Educating Leaders to Profitably Improve Our Planet

The Business and Environment (BE) program mission is to develop leaders who have the scientific knowledge and the business skills to drive viable climate action. Our graduates are skilled managers with the business training necessary to succeed in the corporate world and the environmental knowledge to address climate change impacts in both the private and public sector.

Unlike traditional business education programs that teach environment and sustainability as a supplement to their business curriculum, the BE program integrates 51±¬ÁÏ's state-of-the-art environmental science education, financial analytics and extensive client engagement to develop well-rounded leaders who have the complete skill set to drive genuine environmental and social change.

Our goal is to train professionals equipped to help stakeholders to find triple bottom line solutions – for people, planet and profit – that address: the sustainable supply of raw materials, water, and energy; the impacts of climate change; the proliferation of pollution and waste; the design of healthy, resilient population centers; and the challenge to develop informed sustainability decisions and actions. Students will be well prepared to implement these solutions across a wide array of sectors including consumer product goods, food and agriculture, manufacturing, services sector, and more.

Concentration Courses

Core Courses - Required

To ensure that BE students will have a working knowledge of finance, strategy, operations and marketing as it relates to environmental and climate impacts in the corporate sector, all students must take the following four courses:

  • ENVIRON 811—Business and Environment (3 credits, fall year 1)
  • ENVIRON 796—Financial Foundations for Environmental Managers (3 credits, fall year 1)
  • ENVIRON 782—Marketing for Environmental Professionals (3 credits, spring year 1)
  • ENVIRON 831—Business Strategy for Sustainability (3 credits, spring year 1)

Elective Course suggestions

For students interested in further developing their business skills as they relate to corporate environmental management, we recommend students take the following courses as part of their MEM degree:

  • ENVIRON 767—Entrepreneurial Experience
  • ENVIRON 790xx—Financial Modeling Practicum
  • ENVIRON 790xx—Carbon Accounting and Certification
  • ENVIRON 638—Environmental Life Cycle Analysis and Decision Making
  • ENVIRON 590xx—Design Climate
  • ENVIRON 790.41—Sustainable Operations & Supply Chains
  • ENVIRON 690—Innovation and Private Sector Responsibility: Navigating Megatrends

 

Expectations

Coming in: In addition to the school-wide prerequisites in calculus and statistics, which are required for all concentrations, to be successful in the BE concentration, we recommend students have at least one year of post undergraduate work experience. Students with significant undergraduate business coursework or exceptional undergraduate STEM backgrounds will also be considered.

During the program: Through practical applications, client-based consulting projects and interactions with industry leaders, BE students will hone their skills and knowledge, equipping themselves to help organizations implement environmentally sustainable business practices.

 

Maddie headshot with quote icon

The BE program has equipped me with the tools to dive into topics and the intersection of the environment, policy, and finance, think about them critically, and work to devise solutions that have a positive ecological and financial impact. There are many opportunities to learn from alumni, get involved in relevant research, and build your skills to feel confident in tackling real-world problems and making a positive impact."

–Maddie Latimore, MEM/MBA Student

Transferable Skills

In our program, students will gain skills in:

  • Finance and operations
  • Process mapping and evaluation
  • Project management
  • Marketing communications
  • Corporate sustainability management
  • Life cycle and value chain analysis
  • Strategic analysis
  • Stakeholder analysis
  • Applied data analysis
  • Appreciative inquiry

Knowledge Gained

Through coursework and program experiences with faculty who are deeply experienced in both the academic and corporate sectors, students will:

  • Develop a background in economics, policy and business strategies.
  • Learn to identify corporate sustainability challenges and opportunities.
  • Learn to create effective strategies for success.
  • Learn to lead sustainability innovation for new products and services.
  • Learn to manage teams.
  • Learn to implement action-oriented plans to achieve value-adding sustainability goals with measurable results.
  • Gain first-hand exposure to industry leaders and currently active sustainability programs.

 

Enrich Your Experience

Business and Environment students will find a wide range of opportunities to expand their academic experience and get connected to projects and people that align with their interests. We recommend exploring these programs to get started: 

  •  hands-on, project-based course sequence offered in collaboration with 51±¬ÁÏ's Pratt School of Engineering
  • Concurrent degree programs with Fuqua School of Business, 51±¬ÁÏ Law, and other 51±¬ÁÏ professional schools and partner institutions
  • Certificate in Climate Change Science & Applications
  •  interdisciplinary research teams
  • 51±¬ÁÏ  mini grants, course-based projects, and internships

 

Career Pathways

Our students will become sustainability managers, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) consultants, client managers, and sustainability project managers at both non-profit and for-profit organizations.

Alumni from the program have been employed as sustainability managers/specialists or analysts at the Walt Disney Company, Pepsi Co. Nike, TemperPack, Estee Lauder, Conagra, Trane and ClifBar to name a few. Some are or have been consultants at firms like ERM, Quantis, Anthesis, and Ernst and Young. Alumni are also employed in the technology sector, energy, finance, and real estate, and in governmental agencies such as the EPA and state-based nonprofits in managerial roles.

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