IDENTIFYING INSTITUTIONAL ELEMENTS THAT SUPPORT TRANSDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY AT DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

As universities confront the growing urgency of addressing complex societal challenges such as climate change, equitable health systems, and sustainable urban development, the limitations of traditional disciplinary education become increasingly evident.

These challenges are often described as wicked problems: multifaceted, uncertain, and shaped by diverse stakeholder perspectives and in need of more disciplinary insights than any given discipline can provide on its own. This requires future professionals to develop competencies that are in line with more transdisciplinary (TD) perspectives. In response, TD education is increasingly viewed as an appropriate model for addressing this.

Despite growing support for TD approaches in policy discourse, a critical gap remains in understanding how to embed them effectively within institutional structures, in balance with maintaining somewhat of a disciplinary anchoring. Drawing on principles from organisational change theory, this paper explores how TD education can be embedded structurally, using Delft University of Technology as a case study. Beyond course-level innovation, it considers the broader organisational and cultural changes needed to sustain such approaches.

The research analyses qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with staff involved in multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary initiatives. The analysis explores middle management roles, such as directors of education and programme directors, as key enablers of systemic change. Participants were selected from a range of faculties and programmes, offering insight into how institutional priorities, operational constraints, and individual motivations interact. The insights from this research aim to inform educational policies, guidelines and practices at Delft University of Technology and provide lessons for other institutions pursuing TD education.