Master of Science in Sustainability Management

Sustainability Management Program Overview and Curriculum

 

There is a misconception that we cannot preserve the planet while growing our economy. This program is a mission-driven program that rejects this false trade-off, and since 2010 has been educating problem-solving sustainability professionals. We have graduated more than 2,000 students and have helped create the profession of sustainability management.  Our graduates are all over the world and we dominate the sustainability professional field here in the New York metropolitan area.

We are a community that continues to lead the development of this profession with a rapidly changing, flexible curriculum that teaches analytic skills such as life-cycle assessment, greenhouse gas measurement, environmental justice, corporate sustainability reporting, sustainable food and fashion, sustainable operations and supply chains, and every aspect of sustainability finance. Our program has only two required courses: a survey at the start and a public service-capstone at the end. We require students to complete courses in five distinct fields, and uniquely among management programs, we require three courses on the physical dimensions of sustainability and one course on public policy. Sustainability managers must understand environmental science, the sustainable built environment, and/or the science of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Because every organization is regulated by government, we require a policy course as well. But we do not dictate the courses students enroll in, enabling each student to craft a personal approach to their professional education.

Our student community is dynamic, creative and committed. We have more student groups than any other master’s degree program at Columbia. They range from finance, to equity, to biodiversity and women in sustainability, among many others. Our culture is cooperative and not competitive, and 80% of our graduates are employed in the private for-profit sector.  Over 70% of our courses are taught by prominent sustainability practitioners, and all of our full-time faculty maintain active professional practices.

Columbia University’s Master of Science in Sustainability Management program features interdisciplinary training from the world’s premier sustainability academics, researchers, and practitioners. Students learn the use of leading-edge policy and management tools that can help businesses, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and governments address critical sustainability issues.

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The up-to-the-minute curriculum was initially created by The Earth Institute at Columbia and is now conducted in partnership with Columbia Climate School. Students have access to Columbia’s unparalleled resources and network of sustainability professionals, along with its global alumni base. About 20% of our course enrollments are in courses outside of the Sustainability Management program but fit within the definition of our field requirements.

 

The program is offered by the Columbia University School of Professional Studies and is offered as both a full-time and part-time course of study to accommodate working professionals. Students have the flexibility to choose from a variety of courses to round out their studies, including those offered by Columbia’s other globally ranked graduate schools. Our Sustainability Finance Certification is offered both in person and online and is the only part of our program that is available online.