Master’s graduates in Resource Economics and Sustainable Development (RESD) are highly qualified environmental economists able to hold positions of responsibility in government agencies and public administrations, (national and international) research centres, consulting firms, local bodies and organisations and (national and international) private companies.
The study programme delivers in-depth knowledge of applied economics and quantitative techniques, particularly for the analysis of environmental problems affecting natural resources, energy, decarbonisation, the circular economy, and a critical understanding of the complex interaction between economic decisions, market forces, economic policies and the natural environment.
Grafted onto a solid foundation of economic knowledge, graduates are distinguished by their ability to critically assess the qualitative and quantitative implications of environmental policies, to autonomously produce research, forecasts and plans on the evolution of the natural resources, energy and raw materials markets and to take part in the design, production and marketing of products which are compatible with a sustainable use of natural resources, with a view to a sustainable development of society.
The degree programme also includes a number of course units in individual natural resources, the use of resources, as well as the institutional framework of markets and competitive business strategies.
The core course units present the basic theoretical fundamentals of resource economics and the concept of sustainability and the main tools for empirical analysis.
The elective courses allow students to tailor the programme to their own professional goals and the need for more fundamental or applied aspects, and to develop an interdisciplinary profile, as required by the multidisciplinary nature of the subject in hand.
The theoretical fundamentals of the core course units cover the relationship between the use of natural resources, energy sources, business strategies and system sustainability.
They also cover the main methodologies of empirical and econometric analysis and the main evaluation and decision making methods.
Graduates are able to formulate conceptual and mathematical models, gather data and apply the appropriate evaluation methods, estimate parameters and assess qualitative and quantitative results.
The interdisciplinary elements of the study programme allow graduates to interact profitably with the main sector stakeholders, to acquire the information necessary for evaluation and decision making processes. These elements provide graduates with the skills required for a successful career as experts in the energy transition, decarbonisation and circular use of resources, allowing them to define sustainable business strategies which can lead to a reduced environmental impact and a greater competitive advantage.
By integrating their theoretical and empirical knowledge with elective course units tackling the problem of innovation and growth, measuring wellbeing and social sustainability as well as the issues of the effectiveness and efficiency of economic policy tools, graduates are increasingly able to act as economic and environmental consultants, energy managers, ESG analysts, sustainability reporting experts, and to steer economic policy in energy and environmental areas.
The elective course units covering the problems of a) economic development, b) territorial development, planning and management, c) decarbonisation, d) spatial interaction of individuals, e) energy systems and their effect on the environment and sustainability, orient graduates more towards the roles of local and regional economic development programming experts, territorial/environmental planning experts, and energy transition and decarbonisation experts.
