Integrating UN Sustainable Development Goals into Higher Education Study Programs: Implications and Opportunities

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 goals established in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. By incorporating the SDGs into their research and academic programs, higher education institutions (HEIs) are raising awareness of these issues among all stakeholders while positioning themselves as global and conscious institutions ready to address sustainability challenges actively. The chapter’s empirical section includes an assessment of SDG themes (e.g., poverty, inequality, climate change, and sustainable development) in Croatian HEIs in business and economics. The two-stage qualitative analysis covers an evaluation of (1) the strategic focus of HEIs as outlined in their strategic documents and (2) the implementation of the SDGs in the study programs/lifelong learning programs based on the learning outcomes of the programs and the topics addressed in the titles of the courses. The purpose of this work is to determine how and in what activities HEIs incorporate sustainable development issues and whether there are differences between private and public HEIs in prioritizing these issues.