As more students consider 'green' studies at the leading business schools, we looked at the top MBA programs around sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and the environment.

1. Evaluating the
Greenest MBA
Programs

2. Students Want Green MBAs
78% of MBA students
want to see more
content and applicable
case studies related to
sustainability and
corporate responsibility
integrated into the
curriculum1
1 November 2008 Net Impact/Aspen Institute study

3. Morals Over
Money?
MBA students surveyed about Corporate Social
Responsibility said they would accept a lower
salary to work at a socially aware employer 2
2 2008 Stanford Business School study of 759 graduating MBAs at 11 top business schools

4. Environmental
Sustainability
We reviewed 15 of
the best AACSB-
accredited business
schools that have Corporate
distinguished Social
Responsibility
themselves in
sustainability in one of
three areas Social
Enterprise

5. Environmental Sustainability
Environmental
Sustainability

6. UC Davis Graduate School of
Management
• Specialized course in social entrepreneurship and
management of non-profit organizations
• Home to one of the “greenest” buildings in the
University of California system
• Lectures, case studies, and class discussions often
revolve around themes of environmental
sustainability

7. Case Western Reserve
University, Weatherhead School
of Management
• Explicitly integrates sustainability and social
entrepreneurship and design thinking into
fundamental courses
• Students choose between two tracks: sustainability,
or management by design
• First year students required to attend the MBA
Institute in Sustainable Value and Social
Entrepreneurship

8. University of Colorado, Boulder,
Leeds School of Business
• Partnership with the US National Renewable Energy
Laboratory
• Elective courses include “Assessing Sustainable
Energy Technologies” and “Financing Business
Opportunities in a Resource-Challenged World”
• Incorporates sustainable practices into core
subjects such as supply chain management

9. University of Michigan,
Stephen M. Ross School
of Business
• Ranked #1 US school in Beyond Grey Pinstripes
report
• Option for a join MBA/MS program related to
business, the environment and sustainability
• Loan repayment assistance for students who go into
non-profit careers after graduation

10. University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler
Business School
• One of the longest MBA program histories in
sustainability
• A third of students involved in sustainable
development
• Courses include “Environmental Strategy”, “Climate
Change”, and “Sustainable Enterprise”

11. Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate
Social
Responsibility

12. Instituto do Empresa (IE)
• Madrid-based school offering over 60
courses that relate to corporate
responsibility and sustainability
• Courses address triple bottom line:
people, planet, profit
• Specialized courses in “Business
Government and Society”, and “Eco-
Intelligent Management”
• Dedicated chair in ethics serves as
hub for CSR-related activities

13. ESADE
• Barcelona-based school has 90% of
its core courses involving a social or
environmental context
• Dedicated courses include “Global
Context of Management” and
“Social Marketing”
• 23 core courses feature corporate
social responsibility

14. UC Berkeley, Haas School of
Business
• Launched the Center for CSR in 2003 as a bridge
between academia and the corporate world
• Non-profit and Public Management track offers
students the experience of non-profit board service
• Students have the
opportunity to work with the
Haas Socially Responsible
Investment Fund

15. Social Enterprise
Social
Enterprise

16. Columbia Business School
• Sustainability is fully incorporated
throughout the entire MBA
program
• Courses such as “Globalization and
Markets” taught by Nobel Prize
winner, Joseph Stiglitz
• Particularly strong in international
development where students can
advise global clients on
microfinance and health care

17. Cornell University, The
Johnson School
• Elective courses include
“Global Corporate Social
Responsibility” and
“Sustainability as a Driver”
• The Center for Sustainable
Global Enterprise focuses
on base-of-the-pyramid
enterprise development
• Fellowship program offers scholarships to
emerging leaders who have a commitment to
social responsibility

18. Duke University, Fuqua
School of Business
• Established the Center for the
Advancement of Social
Entrepreneurship in 2002
• Courses such as Corporate
Social Impact Management
• Admissions office has made
strides in placing special value
on applicants with social and
environmental interests

19. Harvard Business School
• Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI) started in 1993 and
was one of the first of its kind
• Social enterprise materials is mainstreamed into all
aspects of research and
teaching
• Offers a Leadership Fellows
Program with grants for
deserving graduates who
choose to work in public
and non-profit enterprises

20. Oxford University, Said
School of Business
• Skoll Center offers a number of
fully-funded scholarships for
students working in social
entrepreneurship
• Offers more than 20 courses that
integrate social and environmental
issues
• Incorporates macro issues via the
Institute for Science, Innovation
and Society

21. Stanford University Graduate
School of Business
• Considered one of the best all-
around MBA programs for
sustainability
• Offers elective courses in public
and non-profit management,
social entrepreneurship, and
philanthropy
• Center for Social Innovation offers
courses, projects and fieldwork to
build leadership skills in pursuing
social value creation

22. Yale University School of
Management
• At the forefront of merging
public interest with private
enterprise since 1976
• Courses include “Managing
Social Enterprises in
Developing Countries”, and
“Philanthropic Foundations”
• Students who go on to work in non-profit
management may qualify for a generous loan-
forgiveness program

23. Thinking of a Green MBA?
Challenge
yourself,
challenge
Craft an the world!
outstanding
Envision application
your future
career
path
Research
target
schools

24. Betsy Massar, CEO
Master Admissions
betsy@masteradmissions.com
www.masteradmissions.com
+1 415-305-1163
Twitter: @MasterAdmission

25. References & Disclaimers
• Net Impact/Aspen Institute study – November 2008
• 2009-2010 Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey
• This presentation summarizes reviews of 15 AACSB-accredited business
schools that have distinguished themselves in an aspect of sustainability.
Please note that the list of schools in this presentation is not exhaustive.