Program Overview

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Business, Environment, and Social Responsibility, Graduate/Professional Certificate

The School of Business Graduate/Professional Certificate in Business, Environment, and Social Responsibility (BESR) is designed for UWMadison graduate students who want to broaden their understanding of sustainable business practices. This certificate provides the real-world skills and knowledge needed to manage enterprises that integrate economic, environmental, and social decision-making in their daily operations.

As determined by each students individual course path, students will acquire deeper knowledge and skills in select domains such as risk management, diversity, green real estate, and more. Students are also encouraged but not required to participate in a variety of events and activities that provide a forum to exchange ideas and connect the business community with students and faculty interested in sustainability.

Admissions

The Business, Environment, and Social Responsibility certificate is open to students with graduate/professional standing at the University of WisconsinMadison. Admission is on a rolling basis. To declare the certificate, students must submit an online application form and request a certificate declaration through the Graduate Student Portal.

All Graduate School students must utilize the Graduate Student Portal to add, change, or discontinue any graduate/professional certificate. Professional students in the careers of Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary cannot add the certificate in the Graduate Student Portal and should contact the program for more information.

Requirements

Grade Requirement

Coursework must be completed with a B or better to satisfy certificate requirements.

Required Courses

Students must complete at least 12 credits. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in related non-credit sustainability experiences via competitions, conferences, and speaker events.

• Foundational:
  • M H R 710: Challenges & Solutions in Business Sustainability (spring) - 3 credits
• School of Business - Advanced Business Sustainability Classes:
  • Students must complete at least 3 credits from the following list:
    • GEN BUS 713: Role of Business in Society
    • GEN BUS 714: Corporate Governance and Board Membership
    • M H R 617: Diversity in Organizations
    • REAL EST 651: Green - Sustainable Development
    • R M I 650: Sustainability, Environmental and Social Risk Management
• Other Elective Coursework:
  • Students may apply up to 6 credits from other elective coursework towards the minimum credit requirement:
    • A A E/F&W ECOL 430: Decision Methods for Natural Resource Managers
    • A A E/ECON/F&W ECOL 531: Natural Resource Economics
    • A A E 642: Foundations of Development Economics
    • A A E 643: Foundations of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
    • A A E 730: Frontiers in Development Economics 1
    • A A E 731: Frontiers in Development Economics 2
    • A A E 760: Frontiers in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics 1
    • A A E 762: Frontiers in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics 2
    • A A E 771: Microeconomics of Resources and Energy: Theory to Practice
    • A A E 772: Applied Econometrics of Resource and Energy Demand
    • A A E 773: Seminar in Resource and Energy Demand Analysis
    • ACCT I S 700: Financial Accounting
    • ACCT I S 710: Managerial Accounting
    • ACCT I S 771: Analysis of Performance Measurement & Control
    • CIV ENGR/G L E 421: Environmental Sustainability Engineering
    • CIV ENGR 494: Civil and Environmental Engineering Decision Making
    • CIV ENGR 729: Environmental Sustainability Tools
    • E P D 660: Core Competencies of Sustainability
    • ENVIR ST/F&W ECOL 515: Natural Resources Policy
    • ENVIR ST/GEOG 534: Environmental Governance: Markets, States and Nature
    • ENVIR ST/C&E SOC/SOC 540: Sociology of International Development, Environment, and Sustainability
    • ENVIR ST/SOIL SCI 575: Assessment of Environmental Impact
    • ENVIR ST/A A E/ECON/URB R PL 671: Energy Economics
    • ENVIR ST/AGROECOL 724: Agroecosystems and Global Change
    • ENVIR ST/POP HLTH 739: Climate Change, Human and Planetary Health
    • ENVIR ST/PUB AFFR/URB R PL 809: Introduction to Energy Analysis and Policy
    • ENVIR ST/URB R PL 843: Land Use Policy and Planning
    • ENVIR ST/URB R PL 865: Water Resources Institutions and Policies
    • ENVIR ST/POLI SCI/PUB AFFR 866: Global Environmental Governance
    • ENVIR ST/A A E/POP HLTH/PUB AFFR 881: Benefit-Cost Analysis
    • ENVIR ST 977: Sustainable Development - Integral Perspective
    • FINANCE 700: Introduction to Financial Management
    • GEN BUS 732: Economics for Managers
    • GEOG 507: Waste Geographies: Politics, People, and Infrastructures
    • LAND ARC 563: Designing Sustainable and Resilient Regions
    • LAND ARC 621: Designing Healthy Communities Seminar
    • LAW 845: Water Rights Law
    • LAW 848: Introduction to Environmental Law
    • LAW 918: Selected Problems in International Law-Seminar ("Human Rights/Humanitarian Law" or "Climate, Human Rights & Enviro")
    • LAW 988: Selected Problems in Environmental Law-Seminar ("Natural Resources Law" or "Agricultural Law & the Environment")
    • LAW 989: Environmental Law and Practice
    • M H R 723: Business Strategy
    • M H R 728: Bargaining, Negotiating and Dispute Settlement for Managers
    • MARKETNG 700: Marketing Management
    • OTM 700: Operations and Supply Chain Management
    • POP HLTH/M&ENVTOX 789: Principles of Environmental Health: A Systems Thinking Approach
    • R M I 700: Principles of Risk Management
    • R M I/GEN BUS 701: Managing Legal Risks
    • SOC/C&E SOC 541: Environmental Stewardship and Social Justice
    • URB R PL/ECON/PUB AFFR 734: Regional Economic Problem Analysis
    • URB R PL 550: Transportation and the Built Environment
    • URB R PL 551: Climate Action Planning: Sustainable Transportation
    • URB R PL 841: Urban Functions, Spatial Organization and Environmental Form

Electives

The list of electives is dynamic and will be adjusted as new courses are offered and dropped. Students may request to substitute listed electives with courses that are currently not listed. Such a request requires the student to explain how the substitute class meets the learning outcomes of the certificate and assists the student in reaching their individual goals for taking the certificate. The request requires approval by the certificate director.

For courses with access restricted to School of Business students, non-business school students may select equivalent open-access lower-level courses numbered 300 and above (e.g., substitute M H R 723 Business Strategy with M H R 423 Strategic Management).

Extracurricular Activities

Certificate students are encouraged, but not required, to engage in extracurricular activities that enhance the certificates learning outcomes. These include:

• Speaker events such as the Weston Lecture Series or the Sustainable Success Speaker Series
• Sustainability-oriented student organizations such as NetImpact or other relevant student organizations
• UW's Green Fund Competition
• Conferences such as the Nelsons Institute Annual Earth Day conference

Learning Outcomes

1. Analyze how business, society, and the natural environment interrelate to drive sustainability challenges.
2. Synthesize knowledge of business with knowledge of the natural and societal environment to develop and implement sustainability solutions for business and policy.
3. Develop appreciation of how different professions and disciplines contribute to business sustainability.
4. Prepare for business sustainability-related career pathways in industry, consulting, government, and NGOs (non-governmental organizations).