17.4.1 Education for SDGs commitment to meaningful education

METU demonstrates a university-wide commitment to providing meaningful education on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This approach ensures that SDG-related learning is relevant, accessible, and applicable to all students, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and awareness necessary to actively contribute to sustainable development in their personal, academic, and professional lives.

 METU offers 41 undergraduate and 177 graduate degrees (108 masters’ and 69 doctoral degrees) in 5 faculties and 5 institutes (https://www.metu.edu.tr/undergraduate-programs-and-degrees). Following are the programs that are directly related to sustainability:

• Architecture (BS, MS, PhD)       
• City and Regional Planning (BS, PhD)
• City Planning (MCP)
• Regional Planning (MCP)
• Urban Design (MCP)
• Computational Design and Fabrication Technologies in Architecture (MS)
• Industrial Design (BS)
• Design for Interaction (MS)
• Conservation of Cultural Heritage (MS, PhD)
• Earth System Science (MS, PhD)
• Environmental Engineering (BS, MS, PhD)
• Environmental Management (MS)
• Hydrosystems Engineering (MS)
• Food Engineering (BS, MS, PhD)
• Occupational Health and Safety (MS)
• Gender and Women's Studies (MS)
• Urban Policy Planning and Local Governments (MS, PhD)
• Marine Biology and Fisheries (MS, PhD)
• Marine Geology and Geophysics (MS, PhD)
• Oceanography (MS, PhD)

SDG-mapped courses across the curriculum

Faculty members map their courses to the 17 SDGs in METU's research information system, AVESİS. In 2024–25], 190 courses across all faculties were mapped to SDGs, so every student can see which courses build knowledge and skills for each goal.

University-wide programmes open to all students

In the first half of 2025, METU CLIMATE's climate and ocean awareness training reached about 2,500 students.

In 2025, METU CLIMATE launched the Climate Ambassadors Programme. Students from any department can apply, then work with academic and administrative units on the university's sustainability strategy and projects.