Integrating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into engineering education: a practical framework for developing future leaders in sustainability

The climate emergency is one of the most critical societal challenges of our time. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly seen as key drivers of sustainable development, as they prepare future leaders to tackle critical global challenges. HEIs are further identified as key players in advancing sustainable development by incorporating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and sustainability into their teaching and learning processes. This paper presents a practical approach to embedding the UNSDGs into the curriculum of BSc Architectural Technology programme at Middlesex University London which is a pioneering exemplar for embedding UNSDGs at programme level at Middlesex that inspired many undergraduate and postgraduate programmes to follow. The paper introduces a developed and tested framework that offers a step-by-step guide to aligning entire programs and individual modules with the UNSDGs. A core outcome of this research is the development of a baseline for high level integration and a competency matrix that classifies sustainability understanding into three levels: awareness and appreciation, analysis and evaluation, and application and creation. These matrices, alongside the framework, serve as a practical tool for educators aiming to incorporate sustainability into courses in a systematic way. Furthermore, this research offers resources, examples, and a visual workflow that can be adapted by educators to ensure that graduates are equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and mindset to contribute to sustainable development.