Looking for the Sustainability concentration?
The Sustainability concentration has been renamed the Sustainability and Social Impact concentration. Requirements to complete the concentration have not changed.
Sustainability and Social Impact Concentration
Examine the environmental, economic, and social sustainability challenges and opportunities faced by today’s business leaders.
Course requirements
Completion of the Sustainability and Social Impact concentration does not require pre-approval or special admission. If you would like to pursue this concentration, complete a total of 12 credits of sustainability-related courses as listed below.
The 12 credits also count toward fulfillment of your electives requirement, but note that COMM courses cannot be counted as non-Commerce electives. If the courses you take for a concentration overlap with the courses you take for an option or minor, you can double count a maximum of 3 credits of coursework in your degree toward both the concentration and one of either one option or one minor.
After you've applied to graduate, we'll provide instructions for how to declare the concentration so that it will appear on your academic transcript.
| Sustainability and Social Impact requirements | |
| 9 credits from: | |
| COMM 312 | Business Ethics Leadership |
| COMM 314 | Strategies for Responsible Business |
| COMM 386C | Climate Literacy for Business |
| COMM 386I1 | Innovation and Sustainability |
| COMM 386L1 | Impact Investing: Social Finance in the 21st Century |
| COMM 386M1 | Green Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Startups |
| COMM 386T | Indigenous Peoples and Economic Development |
| COMM 4602 | Social and Nonprofit Marketing |
| COMM 4842 | Sustainability Marketing |
| COMM 4851 | Social Entrepreneurship |
| COMM 486A3 | Climate Finance |
| COMM 486C4 | Corporate Responsibility and Business Ethics |
| COMM 486E | Climate-Focused ESG Reporting and Analysis |
| COMM 4875 | Environmental Management |
1 One of COMM 386I, COMM 386L, COMM 386M, or COMM 485 can be counted toward both the Sustainability and Social Impact concentration and the Entrepreneurship option. A maximum of three credits of coursework within your degree can be applied to fulfill both option and concentration requirements.2 One of COMM 460 or COMM 484 can be counted toward both the Sustainability and Social Impact concentration and the Marketing option. A maximum of three credits of coursework within your degree can be applied to fulfill both option and concentration requirements.3 COMM 486A can be counted toward both the Sustainability and Social Impact concentration and the Finance option. A maximum of three credits of coursework within your degree can be applied to fulfill both option and concentration requirements.4 COMM 486C will not be offered in 2024W.5 Credit will be granted for only one of COMM 487 or ECON 371. COMM 487 will not be offered in 2024W. | |
| And 3 credits from courses with a social sciences or a natural sciences focus: | |
| social sciences | |
| DES 2301 | Sustainability by Design |
| EDUC 210 | Global Citizenship |
| CONS 425 | Sustainable Energy: Policy and Governance |
| ECON 370 | Benefit-Cost Analysis and the Economics of Project Evaluation |
| ECON 3712 | Economics of the Environment |
| HIST 106 | Global Environmental History |
| HIST 396 | Environmental History of North America |
| PHIL 3313 | Business and Professional Ethics |
| PHIL 3324 | Environmentals Ethics |
| POLI 351 | Environmental Politics and Policy |
| SOCI 230 | Shopping, Society, and Sustainability |
| WOOD 461 | Globalization and Sustainability |
1 ENDS 221 can also be used to satisfy the social sciences requirement for the concentration (3 credits). Credit will be granted for only one of ENDS 221 or DES 230.2 Credit will be granted for only one of COMM 487 or ECON 371.3 Formerly PHIL 434A.4 Formerly PHIL 435A.
natural sciences | |
| APBI 361 | Key Indicators of Agroecosystem Sustainability |
| ASIC 220 | Introduction to Sustainability (formerly SCIE 220) |
| CONS 200 | Foundation of Conservation |
| CONS 210 | Visualizing Climate Change |
| ENVR 200 | Introduction to Environmental Science |
| EOSC 212 | Topics in the Earth and Planetary Sciences |
| EOSC 217 | The Science and Practice of Sustainability (no longer offered) |
| EOSC 312 | The Earth System and Environmental Evolution (no longer offered) |
| EOSC 314 | The Ocean Environment |
| GEOG 204 | Forest and Agricultural Climatology (no longer offered) |
| GEOG 310 | Environment and Sustainability |
Other courses that are deemed to have a strong focus in social or environmental sustainability may be used to count towards the concentration upon approval from the Office of Student Academic Services.
The courses for the Sustainability and Social Impact concentration are counted toward your elective credits. If the courses required for the concentration overlap with the required courses in your option, only one can be counted toward both requirements.
Will the Sustainability and Social Impact concentration appear on my transcript?
If you're graduating in November 2019 or later, successful completion of the Sustainability and Social Impact concentration will be noted on your transcript after graduation. If you're graduating prior to November 2019, the concentration will not appear on your transcript, but you will receive a printed certificate to confirm its completion.