Go Deep to Go Far
Graduate Degrees in Design for Sustainability
Ubiquity University is partnering with Gaia Education to offer GEDS students an opportunity to upgrade their GEDS certificate to a Master’s Degree, PhD or MA/PhD combination.
The reversal of the climate crisis depends on regenerative communities
The reversal of the climate crisis depends on truly regenerative communities which thrive within planetary boundaries. To achieve this, education is the biggest tool in the urgent transition to a more regenerative future.
Ubiquity University, in partnership with Gaia Education, is delighted to offer this graduate program in Design for Sustainability. The core course provides participants with whole-systems design and systemic thinking skills, analytical abilities, and practical tools to support the redesign of the human presence on Earth, one local community and bioregion at a time.
We recommend that your program begins with Ubiquity’s Creative Journey to Dissertation course, which will give you the tools to shape, and eventually write, your thesis or dissertation. You will then continue your studies with Gaia, and return again to Ubiquity for the higher education credential.
On completion, you will have enough experience and knowledge of these practices to develop your own unique and well-researched contribution to the field in the form of a thesis or dissertation.
If you have already completed your coursework with Gaia Education, you can begin the process to enroll with Ubiquity by clicking the button below:
About the program
The GEDS program, also offered in Spanish and Portuguese, is divided in four interconnected dimensions: Social Design, Ecological Design, Economic Design and Worldview, each conducted over an eight-week period. This course is completed with the Design Studio – providing an opportunity to work with a design team and focus on real-life design projects proposed by the participants.
For more information on the core GEDS program, please click here
Who is it for?
This program is for anyone who wishes to immerse themselves in the systemic thinking and approaches vital to the reversal of the climate crisis and the creation of regenerative communities worldwide.
During this program, you will:
- Gain a better understanding of the true meaning of social equity and participatory action, and be able to apply transformative tools that align us with more resilient social systems.
- Learn how to resolve the inevitable conflicts arising from group dynamics by stepping out of the cycles of pain and violence that have run through human history, and then taking responsibility for initiating new patterns.
- Learn the practices that help to sustain patterns of ecological interdependencies and nurture the conditions for all living systems to thrive.
- Discover more about alternative finance and the true meaning of economy and wealth.
- Explore many different perspectives and learn to build up a richer, more holistic worldview.
- Create a detailed project proposal and design in the GEDS studio.
Eligibility Criteria
Students must have:
- Completed at least four dimensions of the GEDS (Gaia Education Design for Sustainability)
- Possess a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university or college
- Possess a Master's Degree if you are applying for the Ph.D. option
- Must have English language proficiency at university/college level
Want to know more about this program?
Watch our recent information session here.
“This course is helping me understand the challenges we are facing in the world today and what the root causes are. What I find most valuable is integrating systems thinking in my approach and finding personal relevance in the content of the course. I would like to share the new insights I have gained with other people and I’m considering a new career path where I can engage further with key issues around inequality, climate change and economics. ”
A. Johnson, Spain
Ubiquity’s Academic Courses
- Creative Journey to Dissertation Writing (all degrees)
- Great Books (only for PhD, MA/PhD combined students)
- Chartres Academy (only for PhD & MA/PhD Students)
Program Completion Requirements
MA Degree in Design for Sustainability
GEDS Coursework
Creative Journey to Dissertation
PhD in Design for Sustainability
GEDS Coursework
Creative Journey to Dissertation
Chartres Academy
Great Books
MA/PhD in Design for Sustainability
GEDS Coursework
Creative Journey to Dissertation
Chartres Academy
Great Books
Electives (8 credits)
Pricing for Ubiquity’s Academic Courses
Note that these prices do not include the cost of partner coursework, Chartres in-person costs or costs of additional elective courses.
MA/MSc $5000
PhD $15000
MA/MSc/PhD $16600
Save up to
$830
paying full
Ubiquity offers a 5% discount for students that are able to make the full payment up front. That means you save $250 on a Masters/MSc, $750 on a PhD and $830 on MA/MSc/PhD.
Student Academic Journey
The duration of your student journey will vary depending on your degree pathway.
Ubiquity offers instalment plans for all degree students over an 18 month period.
About Gaia
As an award-winning provider of holistic Education for Sustainable Development, Gaia Education empowers students across the globe to see the interconnectedness of life. They teach the knowledge & skills needed to design truly regenerative communities which thrive within planetary boundaries.
They offer online and face-to-face courses, webinars, Masterclasses, and international project-based learning.
They believe that education is the biggest tool in the urgent transition to a more regenerative future, reversing the climate crisis.
The Ubiquity Graduate Degree
The Ubiquity Graduate Program combines the US and European designs of graduate programs with a blend of taught learning with research and writing. The thesis or dissertation must demonstrate excellence at every level. It must show awareness of the history of the literature in your particular area; demonstrate careful analysis and understanding of the field in question; and, most importantly, show how your insight can be applied to the real world. The dissertation must be scholarly and utilize extensive bibliographical data and footnotes. It should, in other words, be an impeccable work of research.
The Creative Journey To Dissertation
It is a 1-week intensive designed by our Dean of Graduate Studies Dr. Gyorgyi Szabo. The course is a critical part of the dissertation writing process and is a requirement for all MA/PhD candidates.
Faculty: Gyorgyi Szabo
Great Books
Faculty: Gyorgyi Szabo PhD, Jim Garrison PhD
The Great Books course at Ubiquity University delves into literature that has shaped human thought. Students discuss, analyze, and connect historical themes to contemporary global challenges, deepening their understanding of enduring literary works.
Chartes Academy
Our Chartres Academy is intended as a gathering point for a contemporary wisdom community to come together through the very same learning system that Fulbert and Plato used — the seven Liberal Arts.
Support during your Graduate Program
During your graduate dissertation writing you will be supported by a Major Advisor of your own choosing, as well as optional writing courses and writing mentorship.
