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Programme structure

General information

Due to the international and interdisciplinary nature of BASUS, the study programme has a unique structure that allows students to learn about sustainability from multiple foci and to integrate various aspects of disciplinary knowledge into a truly cross-cutting perspective.
The programme is divided into three parts: Common Core, Track and Final Semester. All students take the same subjects during the first year of the programme (Common Core) and stay at the host university for the first two semesters – for the current edition of the programme, Uniwersytet Jagielloński w Krakowie will serve as the host university. Then, for semesters three, four and five students disperse across six partner universities to follow one of the Tracks, each of which focuses on the perspective of a given discipline on sustainability studies. The Final Semester is designated for the writing and completion of a bachelor’s thesis, with optional student mobility to one of the eight universities associated with the programme also being available. 
All BASUS students will be entitiled to all services and facilities customarily available on campus at the university of their stay. For more information and direct links, go to the Student Life section of FAQ.

Common core

Semester I
Introduction to Economic Development
5 ECTS
Introduction to Environmental Challenges
5 ECTS
Introduction to Social Issues
5 ECTS
Introduction to Sustainability Dilemmas
5 ECTS
Basic Statistics
4 ECTS
Mathematical Tools for Sustainability
3 ECTS
Introduction to Research Design
2 ECTS
Scientific Information Acquisition
1 ECTS
Semester II
Academic English: Research and Presentation
4 ETCS
Introduction to University Etiquette, Official Correspondence & Composition of Academic Texts
2 ETCS
Introduction to Environmental & Life Sciences
4 ETCS
Introduction to Chemistry & Climate Physics
4 ETCS
Introduction to Economics, Management & Engineering
4 ETCS
Introduction to Geography & Economics
4 ETCS
Introduction to Social Sciences & Humanities
4 ETCS
Introduction to Law & Politics of Sustainability
4 ETCS

Tracks

At the end of the second semester of the programme, students designate their track preference. As each track can admit maximum 30 students, students are admitted on the basis of the grades they received from the respective Introduction to Track source. If a student does not qualify for their top choice track, they will be assigned to either their second or third track of choice. 

Track: Environmental & Life Sciences

This track is coordinated by Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Go to the university website

Track: Physics & Climate Chemistry

This track is coordinated by Helsingin yliopisto/Helsingfors universitet. Go to the university website

Track: Economics, Management & Engineering

This track is coordinated by KU Leuven. Go to the university website

Track: Geography & Economics

This track is coordinated by Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Go to the university website

Track: Social Sciences & Humanities

This track is coordinated by Universität Zürich. Go to the university website
* Students choose subjects from each of four foci – they should earn 6 ECTS per focus, 24 ECTS in total.

Track: Law & Politics of Sustainability

This track is coordinated by Uniwersytet Jagielloński w Krakowie. Go to the university website

Final semester

The final semester is chiefly dedicated to the writing of the bachelor’s thesis.

The general rules for the writing and assessment of the thesis, such as writing in groups or final exam, are up to the individual regulation governing the university of the thesis supervisor, who should be a professor of one of the degree-awarding partners. If a project necessitates co-supervision, a co-supervisor can be appointed from any of the eight universities associated with the programme. To facilitate student mobility, the thesis supervision can be conducted either on-site or online.
With the thesis seminar being the only obligatory element of the programme during the final semester, the students can use this semester for additional mobility. The students can spend this semester at any of the eight universities associated with the programme and take elective courses from their offer. However, mobility is optional, and a student can stay at their track university instead.

Electives 

During the second and third year of the programme in addition to the obligatory courses of a student’s track and the bachelor thesis seminar, students are also to take electives. Students choose electives from the general pool of courses made available by the university of the student’s stay, i.e. their track university and the university they choose to spend the final semester at.  
During the second year (semester three and four) students are to earn at minimum 20 ECTS from electives; during the third year – at minimum 15 ECTS. Although BASUS is an English-language programme, the students can participate in electives taught in the national language(s) of their university, providing that they can prove their proficiency in said language(s). Other activities organised throughout the programme, e.g. summer schools, can count towards electives. 
The list of available electives in each partner university that BASUS students would be eligible to apply for will be published before each semester.  

Student Assessment & Examination 

Although all partners adhere to the ECTS credit system, individual grading systems and standards vary from partner to partner. As such, students will be assessed and examined in accordance with the grading system in place at the university of their stay, i.e. the host university, the track university or the final semester mobility university. 
 The Academic Steering Committee of the programme, however, ensures the convertability of all grading systems and will be responsible for coordinating the continuous assessment of student progress throughout the programme.