An emphasis on the environment is growing. Consumers are increasingly concerned about sustainability, and businesses are evolving to meet customer demand. To prepare graduates for this new landscape, MBAs are doubling down on sustainability in their curricula.
In this article, we’ll explore exactly how sustainability is being incorporated into the world of business. We’ll unpack the ways in which MBA programs are working with sustainability concentrations, and examine the specializations appearing on MBA programs. And, finally, we’ll take a look at the careers on offer for MBA graduates interested in sustainability.
Schools with a Concentration or Specialization in Sustainability
The following schools, ranked the top 15 by Fortune, allow students to specialize in ESG, sustainability, or social impact.
- Northwestern Kellogg
- UPenn Wharton
- Michigan Ross
- Duke Fuqua
- MIT Sloan
- NYU Stern
- Virginia Darden
- Berkeley Haas
- Carnegie Tepper
- Georgia Tech Scheller
- Vanderbilt Owen
- USC Marshall
- UCLA Anderson
- Washington Foster
- UNC Kenan-Flagler
For MBA Classes of 2024, some schools also reported sustainability as an industry outcome for their employed graduates. These include:
- Duke Fuqua, who reported graduates gaining employment in Energy (described as utilities, environmental, services and sustainability, and alternative energy);
- MIT Sloan, who reported on graduates entering career paths “aligned with MIT Sloan’s certificates in Sustainability”;
- Wharton, who reported that 0.2% of their MBA class of 2024 found employment in the sustainability and environment industries.
Sustainability in Business
Sustainability in business is inching ever closer to the spotlight. Corporate emphasis on sustainability pulls in customers and keeps them loyal; in fact, 70% of consumers would be willing to pay more for it.
In order for corporations to meet new consumer demand and comply with sustainability measures, they need leaders. And not just any old leaders—they need people who are equally able to drive business success and positive environmental impact.
This is where MBA graduates come in. With training in both business operations and specializations in sustainability, these graduates are in high demand.
How MBA Programs Are Integrating Sustainability
Graduates with expertise in both business and sustainability are highly sought after. Business schools are evolving to meet this surge in popularity; MBAs are integrating specializations in sustainability, rolling out courses, and offering up resources.
Specialization
More MBAs than ever are offering sustainability courses. The Sustainable Global Enterprise (SGE) concentration at Cornell SC Johnson, for example, requires students to take nine credits of related coursework. SGE is called an immersion, in which students engage with sponsor companies, participate in simulations, and develop their knowledge through discussions. Additionally, the course “Strategies for Sustainability” trains students to strategically engage with sustainability during their MBA, and to consider how companies can create and capture value by tackling sustainability challenges.
Dual-degree and Specialized Sustainability-focused MBA Programs
For students who are certain of the sustainability career that lies ahead for them, electives and courses may not offer enough focus. They may choose instead an MBA with a sustainability concentration, a specialized MBA, or a dual degree.
One possible dual degree is that offered by Berkeley Haas: the MBA / Master of Climate Solutions (MCS). The program allows students to gain both an MBA and an MCS in only two and half years, and is designed for early-career professionals.
Students on the dual program can learn from experts in climate change, sustainability, and business. The skill set that they build will bridge business development and sustainability, placing them in the perfect position to join or lead the growing industry of sustainability in business.
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning, or learning by doing, has long been favored by business schools as a manner of applying learned theory to practical situations. Sustainability is no different, and experiential learning is therefore threaded through the MBAs that specialize or offer courses in it. In some schools, this takes the form of internships.
At Duke Fuqua, experiential learning occurs on the Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum (FCCP), where students apply their learning by engaging directly with companies. At Berkeley Haas, it appears in the school’s Cleantech to Market (C2M), the country’s first cleantech accelerator; an interdisciplinary program that helps to accelerate innovations in the cleantech space. Through this program, Haas students partner up with other students, entrepreneurs, researchers and industry professionals.
Sustainability-focused Centers, Research Initiatives, and Student Clubs
MBA commitment to sustainability extends outside of sustainability specializations, courses, or curricular content. Harvard Business School, for example, runs the Business and Environment Initiative (BEI). The initiative serves both alumni and current students, providing a crucial resource for those seeking a career in sustainability.
As part of the initiative, students can join a variety of clubs. There are multitude of these, each examining a different tenet of sustainability—highlights include clubs on topics such as:
- Energy and Environment
- Sustainability
- Food and Agriculture
- Impact Investing
In each, students have access to networking events, speaker series, treks and more.
Career Paths for MBA Graduates in Sustainability
With sustainability at the forefront of corporate thinking and underpinning so many plans for forward growth, job opportunities for MBA graduates are abundant. This is enhanced by the versatile skills learned through their programs, which prepare MBA graduates perfectly for roles in leadership, financial, operational and marketing—to name just a few.
Some of the positions open to graduates from MBAs in sustainability or with a sustainability specialization include:
- Sustainability consultant
- Investment analyst
- Corporate sustainability manager
- Climate risk and compliance specialist
- Policy advisor in environmental strategy
Other sectors in which graduates from sustainability MBAs would be well suited include:
- Impact investing
- Renewable energy
- Sustainable finance
- Entrepreneurship in sustainable startups
The leaders of tomorrow have a challenge on their hands. They need to be able to shape and shift industries, corporations, and businesses in order to meet consumer demands to prioritize sustainability, and to ensure that the organizations for which they work leave no negative impact on the world. And, while shouldering this hefty task, they need to ensure profitability and drive business growth.
With its dual focus on both business fundamentals and environmentally-aware strategy, an MBA in sustainability might just be the key to making this happen.
