Our Una Europa Joint Bachelor in Sustainability was not only the subject of several working meetings in Leuven, but also an important starting point for discussions about graduates of the future in Brussels.
The Joint Bachelor in Sustainability (BASUS) is an ambitious Una Europa pilot programme, coordinated by the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. It aims to equip students with interdisciplinary problem-solving skills and multicultural social competences, which will allow them to design and implement sustainable solutions, both in scientific research and outside of academia. The outcome will be a novel, ambitious and attractive programme, serving as a litmus paper for future endeavours.
This project is very much in line with Una Europa's vision of future higher education, explored at the last General Assembly in Brussels (November 16, 2022) during the panel Una Europa’s goal to empower Graduates for the Future – how to provide interdisciplinary, transnational and research-based education, supporting future European citizens? The panel was moderated by Prof. Hanna Snellman – Incoming Chair of Una Europa Board of Directors, University of Helsinki. Speakers included Prof. Kolja Raube – Programme Director for Una Europa Joint Bachelor in European Studies, KU Leuven; Prof. Piotr Szwedo – Academic Lead for Una Europa Joint Bachelor in Sustainability, Jagiellonian University in Krakow; Prof. Jukka Nurminen, Academic Lead for Artificial Intelligence, University of Helsinki; and Elvire Da Cruz, Co-chair Una Europa Student Board, Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne.
BASUS was also the subject of numerous discussions organized on the following day in Leuven. We managed to build on the results of this year's meetings in Paris (March), Helsinki (June), and Edinburgh (September), what allowed us to start developing the contents of particular specialization tracks. While the project is incredibly complex and time-consuming, it should result in a never-seen-before joint bachelor programme, covering vital topics in a truly interdisciplinary perspective – from natural and exact sciences to social sciences and humanities.
Stay tuned for future BASUS updates and read more about Una Europa here.
