Environmental sustainability: registration is now open for the 31st edition of the GECA Master’s programme at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna

Enrolment is now open for the 31st edition of the Level II Master’s Degree in Environmental Management and Control (GECA), Italia’s longest-running postgraduate programme dedicated to environmental sustainability. With a job placement rate of over 90 per cent within a year of graduation, the Master’s programme trains professionals capable of supporting businesses, institutions and public bodies in tackling the challenges associated with environmental and resource management. The programme addresses some of the key issues in the transition towards sustainable development models: the circular economy, decarbonisation, biodiversity and the measurement of socio-environmental impacts, alongside their geopolitical, economic and environmental implications. Applications may be submitted until Monday 16 November 2026. Further information can be found on the Master’s programme website: https://www.santannapisa.it/it/formazione/master-geca

“Sustainability is a different way of conceiving development, which aims to reconcile economic competitiveness, quality of life and environmental balance within a long-term perspective that takes future generations into account. For more than thirty years, the GECA Master’s programme has been developing the interdisciplinary and systemic skills needed to tackle the transitions inherent in the challenge of sustainability (climate, energy, the circular economy, etc.), through an innovative and engaging learning programme,” says Marco Frey, coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Sustainability and Climate at the Sant’Anna School and director of the Master’s programme.

Over the years, the GECA Master’s programme has trained hundreds of sustainability managers, capable of supporting businesses, institutions and public bodies in defining strategies for the circular and efficient management of natural resources, with specific expertise in the areas of waste, energy, water and natural capital. The programme is aimed at both recent graduates and professionals wishing to acquire or update their skills in sustainability management. For those already in employment or with limited time, it is possible to enrol on individual modules without having to complete the entire Master’s programme.

Lectures, practical sessions, business case studies, field visits, project work and curricular placements form part of an interdisciplinary curriculum that integrates expertise in engineering, economics, law, management and environmental sciences. Topics covered include carbon footprints, auditing, sustainability reporting, supply chain management, green marketing and the design of circular models.
A central role is also played by the relationship with partner companies and organisations, which are involved in teaching activities, workshops and the delivery of project work. The programme concludes with a curricular placement, through which the School facilitates contact between Master’s students and partner organisations.