Programs in sustainability

Sustainability has come a long way very quickly. In an era of transparent supply chains, IT-enabled local production, expanded entrepreneurial opportunities, megacity growth, climate change, water shortages, and millennial demands for more meaningful work, the need for sustainable practices is not going away.

This is good news for those looking for a career that makes an impact—saving the planet is a growth field. Sustainability professionals work across the economy—in healthcare, business, social work, education, and politics. As an example, Bard has over master's level graduates working in the field of sustainable business, education, and policy. Bard was recently awarded 1 in Classroom Experience by the Princeton Review.

Bard's MBA in Sustainability is one of a handful of programs around the world that fully integrates a focus on mission-driven business into every course they offer. MBA in Sustainability : Based in New York City, Bard's MBA gathers one weekend a month for an on-campus experience; this weekend visit works alongside an online curriculum designed for working professionals and students who want to attend Bard from anywhere in the U.

Bard's Center for Environmental Policy offers master's programs designed to "change the rules" and to "change minds. This holistic approach to learning illuminates integral connections between the social world and the physical sciences and encourages students to incorporate various perspectives and ideologies into their work. The school offers students three concentrations: landscape systems and strategies, international environmental law and policy, and global issues in natural resources.

Research opportunities are also offered to online students local to the campus. Virginia Tech ranks in the top 70 national universities in the United States, according to U. Though highly competitive, the school is also known for being very tight-knit and offering strong networking potential. Virginia Tech ranks highly among entrepreneurial universities, especially when it comes to the number of alumni who start business ventures together.

At the University of Denver, students pursue an M. This dual focus is unique among online graduate programs in sustainability. Because of the focus on energy, students take coursework that weighs the pros and cons of both sustainable and non-sustainable energy sources, like nuclear, hydropower, wind, solar, and even natural gas.

The sustainability focus of the program teaches students how to make practical, environmentally conscious decisions in energy, energy policy, leadership, and corporate management. The program features a sustainability core, an energy core, and a series of electives that allow students to choose courses based on their academic or professional interests. The University of Denver is ranked at number 86 among national universities by U.

Graduate students can choose from the following programs:. The Master of Sustainability Leadership program is the only fully online option, while the other two degree programs are offered in a hybrid format that blends online and offline instruction for local students.

The sustainability leadership path focuses less on hands-on experience and more on leading organizations that focus on creating a sustainable footprint in their market areas Graduates of the program are primed to be leaders of corporate environmental efforts, advocates for better public policies on the environment, and managers who know how to make eco-friendly decisions. Students also have the opportunity to take part in virtual career fairs, online networking events, and elective career seminars, each of which will boost their hiring potential upon graduation.

Penn State is one of the few schools in the United States that is popularizing the Master of Professional Studies degree. Though this degree has been around for decades, schools like Penn State are redefining its role in higher education. The MPS at Penn State focuses on a dual concentration of renewable energy and sustainability systems. This gives students insight into the green economy in both a practical and technological sense and prepares them for future applications of renewable energies in business systems.

Students also take several courses that focus in-depth on environmental policy, the process of adopting new regulations and how to implement regulations in everyday business practice. More than , Penn State alumni take part in the Association, which coordinates meetups, networking events, and fundraising opportunities with alumni all around the world.

News and World Report; the school is typically ranked among the top 5 state universities in the nation by several publications each year. The program offers students the ability to attend global immersion experiences at least four times per year and requires one on-campus residency at the start of the program. Uniquely, students local to Chapel Hill can extend their MBA for one year and add a law degree to their resume as well.

The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor offers a Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability that ensures that students receive field-based training and the expertise to make management decisions. Forty-two credit hours are required for this degree, and many students at UM also earn a dual degree during their time in graduate school there. American University utilizes its location in Washington, D.

In this program, students complete 30 credit hours of coursework, nine of which come from a career track. The Rochester Institute of Technology capitalizes on its expertise in technology and innovation through its Master of Science in Sustainable Systems. This interdisciplinary degree considers sustainable through the lens of the environment, society, technology, and business. Students begin by learning about environmental life cycle assessment before moving more deeply into policy, working with faculty members to progress through the degree in a way that suits their interests.

In total, 30 credit hours are required, and students have access to cutting edge facilities throughout their time in the program, allowing them to conduct research that prepares them to go on to a doctoral program if they wish.

Hofstra University offers a Master of Arts in Sustainability, which emphasizes the roles that ethics, economics, philosophy, and the environment play in sustainability. This program requires 30 semester hours of coursework for completion, and it challenges students to think critically about sustainability in the world. Because of this, students must complete either a thesis or an internship while in the program.

Hofstra allows students to enroll with either a full-time or part-time schedule, and students can choose to apply for scholarships toward their graduate studies. Hofstra also is home to the National Center for Suburban Studies, which allows students to consider sustainability within a suburban context. It is designed to help students understand and build strategies that consider the financial, social, and environmental impact of a business or organization.

This program can be finished in one year, and it includes an international study trip. Western Kentucky University has a Master of Business Administration with a graduate certificate in Sustainability that brings together economic, social, and environmental interests. The MBA requires 30 credit hours of coursework. Nine of the 12 credit hours in certificate overlaps with the MBA coursework.

This degree and certificate can be completed entirely online through seven-week classes. Students are able to work full-time while attending classes. Full-time students are able to finish in a year. The program works with students to help them to live a sustainable lifestyle, both professionally and personally.

The class sizes at Maharishi are also small, leading students to feel supported by their faculty members. The degree requires 58 credits of coursework and is comprised of a blend of two-credit and four-credit classes that last four or eight weeks respectively. Colorado Colleges. Florida Colleges. Georgia Colleges. Hawaii Colleges. Illinois Colleges. Indiana Colleges. Iowa Colleges. Kentucky Colleges. Maine Colleges. Maryland Colleges. Massachusetts Colleges. Michigan Colleges.

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