University graduates face a multitude of challenges after graduation - including sustainability-related requirements in professional practice. But what should sustainability competence enable them to do in professional practice? What is the role of higher education institutions in the provision of sustainability-related study programmes? Corinne Ruesch Schweizer explores these questions, which are mostly discussed in normative terms, in a qualitative-empirical study and thus not only provides a sound basis for curricular decisions and reflections in higher education for sustainable development, but also makes a long-demanded specification of the concept of sustainability competence.