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Programme director: İdil Gaziulusoy

The Master’s Programme in Creative Sustainability (CS) provides an interdisciplinary learning
platform in the fields of business, design, and materials and chemical engineering.

Complex sustainability challenges, such as climate crisis, the loss of biodiversity, and poverty
and inequality, call for new mindsets and skills. These mindsets should incorporate a
systems-based view of the planet and the ability to work with professionals from different
fields and cultures. Sustainability challenges require critical insight and multi-level
collaboration that involve a wide range of stakeholders with often competing interests and
values. The CS programme prepares students to respond to these challenges through
engagement in its international, inclusive and diverse learning environment.

The CS programme brings together students who are devoted to developing systemic
solutions, working in interdisciplinary teams and challenging themselves with practical
learning tasks. Creativity in the programme denotes a focus on fresh, holistic and emerging
innovations and far-reaching alternative, regenerative futures. The studies include state-ofthe-
art knowledge about the interlinked environmental, economic and socio-cultural
aspects of sustainability coupled with learning in practical projects conducted together with
partner organizations.

The CS programme is organised jointly by the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, the
School of Business and the School of Chemical Engineering. Students who enter
the programme via the School of Arts, Design and Architecture graduate with
a degree of Master of Arts. Students who enter the programme via the School of Business
graduate with a degree of Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration.
Students who enter the programme via the School of Chemical Engineering graduate with a
degree of Master of Science (Technology).

• Systems thinking: Students are able to use systems thinking to create new holistic and critical understandings of complex sustainability challenges and socio-ecological relations. 
• Interdisciplinary competences: Students are able to work in diverse teams with experts and stakeholders; to combine knowledge, skills and values from different disciplines and domains in society; and to co-create innovative solutions for real-life challenges. 
• Change-making: Students develop a change-maker mindset, and are able to generate action-oriented strategies, make interventions and promote transformations towards ecologically, economically and socially sustainable futures. 
• Sustainability in materials use: Students understand the constraints on the use of natural resources, the principles and limits of resource-efficiency, circular economy and innovation for new sustainable materials, and are able to use analytical tools for sustainable materials use and sustainable consumption. 
• Design thinking: Students recognise tools and methods to support creativity and imagination, and are able to facilitate dialogue, empathy and collaboration in creative processes. 
• Sustainability management: Students are able to develop, speak for and manage sustainability initiatives in businesses and other organizations, are able to work proactively to promote sustainable development through responsible business, and recognise the capacities of public policy in promoting sustainability. 

The Creative Sustainability programme is organised jointly by the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, the School of Business, and the School of Chemical Engineering. The two-year studies in CS programme comprise a total of 120 ECTS, divided into compulsory joint Creative Sustainability studies, compulsory studies of the student’s field (design/ business/ chemical engineering), elective studies, and master’s thesis. 

For students in design, the Creative Sustainability Master’s Programme provides skills and knowledge to promote sustainable development through critical analytical skills, collaboration and creative design practice. Sustainability is an increasingly relevant design perspective as designers are expected to critically examine different framings of sustainability concerns and to contribute to novel solutions. After completing the degree in CS in the Department of Design students are able to

• Practice transparent, responsible and critical design in different political, societal and business contexts
• Participate in and lead debates on design and sustainability
• Carry out design research to support their practical work

For students in business, the Creative Sustainability Master’s Programme builds the skills and knowledge to promote sustainable development through business. The linkages between business and sustainability are highly important in contemporary organizations, whether one wishes to be a sustainability specialist in business, or a management professional operating in some other field.

For students of materials and chemical engineering, the Creative Sustainability Master’s Programme provides the skills, knowledge and competencies needed to promote sustainable development in engineering. Sustainability is important in all fields of engineering, and increasingly professionals are expected to not only develop solutions for managing, for example, critical material flows, production processes and infrastructures, but also to participate in interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder innovation processes that enhance sustainability.

Code: ARTS215.M
Head of CS Design: İdil Gaziulusoy

Students choose 30 ECTS of elective studies. As elective studies, students can complete minor studies and/or take individual courses from other programmes at Aalto University or other Finnish universities, participate in an international student exchange programme, do an internship in Finland or abroad, or take courses from the Creative Sustainability electives list. Students are also recommended to take courses from the Department of Design, such as MUO-E3052 Designing for Services.

Elective studies are completed during the 1. year and 2. year.

Elective studies offered in Master’s Programme in Creative Sustainability:

* The course has prerequisites: “WAT-E3020 State of the World and Development” and “WATE2006 Sustainable Built Environment”. Or similar knowledge, such as, UNIPID virtual studies.

Other elective studies: 

See more information of other elective studies for CS Design students.

Language study requirements for CS Design students

Your master's degree may include compulsory language studies, which will be included in elective studies. If you are unsure whether you need to demonstrate your language skills in the master's degree, contact your programme coordinator for more information. 

The required language studies depend on the language of education and whether you have completed language studies in a Bachelor's degree.

More information of the language study requirements

Code: BIZ522
Head of CS Business: Leena Lankoski

Master's degree includes 31 credits of freely chosen electives. The elective studies may include a minor if the student so chooses. A list of potentially interesting electives is provided below but students can also choose courses that are not on the list.

Instructions for choosing elective studies

You can choose elective studies to your Master's degree so that the scope of the degree (120 credits) is fulfilled. You can exceed the scope of the degree by one course maximum.

Elective studies can include basic, intermediate or advanced level courses. You can use the module e.g.

• To complete a minor
• To broaden your skills and knowledge via multidisciplinary studies:
  • select courses in the field of technology or art
  • select courses in other universities via JOO study right NB! Aalto has resigned from the JOO agreement as of January 1, 2026.
  • select courses in the European 
  • Select gender studies via Hilma network or other Aalto networks
• To gain entrepreneurial skills
• To deepen your language and communication skills
  • by selecting language and communication courses offerd by Aalto language center ()
  • by selecting courses from the 
• To deepen or broaden your skills and knowledge in the field of business
  • select additional courses in your degree programme or major
  • select courses from other degree progarmmes or majors in the School of Business
  • select additional courses in your minor
  • complete the Customized Student Business project BIZ-E0100 (read more here)
• To gain work experience and working life skills via an internship (read more at During your studies > Other studies)
• To gain skills in self leadership, finding meaningfulness, and improving study wellbeing via Personal Impact courses

Elective studies completed outside of Aalto University

Elective studies must be on higher education level, primarily part of the degree studies of the organising institution and meet the intended learning goals of the degree completed at the Aalto University School of Business. Higher education institutions also offer studies outside degree education aimed at a wide audience, and the suitability of such studies is assessed by evaluating the correspondence to the learning outcomes of the degree. 

Starting from 1 August 2025, the credit transfer process to the electives studies of the degree has changed. Read more about this change in the news article. 

Are you planning to take studies outside of Aalto University and include them in the elective studies? 

If the course you are taking is worth 1–3 credits and can be completed flexibly online, apply for a permission to include the course in your degree in advance. For other courses, follow the normal credit transfer process. 

How to apply for the approval

1. In Sisu, add a study draft of the course you wish to take in your study plan
2. Write an informal application in which you justify why you want to include said course in your degree. In your justifications, consider the entity of the degree and the skills and knowledge you would acquire.
3. Send the application to the Planning Officer of your major or programme. You can find the contact information of the Planning Officers in the Student Guide on your programme’s pages in the section Contact.
4. The decision is made by the School of Business’s Vice Dean for Education. The applications are processed approximately once a month.
5. If the course is approved, complete it and afterwards, apply for a credit transfer (inclusion) in Sisu via the study draft as per usual. 

This procedure is applied only to 1-3 credit courses that can be completed flexibly online outside of Aalto University. 

Elective studies cannot overlap with other courses included in the degree.

Minor

The scope of the minor varies depending on the minor. Please check each minor's requirements. For a list of all the minors at Aalto University, see Aalto Minors hub.

Please also check your programme's curriculum to see if there are any requirements for the minor in your programme.

A minor included in the Master's degree can be one of the following:

1. a module confirmed in the curriculum (a minor study entity offered at the School of Business)
2. a module completed in an official exchange programme partner of the School of Business or in another programme meeting the requirements set in the official exchange programme policy of the School of Business
3. a module earned at another Aalto University school
4. a module earned at another Finnish university e.g. under the agreement on flexible study rights (JOO agreement). NB! Aalto has resigned from the JOO agreement as of January 1, 2026.

Exchange studies is a very popular minor among the students of the School of Business. If you are interested in completing exchange studies as your minor, .

Mandatory language studies

If you have mandatory language studies in your master's degree, they are included in the elective studies module. You have received information about these in the beginning of your studies, if this applies to you. If you are uncertain of whether you need to demonstrate language proficiency in the master's degree, please contact your programme's planning officer to get further information about the matter. 

• If you have completed your bachelor's degree in Finland (in Aalto or in another higher education institute), you have fulfilled the compulsory language requirements in the respective degree or received the exemption. You do not need to complete language studies in the master's degree.
• If your language of education is Finnish or Swedish and you have completed your bachelor’s degree outside of Finland, you must demonstrate proficiency in national languages by writing the maturity test in your language of education (Finnish or Swedish) and complete the language proficiency tests in the other national language. Read more about the language of education here. You may also apply for an exemption of demonstrating proficiency in national languages. See also the following bullet.
• If you have completed your bachelor’s degree outside of Finland, you must complete minimum of 3 ECTS in English. You can choose any course on B2 level or higher. Students, whose language of education is not Finnish or Swedish, may alternatively complete an elementary course in Finnish or in Swedish. The courses in national languages can be at any level on CEFR scale.

Language studies are included in students’ elective studies and are agreed in the personal study plan (HOPS). Language center offers the language studies.

Elective studies offered in Master’s Programme in Creative Sustainability:

* The course has prerequisites: “WAT-E3020 State of the World and Development” and “WATE2006 Sustainable Built Environment”. Or similar knowledge, such as, UNIPID virtual studies.

Code: CHEM3056
Head of CS CHEM: Mark Hughes

The Creative Sustainability in Materials and Chemical Engineering contains 30 (10 + 20) credits of elective studies:

• 10 cr need to be completed from the electives from ARTS/BIZ/CHEM (Creative Sustainability electives list below).
• 20 cr: as elective studies, students can complete minor studies and/or take individual courses from other programmes at Aalto University or other Finnish universities, participate in an international student exchange programme, or take more courses from the Creative Sustainability electives list.

Language studies

Language studies are mandatory according ɫɫ�� degree regulation. If you have taken equivalent language studies in your bachelor’s degree, you do not have to take them in your master’s degree. This means 3 credits including both oral and written part. You can select courses that have letters O (for oral) and W (for written) in their name. Also basic Finnish and Swedish courses can be applied here.

Minor

Students can also include a minor in their studies as part of the elective studies. All minors offered in Aalto can be found here.

You can browse all currently offered courses on .

Elective studies offered in Master’s Programme in Creative Sustainability:

* The course has prerequisites: “WAT-E3020 State of the World and Development” and “WATE2006 Sustainable Built Environment”. Or similar knowledge, such as, UNIPID virtual studies.