Sustainability and Social Impact Concentration

Examine the environmental, economic, and social sustainability challenges and opportunities faced by today’s business leaders.

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.

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 386CClimate Literacy for Business
COMM 386I1
Innovation and Sustainability
COMM 386L1Impact Investing: Social Finance in the 21st Century
COMM 386M1Green Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Startups
COMM 386TIndigenous Peoples and Economic Development
COMM 4602
Social and Nonprofit Marketing
COMM 4842Sustainability Marketing
COMM 4851Social Entrepreneurship
COMM 486A3Climate Finance
COMM 486C4Corporate Responsibility and Business Ethics
COMM 486E
Climate-Focused ESG Reporting and Analysis
COMM 4875
Environmental Management
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 2301Sustainability by Design
EDUC 210Global Citizenship
CONS 425Sustainable Energy: Policy and Governance
ECON 370Benefit-Cost Analysis and the Economics of Project Evaluation
ECON 3712Economics of the Environment
HIST 106Global Environmental History
HIST 396Environmental History of North America
PHIL 3313Business and Professional Ethics
PHIL 3324Environmentals Ethics
POLI 351Environmental Politics and Policy
SOCI 230Shopping, Society, and Sustainability
WOOD 461Globalization 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 361Key Indicators of Agroecosystem Sustainability
ASIC 220Introduction to Sustainability (formerly SCIE 220)
CONS 200Foundation of Conservation
CONS 210Visualizing Climate Change
ENVR 200Introduction to Environmental Science
EOSC 212Topics in the Earth and Planetary Sciences 
EOSC 217The Science and Practice of Sustainability (no longer offered)
EOSC 312The Earth System and Environmental Evolution (no longer offered)
EOSC 314The Ocean Environment
GEOG 204Forest and Agricultural Climatology (no longer offered)
GEOG 310Environment 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 Undergraduate Office.

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.


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