Sustainability and Business
Mission
The Sustainability and Business program considers and applies environmental, social and financial concerns to creating a more sustainable world. You gain the knowledge, experience, and ethical grounding to play a leadership role within a public or private company, nonprofit organization, or as an entrepreneur.
More specifically the program strives to:
- Prepare students for ethically and socially responsible roles in sustainability and business professions and society;
- Develop in students the ability to recognize, analyze, and solve problems with an awareness and appreciation of human connections with the rest of nature;
- Help students achieve their personal and career goals; and
- Prepare students for entry-level positions in either the private or public sector and/or to prepare students for coursework at the graduate level.
Major Description
The B.S. in Sustainability and Business is offered jointly by the Environmental Studies and Business programs within the College of Arts and Sciences. It is designed to be interdisciplinary and to offer students numerous opportunities for collaboration and experiential learning. The major will allow students to pursue interests in the non-profit, corporate and public sectors. Students may also elect to focus on sustainability and entrepreneurship. Employment opportunities include corporate or municipal sustainability officers, green business owners/managers, socially responsible investment management, and others. The first-year experience includes a Green Learning Community.
Curricular Requirements
| CAS Core Requirements | Credits |
|---|---|
|
Sustainability and Business majors must take
|
|
| Total | 42–46 |
| Program Required Courses | Credits |
|---|---|
| BUAC 201 - Financial Accounting | 3 |
| BUEC 204 - Microeconomics | 3 |
| BUEC 390 - Environmental Economics | 3 |
| BUMG 200 - Management | 3 |
| BUMK 200 - Marketing | 3 |
| ENV 240 - Environmental Sustainability Lab | 2 |
| ENV 250 - Environmental Policy in Comparative Perspective | 3 |
| ENV 344 - Environmental Ethics or BUMG 311 - Business and Society Relations | 3 |
| Environmental Studies Electives (2 courses, see table below) | 6 |
| Business Electives (2 courses, see table below) | 6 |
| ENV 295 - Internship or BUMG 295 - Internship | 3 |
| ENV 495 - Advanced Internship or BUMG 495A - Advanced Internship | 3–12 |
| ENV 499 - Senior Capstone | 3 |
| Total | 44-52 |
| Open Electives (as needed to reach 120 credits) (suggested Elective: ENG 317) | Variable |
|---|
| Minimum Total Required Credits | 120 |
|---|
Electives
| Environmental Studies Elective Suggestions |
|---|
| ENV 309 - Sustainability and Ecological Restoration |
| ENV 313 - Wetland Restoration: Science and Policy |
| ENV 316/316L - Land Conservation Practicum/with lab |
| ENV 321 - Environmental Communication: Expert Practices for Ecosystem Management |
| ENV 328 - Environmental Pollution: Ecosystems, Wildlife and Human Health |
| ENV 340 - Environmental Movements and Social Change |
| ENV 341 - Indigenous Ecology, Conservation Biology, and the Politics of Knowledge |
| ENV 348 - Environment, Health & Community Development in East Africa |
| ENV 357 - Sustaining Water: Social and Global Perspectives |
| ENV 376 - Caribbean Sustainable Development |
| Business Elective Suggestions |
|---|
| BUEC 395 - Ecological Economics |
| BUMG 303 - Management of Nonprofits |
| BUMG 307 - Operations Management |
| BUMG 312 - Entrepreneurship/Sm Bus Management |
| BUMG 315 - Triple Bottom Line Reporting |
| BUMG 325 - Legal Environment of Business |
| BUMG 410 - Creating Social Enterprises through Design Thinking & Innovation |
Additional Information
- Students may choose to tailor the last two years of course selections to their specific interests. For example, in close consultation with their academic advisor, they may select upper-level business and environmental studies electives that would result in an informal concentration in one or more areas including Non-Profit Sector, Corporate/Public Sector Sustainability, Small Business/Entrepreneurship.
- Students are strongly encouraged to participate in study abroad. Academic advisors will help tailor a student’s program to create opportunities for study abroad.
Students in this major can participate in the pre-health graduate school preparation tracks.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of completing the B.S. in Sustainability and Business, graduates will
- Know fundamental principles of business and ecology and apply these to sustainability initiatives within private, public, and/or civic organizations/enterprises.
- Integrate the environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability and apply that integration to solve concrete challenges.
- Identify and measure the economic, social and environmental risks and rewards (triple bottom line) of new ventures in sustainability, and compare short-term economic risks and returns with long-term expected benefits.
Transfer Credit
Admissions
Financial Information
TUITION AND FEES
Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more information regarding tuition and fees, please consult the Financial Information section of this catalog.