MBA in Sustainability

This is more than just an MBA with a sustainability concentration. Bard fully integrates a focus on sustainability and mission-driven business into a core MBA. In courses from Operations to Strategy to Finance, students learn to use business tools to build businesses that are in business to solve social and environmental challenges. The program offers optional concentrations including Circular Value Chain Management and Impact Finance.  

Bard's sustainability MBA features small classes and close connections with world-class faculty. All of our professors are practitioners, inventing sustainable business in their day jobs and bringing that experience into the classroom. 

The only MBA program that offers a year-long course in sustainability consulting for real-world clients. All students also complete an individually-mentored capstone project starting a company, driving change strategies in business as high-level consultants, or pursuing a career switch. These are just a few of the many reasons we're ranked among the best sustainability MBA programs.

The world faces mounting crises, from a disastrously warming climate to loss of biodiversity to structural inequality. This course enables managers to implement a business case for behaving in more regenerative ways, shifting business from a driver of disaster to a solutions provider. Students gain core environmental, social and business literacy, the scientific foundations and economic principles needed to achieve natural competitive advantage.

After taking this course a student will be able to:

•  Gain facility with various sustainability strategies and tools appropriate for different circumstances

• Approach the complexity of the world with a whole systems perspective

• Apply the business case for more sustainable practices in companies and communities

• Implement scenario planning, the best tool for managing in uncertain times

• Prepare and deliver business briefings on the business case for sustainability

Economics for Sustainable Business is designed to give you a non-mathematical overview of microeconomics, macroeconomics, international economics, community economics, and ecological economics, all wtih an application to sustainable business. The course has three main goals:

• You should be able to apply economic logic and thinking to the requirements of any business you start, lead or work for, whether they are for-profit, nonprofit, cooperative, or government agencies.  That means fully exploiting the power of economic arguments, and also appreciating the limits of many of the underlying assumptions.
• You should be able to understand and engage critically with most articles in the mainstream business press, such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Guardian, Business Week, and the Economist.  Engaging critically means knowing the strengths and weaknesses of various kinds of economic analysis and arguments.
• With your sharpened economic tools, you should be able to contribute constructively—as businesspeople and as citizens—to the resolution of the toughest problems facing the planet, including climate disruption, inequality, and racism. 

Sustainability leadership begins with understanding your strengths and weaknesses as a leader. This class develops competency as a leader utilizing a personal mastery approach. Each student creates and executes a personal leadership development plan focused around a subset emotional intelligence leadership competencies, such as initiative, self-control, catalyzing change, influence, teamwork and collaboration. Students also use the course to develop and present a CRED Talk, focusing on thier own sustainability mission and vision.

After completing the course, students will be better able to:

• Lead themselves and others through values first, words and actions second
• Master four concrete leadership competencies of their own choosing
• Identify and share current best practices in leadership development
• Articulate their own sustainability vision

The course lays the groundwork for the sophisticated understanding of capital markets necessary to play a leadership role in driving sustainability. Students examine the relationship between financial statements and the value of the underlying business entity, discuss how to integrate sustainability advantages into accounting decisions, explore ESG accounting systems, and develop a conceptual framework for how to make rational investment decisions.

After completing the course, students will be better able to:

• Find, interpret and use financial and ESG information as managers and as investors
• Understand income statements, cash flow statements and balance sheets, as well as the principal ESG data reporting systems
• Analyze an investment decision using discounted cash flow analysis
• Apply combined ESG and financial analysis to support managerial decision-making
•  Integrate the competitive advantages of sustainability into an accounting framework

NYCLab is a key component of the Bard MBA in Sustainability curriculum. Working in teams, students engage as sustainability consultants for businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits. Past clients have included McDonald's, Target, NASDAQ,  NYC Fleet, Mational Wildlife Federation, as well as smaller companies and start-ups.  Over two semesters,  students  gain confidence in their ability to identify sustainability solutions for companies, manage projects, solve related business problems, communicate effectively, make the business case for sustainability initiatives. and work in teams. Projects range from operations to finance, marketing and strategy. Students are matched up with a project based on a number of factors, including student preference, skills and team size.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This course provides an opportunity to pull together business, leadership and sustainability learnings from other courses in a real-world project setting,  identifying and advancing sustainability solutions to business challenges. Additionally, the 10 key Bard MBA Toolkit concepts taught in this course are:  

• Project management
• Research design
• Interviewing skills
• Benchmarking and Gap Analysis
• Client management and communication (including acknowledging potential biases, esp. with clients who are BIPOC)
• Presentation design/storyboarding
• Formal Verbal Presentations
• Pyramid principle
• Team dynamics and leadership (including acknowledging race and identity during peer feedback process)
• Business Development

This course explores the emergence of modern operations theory and practice, and the ways in which lean methods have been adapted into environmental and social governance systems. A key focus is cost reduction through lean management and green operational innovation. The course reviews the lean revolution, optimization models, and statistical quality control methods, and then focuses on supply chain management for sustainability. The focus here is on control systems and standards designed to insure ecological integrity and social justice. The coursealso  provides background on the major codes of conduct, standards, and guidelines for companies in the area of human rights, environment, governance and integrity for sustianable supply chains.

After completing the course, students will be better able to:

• Assess operations against the core principles of lean management systems, and opportunities for green innovation
• Understand statistical frameworks used for quality control
• Apply the key codes of conduct and standards in the field of human rights and the environment, governance and integrity

This course explores two questions: how can firms gain access to finance for sustainability, and how can the global financial system be made more sustainable? The focus is on the financial environment of the firm, both internal and external. ESG topics include the information landscape for investors and various ESG investment strategies. Corporate finance topics include corporate governance and capital budgeting; project and firm level valuation; stock and option valuation including portfolio theory; debt and equity; and sources of financing. The course explores the broader financial landscape, with a focus on financial markets, market players, risk management and systemic risk.

After completing the course, students will be better able to:

• Describe how forecasted future cash flows inform both capital-budgeting and asset valuation
• Evalaute ESG investment theses, including accessing ESG  data through various channels
• Understand how risk and variance factor into the cost of capital and asset valuation, and implement simple hedging strategies
• Assess the risks and benefits of debt financing
• Characterize major financial markets
• Explain the recurring nature of financial crisis, major strategies for reform, and business level strategies for mitigating risk

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a solid understanding of marketing fundamentals and applied stakeholder theory. We study how technology and the internet has accelerated the way marketers connect with consumers and address sustainability across the brand value chain. At the intersection of Marketing, Technology and Sustainability are a range of business, social and environmental issues raised by multiple stakeholders – customers, employees, investors, shareholders, communities, activists and policymakers – each with varying levels of interest and influence on a company’s operations and its brand reputation. Whether you are an intrapreneur, social entrepreneur or a change agent leading change within the private or nonprofit sector, marketing and communication skills are in demand. This course will give you the vocabulary to speak the language of marketing, improve your strategic thinking through effective storytelling and help you navigate the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing and new media.

The learning objectives for this course include, and are not limited, to the following instruction methods:

• Introduce Marketing frameworks, techniques and workshop activities that enhance strategic marketing decision-making using readings, case study assignments, guest lectures, and the course term projects.
• Understand the critical role of authentic commitment to mission as a foundation for stakeholder engagement.
• Develop knowledge and understanding of Marketing fundamentals in order to build more sustainable and equitable brands that address multi-stakeholder interests.
• Use stakeholder engagement theory to evaluate how to affect the behavior change required to influence and lead organizations more equitably.
• Apply critical thinking to readings, case studies and secondary research that leads to rich insights and discovery.
• Synthesize course learning through the art and science of Strategic Marketing Planning.

This course teaches hands-on analysis skills, and how to lead analytics projects and manage data teams to make better business decisions for sustainability. Successful data projects are largely about perspective in framing and questioning business problems and opportunities. Topics explored include the role of data in business and sustainability; applying a systems thinking approach; drawing boundaries and making assumptions; recognizing biases in data and technology; tying sustainability metrics to high-level business objectives, and using data to make a compelling case for sustainable business initiatives.

After taking this course students will be better able to:

• Understand the fundamentals of statistics in business, the language of data, and how to manage internal and external data resources
• Plan outcomes-focused analytics projects based on real-world scenarios to inform sustainable business decision-making
• Perform data science techniques including data wrangling, data modeling, data visualization, and insights discovery
• Choose appropriate analytic methodologies, algorithm types, and tools 
• Understand the positive and negative implications of data and A.I., including around diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility

This course explores the business model as a foundation of entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial activities in support of sustainability initiatives. Topics include diffusion of innovation, invention, the importance of diversity of creative styles, creative destruction in the economy, the role of the innovator, the principle of the displacement of concepts, including biomimicry, user-led innovation and crowdsourcing as well as innovation adoption strategies.

After completing the course, students will be better able to:

• Build business models for successful sustainability initiatives
• Understand and apply the principles of the successful practice of innovation
• Assess their personal innovation style
• Evaluate and improve the innovation culture in their own organization

Leading change is the primary work of sustainability professionals in business. This course uses the lens of sustainability thinking to pursue change management topics including: organizational change management, interpersonal and group relations, and negotiation and conflict resolution, all in the service of sustainable business strategy. This is a hands-on course designed for you to learn and apply frameworks and skills in real-world settings in order to successfully facilitate sustainable change processes in organizations.

After completing the course, students will be better able to:

• Understand why most change efforts fail; be able to design for successful change
• Recognize and understand a range of leadership theories, styles, and practice
• Master practical skills including systems-thinking; story-telling; negotiation, conflict management; the ability to be cognizant of your own strengths, gaps, and readiness for leading organizational change; and criteria for strategic decision-making in competitive environments
• Motivate teams through engagement with the business case for sustainability

This course helps students analyze and develop strategies for any size or structure of organization,  including both overall corporate strategy and sustainability strategy. The course introduces a variety of frameworks for analyzing, developing and implementing effective strategies.  Sustainability strategy in particular arises from challenges that are material to the core business vision. Core readings and frameworks will be illustrated by a variety of case studies to demonstrate how such theories are applied in different industries, markets and organizations.

The key learning objectives for this course are:

• Strategic Analysis: Learn how to apply strategy frameworks to assess strategic positioning of a company or organization including concepts of industry analysis and competitive advantage.
  
• Strategy Development: Learn key elements of formulating a compelling and effective strategy, including what makes a set of choices a “strategy”.
• Strategy Implementation: Learn key success criteria for successful implementation of a strategy as well as concept of balanced scorecard to monitor long term performance.
  
• Materiality and Sustainability Strategy: Apply the concepts of materiality as the foundation for sustainability strategy and integrate the strategy frameworks towards development of a sustainability strategy
  

This course focuses on people management, the impact of organizational dynamics, and the role of human capital management (HCM) in an organization’s journey to becoming more just and equitable. The course consists of 5 modules: organizational dynamics, HCM effectiveness; diversity, equity and belonging; HCM role in promoting social and environmental justice, and the future of the workforce.

After completing the course, students will be better able to:

• Integrate environmental and social justice into people management systems
• Understand best practices for human capital management and people leadership
• Manage effectively across a diverse set of goals

“Sustaining Mission” aims to help you integrate everything you’ve learned in the Bard MBA Program and solidify your ability to do good while doing well. How can you successfully manage an enterprise (private, public, coop, or nonprofit) and positively affect the world? What are the right choices to make when you set up a business? How can you resist ethical short-cuts and short-term thinking as you operate the business? How can your business career positively impact your community and the world?

The course will highlight ten strategies for helping you sustain your mission, hopefully for the duration of your lifetime. Specifically:

1. Political Economy
2. Governance
3. Ethical Reasoning
4. Ownership
5. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
6. Scale
7. Environment
8. Workers
9. Localization
10. Measurement

This course supports students in a mentored, two semester independent masters project. Students may initiate or drive a start-up business; pursue an intraprenuerial change project; develop a business model; complete a practicum in an area of interest; begin a book; or write an academic thesis or a major piece of business journalism. All projects include a portfolio of deliverables that are negotiated with the advisor, and conclude with an oral defense. After completing the course, students will have achieved mastery in a chosen subfield of sustainable business.

MBA Students are required to take at least 2 of the electives below, several of which are required to complete the MBA Concentratiosn.

Climate change, rampant inequality and a rapidly growing global population is causing many to consider the limitations of the current take-make-waste economic model and examine the transition to a circular economy as a potential antidote for a more sustainable and inclusive economic platform. Concurrently the private sector, the catalyst for circularity, is undergoing a rapid transformation of its own, navigating new definitions of shareholder value, answering to a much broader and diverse set of stakeholders, and reconciling a perceived duty to prioritize social issues and the environment while still being profitable.

The private sector’s ability to successfully enable a circular economy transition is contingent on rethinking the idea of how value is created and distributed, fostering a systems-approach mindset that enables the navigation of diverse stakeholders, geographies and sectors, and identifying areas to seize competitive advantage. By applying systems-thinking, leveraging business model transformation frameworks, exploring best practices, and learning from leading circular practitioners, students will be able to appreciate and articulate an improved business case for circular economy initiatives, effectively understanding the internal and external barriers to circular value creation. By the end of the semester, students will be able to identify industry-specific emerging global trends in circularity, identify opportunities and risks in the enabling environment, and develop strategic and inclusive cross-sector interventions for the circular economy.

After taking this course a student will be able to:

• Recognize how the circular economy fits into the current corporate sustainability ecosystem and the pivotal roles that the public and social sector play in the company’s circular transformation
• Dig deep into how companies employ circular economy interventions from an industry perspective and utilize the circular economy transition as a competitive differentiator
• Gain knowledge and vocabulary required to understand, assess, and discuss circular value creation
• Explore and contrast value creation and value-proposition in traditional vs. circular, sustainable business models, and identify the key changes that are needed to support the transition from linear to circular economies.
• Capture key insights from leading circular economy practitioners in the public, private, and social sectors on the barriers and opportunities in a circular economy transition
• Understand and contrast circular economy private sector measurement frameworks and the role that ESG plays in the circular economy
• Explore and design “Green Swan” interventions, such as circular cities and zero waste communities, that can potentially ignite a more rapid and inclusive circular economy transition

• This course explores the complexities of global supply chains with a keen focus on sustainability. It examines the drivers behind their impacts and emphasizes transparency, equity, decarbonization, and regenerative models. Students will gain practical insights and tools to apply sustainable supply chain concepts and best practices, addressing critical issues such as climate change, biodiversity preservation, human rights, modern slavery, and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI).

  
  

  Upon completing this course, students will:

  
  
  • Appreciate the pivotal role of supply chains in shaping an organization’s social and environmental footprint, and leverage strategies to enhance positive outcomes.
  • Understand global supply chain trends, regulatory requirements, international frameworks, and best practices essential for developing sustainable supply chain strategies.
  • Master strategies, tools, and leading practices to enhance supply chain visibility, engage stakeholders across the global supply chain, and drive meaningful social and environmental impacts.

The field of sustainable finance has evolved to include Sustainable and Responsible Investing; shareholder activism; environmental, social and governance risk evaluation; green capital budgeting decisions; “patient capital” impact investing; and recently, evidence-based practice that finance for impact done right can in fact generate market returns. Investor due diligence around ESG metrics is now so routine that some estimates put total capital under some form of impact management as high as one-third of all investments.  In this course, students master the fundamentals of impact investing in public amarkets, focusing on defining and evaluating impact, and insuring financial return.

After completing this course, student will be better able to:

• Apply finance theory fundamentals to an impact investment strategy
• Assemble and defend an impact public portfolio
• Understand how to build a private impact portfolio
• Assess green capital budgeting proposals
• Raise capital for an impact portfolio

• • Impact Lab: Private and Alternative Capital Markets: 

  This course explores sustainable investing in private markets, balancing financial returns with environmental and social impacts. The course consists of five modules: introduction to sustainable investing, venture capital & impact investing, private equity, impact measurement & evaluation, and market trends and innovations. Students will engage with current market trends, industry-leading practices, and investor decision-making processes, enhancing their ability to develop market-based solutions for better impact performance and financial returns.

  
  

  After completing the course, students will be better able to:

  • Analyze sustainable investment strategies across various asset classes.
  • Utilize different investment instruments and understand their benefits and challenges.
  • Propose innovative solutions to improve sustainable investment practices.
  • Perform due diligence and evaluate investment opportunities with a focus on sustainability and impact.
  • Present comprehensive analyses and finance structures to fund sustainability initiatives.

In this class, students travel to Oaxaca, Mexico for a ten-day immersion in policy formation and sustainable business opportunities in a developing country context.  Hos do sustainabile business and community strategies emerge from the ground up? Students explore mission-based business strategies and policy constraints in food, energy, water and other sectors, for both export-oriented and locally-focused companies. Students work through a series of readings and discussions in advance, and complete a project on their return. Lab fee of $1200 includes lodging, meals, ground transportation, and $400 towards airfare.

After completing this course, student will be better able to:

• Appreciate the complexity of operating a business in a different cultural setting
• Understand the social and economic challenges and opportunities of globalization
• Discuss how inidigenous governance and land management practices have evolved to form the basis for modern enterprises and communities. 
• Assess how gender dynamics impact business models in a different culture
• Discuss how business adapts to a developing country policy regime
• Develop a business model tailored to bottom-of-the-pyramid and local markets

This course provides a comprehensive exploration of essential aspects of nonprofit management with an emphasis on sustainability. Students will delve into governance, fundraising, financial management, and strategic planning tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities faced by nonprofit entities committed to sustainability. The course covers introductory topics in nonprofit management, emphasizing effective board governance, innovative fundraising strategies aligned with sustainable practices, responsible financial stewardship to ensure transparency and long-term viability, and strategic planning methodologies that integrate sustainability goals.

After completing the course, students will be better able to:

• Gain a deep understanding of governance structures and best practices essential for ensuring effective oversight and sustainability in nonprofit organizations.
• Develop and implement innovative fundraising strategies that support nonprofit missions while promoting environmental and social sustainability.
• Master financial management techniques that emphasize transparency, accountability, and long-term sustainability within nonprofit financial practices.
• Create and execute strategic plans that integrate sustainability principles, ensuring alignment with organizational missions and measurable impact.
• Identify and address unique challenges faced by nonprofit organizations in achieving operational efficiency and maximizing sustainable impact.

This is a variable credit course (1-3) consisting of three modules over the course of the spring semester. Recent modules have included: 

• Sustainable Business and Public Policy (1 Credit)
• Emerging ESG Regulation (1 Credit)
• Life Cycle Analysis (1 Credit)
  

Public Policy Pragmatics offers a comprehensive understanding of public policy through a business lens,  integrating sustainability considerations. The course delves into foundational questions, examining the intersection of public policy with business interests. Drawing insights from Benjamin Waterhouse’s 'Lobbying America' and Jane Mayer’s 'Dark Money', it critically analyzes historical and contemporary policy landscapes, including the implications of initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act. Students will develop skills to apply theoretical frameworks in proposing effective policy strategies within organizational contexts, fostering sustainability and resilience.

Upon completion of the course, students will:

• Navigate diverse regulatory environments with a sustainability lens.
• Strategize to align business objectives with evolving policy frameworks promoting sustainability.
• Address challenges and seize opportunities arising from shifts in public policy.
• Employ critical thinking to evaluate how policy decisions impact business sustainability and foster growth.
• Effectively communicate with stakeholders about the business implications of policy changes, advocating for sustainable practices.

This course explores the evolving landscape of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting, focusing on both voluntary and mandatory disclosures. The course consists of 5 modules: introduction to ESG reporting, IFRS S1 and S2 standards, US SEC climate rules, European regulations, and practical applications in business contexts. Students will gain insights into regulatory frameworks and develop skills to implement effective ESG reporting within their organizations.

After completing the course, students will be better able to:

• Navigate and understand ESG reporting regimes to ensure compliance and transparency.
• Create frameworks to align and incentivize internal stakeholders for accurate ESG reporting.
• Manage risks associated with ESG reporting to ensure data integrity and transparency.
• Identify and pursue revenue opportunities linked to ESG disclosures to enhance business value.
• Implement best practices to produce high-quality ESG reports that meet regulatory and stakeholder expectations.

This course introduces life cycle analysis (LCA), a methodology to quantify the sustainability of products and processes. The course consists of 5 modules: introduction to LCA, life cycle inventory (LCI) and databases, impact assessment, footprint calculation lab, and interpretation & advanced topics. Students will learn to define LCA goals, scope, and system boundaries, and to access and critically evaluate LCA data sources and results.

After completing the course, students will be better able to:

• Apply life cycle thinking to product and process decisions to enhance sustainability.
• Understand and communicate LCA terminology and results to stakeholders.
• Define goals, scope, and system boundaries for LCAs to ensure accurate assessments.
• Create system diagrams that effectively evaluate environmental impacts across the lifecycle.
• Access and assess various LCA data sources and inventories to gather necessary information.
• Review and interpret LCA results critically to make informed decisions.

In this tutorial class, students work in a small group with an instructor on topics of thier choice. Students learn data analytics tools to support thier  anaysis of sustainable business challenges.