Price
Domestic learners
$423* per 5 point course for domestic learners
International learners
$2,080* per 5 point course for international learners
*Fees outlined are based on the 2025 fee schedule and are subject to revision each year. Prices include GST where applicable.
Qualification
Digital badges for each course
5 points per course
Duration
Nine-week courses, requiring 50 hours of learning each.
Entry times
29 September 2025
2 February 2026
27 April 2026
13 July 2026
Overview
Developed with UC's Electric Power Engineering (EPE) Centre, our online Sustainable Transition courses equip you with the knowledge & practical skills you need to lead carbon downshift in your organisation or community.
This flexible series of sustainability courses offer a new way of thinking — one that moves beyond compliance and carbon accounting to address the root causes of unsustainable systems. You’ll explore the role energy plays in the climate crisis and gain the tools to design and implement impactful, real-world solutions.
At the heart of the series is the Interdisciplinary Transition Innovation, Management and Engineering (InTIME©) methodology. This approach helps you unpack complex challenges, shift your perspective away from the status quo, and identify high-impact opportunities for sustainable transformation. You'll learn how to evaluate transition pathways, consider economic and systemic viability, and make strategic decisions grounded in both data and context.
By the end of the series, you’ll have built confidence in your ability to lead transition projects, influence decision-making, and apply new frameworks for innovation. Each course builds on the last, from foundational concepts to hands-on project work with expert support. You’ll also earn digital badges and academic credit, along with the mindset, methods, and momentum to lead the sustainable transition where it matters most — on the ground.
Requirements
Each sustainablility course is equivalent to Level 8 postgraduate study therefore applicants must meet the entry criteria as approved by NZQA, and have;
- A Bachelor of Engineering with Honours, a Bachelor of Science with Honours, or other qualifications of an equivalent standard with a GPA of at least 4 in your 300-level and higher courses
- OR relevant academic or professional experience equivalent to the above qualification. Learners will be asked to demonstrate equivalent professional experience, which can include paid or voluntary work. If you’d like to check if you have the equivalent professional experience you can email us at info@uconline.ac.nz.
Courses are taught in English and therefore learners should be confident reading, writing and listening in English.
Structure
Our courses are flexible, enabling you to plan your study around your other commitments.
Our transition courses each take nine weeks to complete, and you’ll study approximately 6 hours per week during that time. Study time includes taking in course material, reflection time and writing assessments.
Optional sycnhronous (live online) sessions are also held every fortnight, giving you the chance to engage in real-time discussions with course facilitators and fellow learners.
Time commitment
Unless otherwise stated, Tuihono UC | UC Online learners study across terms, rather than semesters. We have four terms per year which consist of nine-weeks of study (including a one-week study break), followed by a two-week period of marking and feedback.
Upcoming term dates
Our current learning dates can be found below (please note: these dates exclude our two-week period of marking and feedback).
- 29 September - 30 November 2025
- Study break: 27 October - 2 November 2025
- 2 February – 5 April 2026
- Study break: 2 – 8 March 2026
- 27 April - 28 June 2026
- Study break: 25 – 31 May 2026
- 13 July - 13 September 2026
- Study break: 1 – 16 August 2026
- 28 September - 29 November 2026
- Study break: 26 October - 1 November 2026
Please note: these dates are provisional and may be subject to change. .
Principles
Establish the groundwork you need to move your organisation or community towards net zero. Gain a systemic understanding of the climate and resource crises, and begin building the mindset and foundational knowledge needed to drive authentic, impactful change.
Sustainability course taken: Transition Principles (EPEC601)
Pathways
Assess the current state of your organisation or community and learn to model different pathways to a sustainable future. This course equips you with transition engineering tools to evaluate which pathways are most likely to succeed — so you can make informed, strategic decisions about how to move forward. You'll learn how to think beyond quick fixes, and instead design long-term, practical transitions that work.
Sustainability course taken: Transition Pathways (EPEC602)
Toolkit
Grow your toolkit with transdisciplinary models and methods to address ‘wicked problems’ in real-world contexts. This includes economic modelling, decision matrices, and systems analysis, guided by the InTIME methodology.
Sustainability course taken: Transition Toolkit (EPEC603)
Transition Project
Apply your learning to a challenge in your own workplace or community, with expert support from our sustainability experts. This hands-on project will help you shift from knowledge to action, and start leading meaningful change from within.
Sustainability course taken: Transition Project (EPEC604)
What you'll study
Our sustinable transition courses give you the skills you need to implement transition engineering principles in your community or organisation, lowering carbon emissions and working towards net zero. Each sustainability course is worth 5 points at NZQF level 8.
Description
This course inspires and enables discovery and realisation of effective change toward carbon emissions downshift in a variety of organisational contexts (engineering, education, business, government, non-profit organisation and community). The course provides a quantitative understanding of the scale of the climate and resource challenges caused by unsustainable growth via a mix of theory, storytelling and examples. This course establishes the ground work for your journey to net zero in your community and/or organisation.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course, it is expected that learners will be able to:
- Evaluate the concept of, and the need for transition.
- Critically evaluate sustainability principles and parameters for success parameters as outlined in the Paris Agreement 2015 and apply them to develop strategic, context-specific sustainability initiatives for businesses and communities.
- Correctly diagnose problems and implement effective solutions to these problems and identify transition pathway options.
- Use effective leadership techniques to identify and empower actors of change and apply different cultural frameworks to assess sustainability problems.
- Apply principles of psychology and management of change to evaluate contemporary and past change/transition events.
Description
This energy transition course offers a comprehensive overview of energy and resources, helping learners understand their inter-dependencies. With this knowledge, participants can design effective transition solutions that work at scale. This course also examines community vulnerabilities to energy disruption and helps establish a framework for a forward operating environment within planetary boundaries. By exploring Transition Pathways, learners will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of different transition solutions.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course, it is expected that learners will be able to:
- Evaluate the global energy landscape from an interconnected systems and infrastructure perspective.
- Evaluate trends in energy types and their uses to inform transition scenarios.
- Model the impact of differing future hypotheses on transition pathways.
- Evaluate transition solutions' relevancy and efficacy using transition tools.
Description
This course delivers the further tools of Transition Engineering and how to implement them to tackle Wicked Problems. Learners are presented with new models to assess the economic viability of a Transition project. Current economical models are critically investigated to determine their limit in financing change. This course will underline the importance of an interdisciplinary and holistic mindset to solve complex systemic problems. With leadership and a complete toolkit, learners will master Transition thinking by effectively assessing complete systems and developing Shift Projects to achieve sustainable goals.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course, it is expected that learners will be able to:
- Evaluate affordances and limitations of economic modelling for sustainable solutions.
- Formulate and justify alternative economic perspectives and their impacts on transition processes.
- Apply transdisciplinary principles to impact transition leadership.
- Apply aspects of the InTIME methodology for tackling Wicked Problems.
Description
Apply the InTIME methodology and transition tools to address an authentic transition project that solves a wicked problem in your community or company.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course, it is expected that learners will be able to:
- Apply transition engineering methodologies and tools for an authentic transition project to solve a community or business wicked problem.
- Effectively engage with stakeholders for problem definition, the transition, and the desired future state.
- Investigate and assess an unsustainable system using relevant data sources and appropriate methodologies.
- Create and persuasively communicate a transition plan with stakeholders.
Stay updated
If you’re keen to know more about our sustainability courses, stay updated on when enrolments open or ask a question, please sign up for updates below.
Cap & minimum enrolment threshold: a minimum number of learners is needed for effective interaction and feedback, while a maximum cap of learners ensures high quality learning and support. If the minimum number of enrolments required for a course isn’t met, or the maximum cap is exceeded, learners will be given the option to defer their study or receive a refund.
FAQ
We strongly recommend completing all four sustainable transition courses to develop a well-rounded and comprehensive skillset in sustainable transition engineering. However, if you're only interested in one or two courses, please get in touch with us to discuss your options.
The overall cost of tuition fees per 5-point sustainability course based on the 2025 fee schedule:
- for domestic learners is $423* incl GST
- for international learners is $2,080* plus GST if applicable.
The overall cost of tuition fees for all four 5-point sustainability courses based on the 2025 fee schedule:
- for domestic learners is $1,692* incl GST
- for international learners is $8,320* plus GST if applicable.
Please note that the fees are charged on a per year basis and the amount charged reflects the number of courses/points enrolled in the current year. These are based on the 2025 fee structure and subject to revision – you can learn more about the University of Canterbury’s Tuition fee structure here.
If you register for updates about each sustainability course, we'll be in touch when we have news to share about course details, entry times and enrolment. You can also ask any questions directly to info@uconline.ac.nz.
Whether you need advice finding the right sustainability course for you or support with the enrolment process, we’re here to help! Contact our enrolment support team for course information, technical help and enrolment support.
Enrolments are made online through our Tuihono UC | UC Online website – please sign up for updates to stay in the loop about when enrolments for these sustainability courses open.
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