Towards a new typology of sustainability education for universities

This article addresses fragmentation in higher-education sustainability education. Much of the work done so far focuses on individual aspects of learning or curriculum development, but ignores broader institutional, governance, and contextual factors. Beginning with existing approaches to sustainability education, this paper highlights significant gaps concerning real-world impact, policy integration, and digital implementation. To address these gaps, we suggest a novel four-dimensional model: Education IN Sustainability, Education THROUGH Sustainability, Education FOR Sustainability, and Education AS Sustainability. This model orients attention towards a more comprehensive and defensible account of sustainability. We construct and test our model through a conceptual analysis of the literature, supported by policy documents and institutional cross-case studies. The analysis stresses the importance of institutional authority, digital change, and systemic motivation in incorporating sustainability in higher education. The article concludes that resolving institutional inertia and policy misalignment calls for a departure from curriculum-centred interventions and shifts toward more integrated multi-level approaches. The suggested model aids higher education institutions in meeting both quality education and global sustainability targets by providing a scalable, aligned teaching, governance, and strategic planning system.