Sustainable Green Educational Paths in the Italian Higher Education Institutions: A Text Mining Approach

Abstract

In response to the global imperative of environmental sustainability, higher education institutions play a pivotal role in shaping a green-conscious society. This study delves into the landscape of Italian university education, analyzing the green educational offer and examining the degree programs with a dedicated focus on environmental sustainability promoted during the academic year 2021–2022. For this purpose, we employed statistical-textual analyses techniques to examine the texts describing the educational objectives and the expected professional outcomes after the completion of the study paths for 179 Italian green degree courses (BA and MS), analyzing a corpus resulting in 144,709 occurrences. In particular, the multifaceted nature of the green educational approach, including its multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary orientation, attention to territorial dynamics, intersectoral collaboration, and the balance between theoretical and applied training, are studied. The results reveal an integration of these crucial elements within the Italian university educational offer. This research addresses the growing importance of environmental sustainability in higher education and provides insights into how Italian universities contribute to this global discourse. The findings contribute to ongoing discussions on refining educational strategies, aligning with global sustainability goals, and fostering a generation of environmentally conscious and skilled professionals.