising, especially when it comes to a project-based organisation involving diverse stakeholders;
that organising and leading sustainability requires new and diverse leading and organising skills, understanding and knowledge for managers and leaders of sustainable projects;
that organising and leading sustainability require a new way of thinking of sustainability within and between organisations. Current research on social entrepreneurship and social innovation can reveal new methods and strategies with regards to this; and
that methodological and methodical knowledge and understanding are needed to enable leaders to make sustainable decisions.

Based on these four premises, the programme bridges the fields of organisation theory, leadership, project management, social innovation and social entrepreneurship, so that new ways of organising and leading sustainability can be created. This will enable students to rethink common perceptions of leadership and organisational development.

A unique programme for future sustainable leaders and social entrepreneurs

In this programme, students are taught to reflect upon organisational and leadership challenges linked to organisational development and sustainability. This programme provides students with knowledge and critical understanding of current research in the fields of leadership and organisation, project management, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the context of sustainability and sustainable development.

This master's programme is also focused on action and doing via diverse projects and thesis work. This is a way to develop students’ professional, conceptual and interpersonal skills so that as future sustainable leaders and social entrepreneurs, they will drive sustainable changes and have the capacity to make informed decisions about organisational and leadership issues in the management of sustainable organisations and projects.

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars, and workshop enable interaction in small and large classroom settings. Group work is used to generate discussions about sustainability, especially while doing case studies. Study visits and guest lectures connect learning with practice. Individual papers, individual studies and thesis work focus on in-depth knowledge and mastery of specific subjects.

Career opportunities

This programme lays a solid foundation for those seeking to work as key players in project management and organisational development environments, and where the broader issues of societal development are important. The skills acquired during the programme will be relevant for managers in local, national and international governmental bodies, the private and non-profit sector and for consultancy work.

The entrepreneurial content of the course is designed to stimulate and encourage students to initiate projects, businesses or organisations with the purpose of working towards sustainable development.

Courses within the programme

Start autumn 2025 | Malmö full-time

Autumn 2025 - Semester 1

Spring 2026 - Semester 2

Syllabus autumn 2025

Earlier syllabuses

Entry requirements and selection

Here you can find the entry requirements, as well as how the available study places are distributed between applicants in the selection.

Entry requirements

Bachelor´s degree, consisting of 180 credits. The equivalent of Swedish secondary school English 6.

Selection

Applicants are selected in order according to precedence from submitted three-part supporting document.

Apply with a supporting document

It is recommended that you submit a supporting document with your application to this programme. If you meet the eligibility criteria but do not submit a supporting document, you may only be considered for admission if places are available.

To complete your application with the supporting document, follow the steps below:

create an account and apply to the programme via universityadmissions.se or antagning.se (in Swedish).
upload your documentation as a PDF on universityadmissions.se, antagning.se or send the document by post. You will need to demonstrate both a bachelor's degree and English proficiency to be considered eligible for the programme.
download and fill in the supporting document for Leadership for Sustainability, master's programme. We only accept submissions that use this document.
upload the supporting document to universityadmissions.se or antagning.se (in Swedish) by the deadline.

You find the supporting document here during the application rounds.

Assessment matrix for the supporting document

Part 1, description of previous experience

Not applicable (0p): Not assessed/unclear.
To a minor extent (1p): Provides a view of past experiences with a particular relevance to the programme in relation to leadership and organisation, and sustainability development.
To a high extent (2p): Provides the perspective of lessons learned of past leadership and organisation, and sustainability experiences in the context of sustainability trends that are relevant to the programme.
To a very high extent (3p): Provides a clear view of the experiences and lessons of past leadership and organisation, sustainability and sustainability trends, and the connections they identify reflect a high level of relevance to the aims of the programme. They also demonstrate an understanding of the relevance of entrepreneurship and innovation in the context of sustainability.

Part 2, description of academic work independently

Not applicable (0p): Not assessed/unclear.
To a minor extent (1p): The independent work has some relevance to the programme content (problem and objectives) however, logic and description connection to programme content could be more explicit.
To a high extent (2p): The independent work is estimated to have relevance to the programme. The applicant demonstrates analytical ability with respect to the problems and methodological knowledge.
To a very high extent (3p): The project work is considered to have great relevance to the programme and the applicant shows good analysis/analysis capability with respect to the problem and demonstrates solid knowledge and skills in the approach/methodology.

Part 3, letter of intent

Not applicable (0p): No assessment/unclear
To a minor extent (1p): The applicant demonstrated how education can be important to legitimise their continued work with leadership and organisation in relationship to sustainability, sustainable development goals and sustainability trends. The applicant can clearly communicate their arguments in English, demonstrating a good level of English writing proficiency.
To a high extent (2p): The applicant demonstrates a commitment to how education can enhance their continued work and interest with/for leadership and organisational issues and their relationship to sustainability and sustainability trends. The candidate's view of sustainability must be clear and comprehensive (e.g. includes more than the environmental aspect). The applicant can clearly communicate their arguments in English, demonstrating an advanced level of English writing proficiency.
To a very high extent (3p): The applicant demonstrates a strong commitment to utilising their education to enhance their continued work and interest with/for leadership and organisational issues in relationship to sustainability and sustainability trends. The candidate's view of sustainability must be clear and comprehensive including multiple aspects of the sustainability debate. The applicant demonstrates the ability to be self-reflective and demonstrates a clear, commitment to utilising their education to contribute to sustainability in research and practice. The candidate demonstrates an understanding of the complexity of the field of sustainability and sustainable development. The candidate’s arguments demonstrate the ability to communicate in English writing at the advanced level of studies and demonstrates knowledge of the current area's terminology in sustainability discourse.

Deadline supporting documents

The supporting document must be uploaded no later than:

3 February for students applying in the first application round (international admission round, 15 October–15 January).
15 April for students applying in the second admission round, (national admission round, 15 March– 15 April).

Supporting document submitted after these dates will not be accepted.

Late applications

If the programme is open for late applications, ranking will only be based on application date. Do not submit the supporting document if you apply after 15 April.

Final year of bachelor’s studies

You can apply to the programme if you are in your final year of bachelor’s studies and will receive your diploma before the programme starts. To apply you must follow specific instructions.

How to apply in your final year of bachelor’s studies (Universityadmissions.se)

Working towards a sustainable society

Originally from Australia, Samantha Seljak moved to Sweden to study the master’s programme in Leadership for Sustainability. Today, she manages her own brand and wants to help other businesses become truly sustainable.

Working towards a sustainable society

“I was looking to do a master’s overseas, and found that this programme was at the forefront when it comes to how sustainability interlinks with businesses and initiatives today, and I was very attracted to it for that reason,“ she explains.

Closing the loop

Today Samantha is managing the company Seljak Brand, together with her sister. They are dedicated to sustainability and the philosophy of the ‘circular economy’. The first product they have developed is a blanket made out of recycled merino wool.

“The product uses offcuts from production, so we are basically using waste as a resource and have a collecting scheme so that the blankets never end up in a landfill; we have managed to close the loop entirely.”

“My master’s studies have been really good for Seljak Brand, it has really enabled me to understand the value of consulting as a leadership professional, and how my brand can offer more than just products. And as the programme includes a major in leadership and organisation, the skills and understanding you gain are applicable in any workplace you go to.”

Combining sustainability and business

The master’s programme offers insight into leadership and management of projects, companies and initiatives, all with a sustainability focus. It has a holistic approach, where business is always considered from perspectives other than financial. This ensures environmental considerations are taken into account. In this way, the programme covers the basis of changing business environments, and uses business as a tool to benefit society.

“The 90s and 00s corporate social responsibility model is being phased out in exchange for true sustainability measures. This programme was great at delving into what those are and the tools you need to be able to move forward, no matter if you are working for a company, starting your own business or working in a non-profit environment,” Samantha adds.

Chat with current students from the Leadership for Sustainability master's programme. They can answer questions regarding their programme, student life, and what it's like to study at Malmö University.