Program Overview

Graduate Programs in Social Responsibility & Impact in Business

The Master of Science in Social Responsibility & Impact in Business (MSSRIB) program is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the complexities of social responsibility, sustainability, and ethical decision-making in the business world.

Program Overview

The MSSRIB program offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers the fundamental concepts of business, social responsibility, and sustainability. The program is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the social and environmental impacts of business and the role of business in creating positive social and environmental change.

Required Business Fundamentals (9 credits)

• MKTG 5100: Business Fundamentals for Social Impact (3-credit) This bootcamp course introduces fundamental business concepts, including terms, frameworks, and analytical tools relevant for interacting successfully with others in business organizations.
• BLAW 5175: Business, Law, and Ethics in Modern Society (3-credit) This course examines the legal and ethical issues relevant to business and its interaction with society, including tort liability, corporate law, employment and labor law, intellectual property law, financial regulation, social responsibility, and business ethics.
• MKTG 5115: Marketing Management (3-credit) This course provides an introduction to key marketing concepts, including strategic thinking about customers and competition, and developing an understanding of how firms manage products, prices, channels, and promotions in an integrated manner.

Required Core Courses (12 credits)

• BLAW 5253: Sustainability, Markets, and Society (3-credit) This course examines sustainability in the context of the natural and social ecosystems in which business operates, including the environmental and social impacts of business and the role of laws and legal institutions, markets, and society globally.
• BLAW 5254: Social Responsibility and Accountability in Business (3-credit) This course examines corporate social responsibility (CSR), accountability, and related concepts, including the actors, processes, legal and social norms that shape firm’s management of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues from a global and human rights perspective.
• MKTG 5255: Global Issues in Marketing for Social Impact (3-credit) This course provides an overview of current local and global market-focused topics and practices that can both positively contribute to, and adversely affect, societal well-being, including how to evaluate the social impact of marketing and business strategies.
• MKTG 5258: Marketing Strategies for Environmental and Social Impact (3-credit) This course examines strategic marketing decisions associated with creating and serving customer demand for products and services with positive social and environmental impact, including assessing and planning for organization and market readiness to make and adopt such offerings.

Elective Courses (Choose 9 credits from the following)

• BLAW 5220: Employment Law in the Modern Organization (3-credit) This course explores the legal and ethical issues implicated in the modern workplace and the employer-employee relationship, including hiring, firing, discrimination, harassment, and accommodation of employees.
• BLAW 5252: Business and Human Rights (3-credit) This course examines the human rights implications of multinational enterprises’ global operations, including how to assess corporate social impact through a human rights framework and consider the challenges of regulating the human rights impacts of global business.
• BLAW 5660: International Business Law (3-credit) This course examines legal and social norms that impact international business transactions, including the functioning of the international legal system and how to navigate the legal environment of international trade and foreign investment.
• BLAW 5750: Ethics and Compliance in the Global Organization (3-credit) This course investigates the legal and ethical issues surrounding the compliance function from an organizational perspective, including relevant compliance regulations and how compliance leaders introduce and sustain an ethical culture of integrity in the enterprise.
• BLAW 5790: Revolutionary Technologies and the Social Responsibility of Business (3-credit) This course examines the impact of rapidly evolving technologies on how business operates in society, including the legal, ethical, and social responsibilities of business to society when a new technology is introduced.
• MKTG 5251: Marketing and Digital Analytics (3-credit) This course provides an understanding of how marketing and digital analytics can be used to gain insights and make marketing decisions, including how to use analytics to discover customer needs, satisfy customer preferences, predict customer behavior, and allocate media and communication resources.
• MKTG 5625: Marketing for Global Competitiveness (3-credit) This course provides a framework for competing in the global marketplace, including how to use customer, country, and product portfolio analysis to develop effective marketing strategies in global markets.
• MKTG 5650: Strategic Brand Management (3-credit) This course provides a framework and tools to build, leverage, and enhance brand equity, including designing brands and brand extensions, building brand communities, measuring brand assets, and evaluating brand performance.
• MKTG 5881: Internship in Social Responsibility and Impact in Business (3-credit) This course provides credit for an internship focused on social responsibility and impact in business, including obtaining an internship with a host company or organization and submitting a detailed written report.
• MKTG 5893 or BLAW 5893: Foreign Study (3-credit) This course provides credit for special topics related to business social responsibility, accountability, sustainability, ESG, or human rights taken in a travel course or a foreign study program course.
• OPIM 5113: Distribution and Logistics (3-credit) This course introduces concepts related to the global supply chain and distribution strategies, transportation and logistics planning, and warehouse operations, including quantitative methods and analytics tools for the design of distribution networks, transportation planning, and logistics operations.
• OPIM 5114: Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Strategies for Environmental and Social Responsibility (3-credit) This course provides a comprehensive understanding of sustainable supply chain management, including the critical role of supply chains in addressing global sustainability challenges, such as climate change, resource scarcity, human rights, and fair labor practices.
• ACCT 5530: Business Sustainability Reporting and Analysis (3-credit) This course provides a critical analysis of current practices in business sustainability reporting and analysis, including reporting practices, reporting frameworks, reporting standards, current and proposed regulatory requirements, rating agencies, investment products, and assurance of the reliability of the information.

Example Course Sequencing

For UConn undergraduates entering the Accelerated MSSRIB, meet with an advisor to create an individual plan of study, including recommended sequencing of coursework for enrolling Juniors and Seniors. For college graduates enrolling in the MSSRIB, the following plan of study is recommended:

• Fast Track – 1 Year Completion
  • Fall (12 credits) – Required Business Fundamentals and BLAW 5253 or BLAW 5254
  • Winter (3 credits) – Elective
  • Spring (12 credits) – MKTG 5255, MKTG 5258, BLAW 5253 or BLAW 5254, and an Elective
  • Summer (3 credits) – Elective
• Flex Pace – 2 Year Completion
  • Fall (6 credits) – MKTG 5100, MKTG 5115
  • Winter (3 credits) – Elective
  • Spring (6 credits) – BLAW 5175 and one Required Core Course or one Elective
  • Summer (3 credits) – Elective
  • Fall (6 credits) – Two courses to complete required Core Courses or Elective Credits
  • Spring (6 credits) – Two courses to complete required Core Courses or Elective Credits