Study of the presence of sustainability in first-cycle degree curricula: An instrument for analysis

The purpose of this research was to analyse the presence of sustainability in reports corresponding to the curriculum of bachelor's degree programmes at the University of Cadiz, Spain. It has been widely recognised that universities must provide the career training that society demands today and that education for sustainability is one of the key elements in such training. The contents of reports on the curricula of two degree programmes from each of the five major areas of study were analysed. The instrument for analysis was developed over the research process and comprises a set of categories and indicators that reflect the principles of sustainability in the different sections of the curricula. The instrument has proved to be a powerful tool to achieve the initial purpose. The results reveal that sustainability has a scarce presence in the curricula analysed, particularly in technical education, despite the proposal of the Conference of Spanish University Rectors (CRUE) to integrate these principles in the curricula. It was found that the curricular elements of the degree programmes generally lack the internal consistency required to promote an adequate education for sustainability.