Tallinn University of Technology

Table of Contents

Can an Innovative and Digital Society Become Sustainable?

Estonia’s digital revolution has shown the world what a fully networked society can achieve. But as technology accelerates, the question remains: can digital progress and sustainability truly coexist? At TalTech, we believe the answer lies in rethinking economics, innovation, and governance. 

Why choose Technology Governance & Sustainability program at TalTech?

  • Learn from Estonia’s digital success story. Study in the world’s most advanced digital society and explore how its experience can inform global sustainability transitions.
  • Think beyond the mainstream. Engage with post-growth economics, commons-based innovation, alternative governance models, and critical discussion on innovation and digital transformations– ideas shaping the next era of development.
  • Bridge theory and practice. Work on real-world projects with EU institutions, Estonian government agencies, and innovation hubs in Tallinn and beyond.
  • Study together with internationally distinguished, award-winning professors. Some of the most celebrated thinkers in the fields of innovation and governance will teach you, including Carlota Perez, Erik S. Reinert, Vasileios Kostakis, Wolfgang Drechsler, Jan A. Kregel, and Erkki Karo, among many others. You will also benefit from site visits and guest lectures from leading innovators.
  • Join a global network of change-makers. Our alumni lead sustainability and innovation initiatives in international organizations, governments, and tech-driven enterprises worldwide.
  • Tailor your studies to your interests. Combine academic courses with hands-on experience – take part in a consultancy project, join research activities, or contribute to civic initiatives to build a profile that truly reflects who you are.
  • Get your Master’s degree with an exam and on your own timeline. Complete your degree with a comprehensive final exam and finish the programme in 1.5 years, or even in one year if you’re ready to take on an intensive pace.
     

The TG&S program focuses on the major issues that will affect developments across the globe during the next decade.

  1. How digitalization and AI can accelerate – or hinder – sustainability goals
  2. Governance strategies for socio-technical transitions
  3. The role of innovation ecosystems in shaping equitable futures
     

Apply Here

Overview

The Technology Governance and Sustainability MA is not just another master’s program – it’s a critical inquiry into the future of our societies. Rooted in innovation studies and governance theory, this program equips you to steer the twin transitions – digital and green – towards a fair, resilient, and sustainable future.

CURRICULUM OUTLINE

This pillar provides the analytical lens to understand how technological progress interacts with societal structures.

  • Techno-Economic Paradigms: Exploring the history of capitalism and how major technological shifts (like the industrial revolution or the digital age) redefine economies.
  • Socio-Technical Transitions: Analyzing how societies transition from old systems to new, greener, and more sustainable ones.
  • Evolutionary Economics: Moving beyond standard models to understand innovation as a driver of development and inequality.

This focus area looks at the "how" of change – focusing on policy, state capacity, and governance frameworks.

  • The Twin Transition: Managing simultaneous digital and green transitions, ensuring that AI and digitalization serve sustainability goals rather than hindering them.
  • Digital Transformation of Government: Leveraging Estonia's unique expertise in e-governance to understand how modern states provide services and manage data.
  • Alternative Governance Models: Examining commons-based innovation and post-growth economics as alternatives to traditional growth-centric models.

The final pillar emphasizes practical application and the implementation of theory.

  • Responsible Innovation: Learning to launch and manage innovations that are ethically grounded and community driven.
  • Internship: A portion of studies is dedicated to hands-on experience in professional organizations, academia or civil society, often involving consultancy projects for public or private organizations or NGOs.

Recognitions

  • The curriculum has been awarded positive national accreditation that was renewed in 2017 through a positive quality assessment of the Business and Administration curriculum group.
  • Technology Governance & Sustainability program is part of the prestigious ESST consortium, which connects Europe's leading universities in the study of science, technology and society (STS).
  • The Ragnar Nurkse Department is a leading Estonian institution engaged in research and teaching of public administration, and is ranked among the top 150 in the world according to the ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known as the Shanghai Ranking).

Admissions

Candidates for this study programme are admitted based on the admission threshold. In applying for Technology Governance & Sustainability (TG&S) programme, an applicant needs to:  submit a CV with a motivation letter (via DreamApply) and have an interview with the admission board (online or on spot, when possible). The online application form in DreamApply is being assessed as your CV, therefore please describe there your work experience and previous education in details. The maximum score for the admission is 10 points: 0-2 points for CV, 0-4 for motivation letter, 0-4 points for online interview. An applicant who receives the minimum of 5 points (in total) is admitted. 

Please find the programme-specific admission requirements below:

In order to qualify for the studies in Tallinn University of Technology an applicant has to have at least 60% of the highest possible CGPA. If the average grade for your Bachelor's degree is below 60%, the requirement can be considered fulfilled upon the programme manager’s proposal if the applicant’s average grade from the applicant’s previous master’s studies is at least 60% of the maximum possible grade. Note that this principle can be implemented only if the CGPA of your Bachelor's degree does not fall under 50%.

In order to apply, a candidate is required to upload a Test-taker Score Report of the GRE General Test to the DreamApply application system. The test has to be completed but there is no threshold score required for this programme.

This is a prerequisite for qualifying and has to be fulfilled latest by the application deadline.

Candidates who have obtained a full Bachelor's degree (or subsequent higher education degree) in EU, EFTA or OECD member state are waived from the GRE requirement.

Please see more information about our GRE General Test requirement here, including the exact eligibility criteria for being exempted from this prerequisite and how to order the test result electronically to TalTech.

The CV (the DreamApply application form) is expected to provide the following information:

  • personal data and contact information;
  • education (in addition to the degree of higher education, the subject of the specialty);
  • work experience (incl. workplace, job position and job description);
  • foreign language skills and level;
  • other organizational or social activities;
  • interests. 

Grading scale for the CV: 0-2 points.

Motivation letter must address the following items: 

  • Provide an explanation, why you apply for Technology Governance and Sustainability programme – what are your interests; what are your professional goals and how the degree programme supports them; how does your academic and/or professional background fit into the degree programme you are applying for.  (0-2 points)
  • Discuss in a 1-page long essay about the most pressing issues or challenges in the field of technology governance and sustainability in the context of Your country or on a global scale - what is the problem, what could be its causes, and how it could be solved. Use in-text references where appropriate. (0-2 points)

NB! It is important to properly cite and reference any sources used in your motivation letter (quotations, publications, ideas etc. that are not your own). Additionally, AI-generated text is not acceptable as the purpose of the motivation letter is to show the applicant’s genuine motivation. Neglecting the aforementioned principles will result in the disqualification of your application. 

Topics covered during the interview:

  • The interest in the specialty, where it comes from and why it is desired to study on the programme of Technology Governance and Sustainability. A motivation for passing the curriculum with the nominal period. Expectations regarding the studies, i.e. understanding of the knowledge and skills to be acquired. Perception of specific areas or topics for which the level of knowledge is inadequate. Expectations regarding the study process, the possibilities to combine work and study activities, preferences in teaching methodology, linguistic barriers, readiness for writing academic papers (articles), etc. (0-2 points)
  • Previous exposure to topics covered in the curriculum, i.e. knowledge of the topics covered within the curriculum, and awareness of societal debates in the field of studies. (0-2 points)

Duration of the interview is 10-15 minutes.

Positive scale of 5-10 points for the admission:

  • Applicant has a well-reasoned interest for studying on a TG&S programme, has a clear understanding of the essence of the programme and its focus. Candidate can explain, why he/she wants to study on this programme and its relevance for a prospective working career;
  • Candidate is able to orient and discuss on different societal topics of high importance, in particular, in relation to pressing issues, challenges or recent developments in the economic sphere, field of technology and state governance. She/he can demonstrate of being familiar with a field-related literature that reveals his/her acquaintance with the field of TG&S. Candidate’s previous educational or working experience is related to the TG&S programme, or at least, he/she is able to bring out potential linkages between them and explain how they could supplement each other;
  • Applicant is able to discuss on potential research field and real-life developments/current situation in this field. Furthermore, candidate is capable of presenting his/her expectations to studies – skills and knowledge to be pursued – as well as study organizational issues, i.e. to what extent he/she is able to dedicate to studies in order to graduate within a nominal period (2 years) and what would hinder the achievement of this aim;
  • Applicant has a good idea of where he/she wants to end up working – mid- to long-term career perspective and specialization, and how TG&S programme could help in this regard;
  • Applicant demonstrates a very good command of English.

Negative scale of 0-4.9 points:

  • The candidate has an interest in studying on the program, but there is no clear understanding of the content of the curriculum and its emphases. He/she cannot justify his/her wish to study on the curriculum and its need for professional or other activities. The candidate is not able to orient and discuss on various societal topics such as challenges or recent developments in the fields of economy, technology and state governance (either in his/her home country or at the global level).
  • There is no contact with the specialty-related literature or previous contact with topics covered in the curriculum. The candidate has no idea about possible research topics and real-life developments/current situation. In other words, she/he is unable to demonstrate awareness of today's problems on potential research topics.
  • There are no expectations regarding the knowledge and skills to be acquired or expectations do not meet the tuition offered on the TG&S programme. It is problematic to combine studies with work or other non-study activities, that is, there is a risk of dropping out. 
  • The candidate has no idea about ​​the prospective professional specialization in the medium term and how the curriculum can influence or direct his/her career path.
  • There are clear shortcomings in terms of self-expression in English.

No-show for online interview and the failure to submit a CV with a motivation letter results in 0 points. 



 

Future Career

Graduates become policy shapers, innovation strategists, and sustainability leaders in roles spanning international organizations (UN, EU), public sector organizations (ministries, agencies), think tanks, and technology-intensive firms.

  • A graduate of the Technology Governance & Sustainability program Christopher Fraser: Once I saw the names of the professors I was immediately sold. Read his interview here.
  • Watch what our graduates Karin Kruup and prof. Vasilis Kostakis have to say about sustainability, technology governance and the commons.
  • Read about ’5 Things To Do Before Classes’, by our student Katerine Rose Fitch.

What Graduates Say 
 

The inter-disciplinary Technology Governance programme at Tallinn University of Technology is taught by some of the world's leading scholars in the field, attended by a dynamic international student body, and conducted at one of the most exciting cities in the world at this time. There is certainly no other university in the world that could offer a world-class Technology Governance programme than TalTech.

Bonn Juego (Philippines)

Studying at TalTech has given me the chance to express all my potential and this is very important. I can develop new fields from a different point of views and you can learn something new for your career every day. The professors are always helpful and ready for further explanations. Moreover, Tallinn is a very sparkling city and it's the perfect environment to develop your skills and knowledge. TalTech gives you the chance to be very close to the best companies settled in Tallinn, which usually offer very interesting job opportunities.

Caetano Penna (Brazil)

…to ride free transit, to hack every weekend, to learn from a professor who wrote a book you read and were inspired by years ago and seeing that they respect you too, to say what you want because political correctness isn't a thing and it's primarily seen as an invitation for deeper introspection.

Lequanne Collins-Bacchus (Canada)

Some of the Career Choices by Our Graduates 

  • Piret Tõnurist, Innovation Lead @ OECD, Paris
  • Jorund Holterud Aarsnes, Managing Director @ Apollo Global Management, Inc., London
  • Aleksandrs Cepilovs, Research Officer @ eu-LISA, Tallinn
  • Johannes Schmidt, Group Chief Operation Officer and Managing Director @ HBC GmbH, Hamburg
  • Matous Kostlivy, Director for Taiwanese Operations @ CzechInvest, Taipei City
  • Michael Jennewein, Senior Researcher @ Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Vienna
  • Ashish Mehra, Chief Product Officer @ eGov Foundation, Bengaluru
  • Lisa Marie Wetzig, Policy Officer @ European Commission, DG Research & Innovation (RTD), Brussels
  • Christopher Fraser, Technology Advisor @ Government of Canada, Ottawa

More to discover

  1. Christopher Fraser: Once I saw the names of the professors I was immediately sold
  2. Prof. Carlota Perez named by Forbes among the three female economists
  3. Prof. Vasilis Kostakis explains how to rethink economics and innovation
  4. Prof. Vasilis Kostakis and Karin Kruup on sustainability, technology governance and the commons
  5. A glimpse into a book by prof. Wolfgang Drechsler, Rainer Kattel and Erkki Karo that won the Academy of Management’s 2023 George R. Terry Book Award.
  6. See what our professor, one of the world's leading economic historians, Erik S. Reinert, has to say on uneven economic development.
  7. Is technology destroying us? The uncomfortable truths and surprising solutions You need to hear.
  8. Read about '5 Things to Do Before Class', by our student Katherine Fitch

Ask Us

TalTech international admissions office

The TalTech international admissions office provides general advice to prospective Bachelor’s and Master’s degree applicants and their advisers about applying to and studying at TalTech.

Contact us via study@taltech.ee.

To keep up with the recent exciting developments of the RND community,

Visit our website and follow us on Facebook or Twitter!

Student counsellor at School of Business and Governance

The Student counsellor at the School of Business and Governance can help you with questions about the study programme.


Tiina Parve
(+372) 620 2647
tiina.parve@taltech.ee

Programme Director

The Programme Director can help you with questions about the study programme.
 

Dr. Egert Juuse
(+372) 620 2657
egert.juuse@taltech.ee

summerschool

JOIN TG&S PROGRAMME

Want to manage technological changes and sustainable transitions?

Apply here