The Implementation of the SD Programs for Management Curriculum: The Experience of Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

The present work describes the approach of Plekhanov Russian University of Economics (PRUE) to develop the course “Environmental management in EU” and to introduce the Sustainable Development Goals in management curricula. The process of course development included the following steps: study of the concept of Sustainable Development, Environmental problems, and Indicators of Sustainable Development; study of the European environmental legislation taking as an example the European Environment Agency (EEA); study of the European Environmental Action Programs (European Commission for Environment); study of documents from different conferences, scientific and political reports; and use of all these materials as basis for developing the course material. The course consists of lectures, seminars and computer labs and is a part of the syllabus for managers and economists in the Minsk Branch of PRUE. As part of a cyclical approach to environmental management, the development of the main stages, such as problem definition, environmental monitoring, practical approaches to problem resolution, and the regulatory framework, are considered. The cause-effect relationship between the problems of sustainable development and their interaction and interdependence are shown. Although education in the field of environmental management has received some attention in Russian and Belarusian universities, the established programs do not contain sufficient information about the development of this area in the European Union. The proposed program is the first experience of such a study, combining the regulatory framework and practical research in the field of environmental management in the European Union.