International Cooperation in Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development

• The programme has no analogues in global educational practice. It is unique in its content and is focused on training specialists in the new field of international and environmental relations in the Russian Federation, the post-Soviet space, and world policy. The programme trains unique specialists, whose role and importance in international practice and world policy is growing every year. The teaching staff consists of leading teachers with significant experience in environmental education, both in Russia and abroad. The total number of academic papers written by the teachers is over 200 articles and 5 monographs. The programme has been highly praised by Peter Launsky Tieffenthal, the Under-Secretary-Generalfor Public Information at the United Nations
• While studying, master’s students meet with representatives of government agencies dealing with issues of nature protection and environmental management. This includes the administration of St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. Students have the opportunity to practice at: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; and other government organisations involved in environmental management such as the Centre for Ecological Safety of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Students take an active part in the work of environmental non-governmental organisations, both Russian and international, including: the environmental commission of the Russian Geographical Society; and the World Wildlife Fund. A lot of master’s students receive grants for practical training at universities in other countries. This significantly increases their level of competence and makes them unique specialists in environmental international relations

Master’s students can gain experience of exchange education at field-oriented faculties of leading universities in Europe, America and Asia as part of the St Petersburg University international academic exchange programmes:

• The University of Bologna (Italy)
• École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (France)
• The University of Economics, Prague (Czech Republic)
• The Hague University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands)
• Helmut Schmidt University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg (Germany)
• The University of Hannover (Germany)
• Peking University (China)
• Sciences Po (France)
• Dresden University of Technology (Germany)
• University Magdeburg (Germany)
• The Université de Montréal (Canada)
• The University of Montevideo (Uruguay)
• The University of St. Gallen (Switzerland)
• Qindao Binhai University (China)
• The University of Southern California (USA)

• Agenda 21 as an action plan with regard to sustainable development
• Foreign policy of the states in the environmental field
• National environmental policy of the Russian Federation in the framework of international environmental cooperation
• Activities of international governmental and non-governmental environmental organisations
• International cooperation in the environmental field
• Regional aspects of sustainable development
• St Petersburg and the Russian North-West in international cooperation in the environmental field
• Cooperation of the Russian Federation with the USA in the environmental field and sustainable development
• Corporate social responsibility and environmental protection business projects

Graduates can work as: experts in analytical centres, academic institutions, and commercial structures; staff members of consular posts, cultural centres, intergovernmental organisations and non-governmental environmental organisations; teachers in Russian and foreign universities; journalists; and staff members of the media, and advertising and PR agencies.

Organisations where our graduates work

• The Administration of the Governor of St Petersburg
• State Duma of the Russian Federation
• The Legislative Assembly of St Petersburg
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
• The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation