With the growing number of organizations and companies that are staffing management positions focused on conservation and sustainability, degrees like Master’s of Business Administration with concentrations in Sustainability continue to be on the rise. Companies need well-trained professionals who can work to improve the organization’s economic, social, and environmental impact if they desire to remain relevant and profitable in the coming years. With positions like director of corporate responsibility and environmental operations manager on the rise, environmentalism and sustainability are steadily shifting the way business is done on a global perspective. With this in mind, many business schools have designed programs that equip managers for careers as sustainability experts. While content within these degrees can be as expansive as the careers professionals may go into after graduating, many begin with foundational courses in business and management before moving onto the more specialized courses of sustainability. Here is a look at just a few of the nation’s top online MBA degrees in environmental sustainability and the curriculum they offer.
Northeastern University delivers an exceptional online Master’s of Business Administration program with a focus in Sustainability through its D’Amore-McKim School of Business. This nationally-recognized MBA allows students to benefit from 13 foundational business courses, Sustainability-intensive courses and optional residencies. Concentration courses within this program include Sustainability and the Business Environment, Sustainability and the Economics of Markets, Sustainability and Leadership, and Sustainability and Supply Chain Management. Featuring an estimated tuition cost of $75,650, this 100% online program is bolstered by the D’Amore-McKim School of Business’ excellent business accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. While this degree can be completed in as few as two years, the business school does not require its applicants to take the GMAT/GRE in order to be accepted.
Also receiving its business accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University offers an online Master’s of Business Administration with a specialization in Business Sustainability. Priced at a very affordable $8,232, this 42-credit hour, part-time program has been designed to “integrate the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary to help you achieve your career goals, the program is different from other online or virtual MBA programs in that it incorporates the same teamwork focus featured in the full-time MBA.” Students interested in this program are encouraged to submit transcripts showing an undergraduate degree from a nationally accredited college or university, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and a competitive GMAT result to the admissions office in order to be considered for acceptance.
The University of California, Los Angeles features a hybrid Fully Employed (FEMBA) Flex program with a Leaders in Sustainability Graduate Certificate Program. This Flex program requires students to visit the campus for short residencies only four times a quarter while the majority of coursework is completed online. With a tuition rate of $95,200, some students of the business school have reported an average early career salary of $103,000 revealing a solid return on the investment of education. Students desiring an accelerated experience can graduate in just 27 months. This program is divided between a Leadership Foundations Intensive, core courses, a Global Access Program, and Sustainability-intensive electives. Students can customize their MBA with one of three specializations, including a Leaders in The Sustainability Graduate Certificate. The certificate offers electives in sustainability, geography, anthropology, urban planning, and chemical engineering. Electives within this program include: Design for Environment, Information, Technology, Business, and Society, Human Security and Environmental Change, Resource-Based Development, Environmental Policy and Politics, Business and Environment, and Transportation Economics, Finance, and Policy.
