Program Overview

Master of Business Administration, Impact Specialization

The Master of Business Administration, Impact Specialization, is a 44-credit, 3-semester, full-time Resident Instruction program. The program aims to provide business solutions that achieve positive economic, environmental, and social impact. The program educates and prepares future business leaders to take effective roles in organizations that integrate economic, social, and environmental sustainability into core strategy and operations.

Program Overview

Sustainability underlies many of the complex global challenges we face today, carrying profound implications for business practices, economic development, and environmental stewardship. Businesses increasingly recognize the need to incorporate environmental risks and social objectives into their core strategy and operational decisions. The commitment to sustainable practices can take many forms, such as developing social enterprises, creating and distributing fair-trade products, reducing carbon footprints, ensuring a sustainable value chain, guiding social impact investments, and making frugal use of natural resources. Sustainability initiatives are motivated by a desire to manage risk, drive growth, improve returns on capital, and create value.

Learning Objectives

• Business Acumen and Integration Skills: Graduates demonstrate competency across business functions and integrate them into strategic decisions.
• Practical Leadership and Management Skills: Graduates demonstrate individual, interpersonal, and organizational leadership skills necessary for professional development and organizational effectiveness.
• Critical and Analytical Thinking: Graduates apply critical thinking and analytical skills for management decision-making.
• External Environment – Ethical, Legal and Regulatory Framework: Graduates consider ethical, legal, and regulatory implications inherent in business situations and apply that knowledge to make responsible decisions.
• Global Perspective: Graduates acquire a global and cross-cultural perspective in formulating decisions and implementing organizational strategy.
• Enterprise Approaches to Global Challenges: Graduates of the Impact MBA program develop the skills to:
  • Assess opportunities for enterprise approaches to address social and environmental challenges.
  • Develop, implement, and manage initiatives or enterprises that address global social and environmental challenges.

Program Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 44 credits to complete. The course list includes:

Core Classes:

• ACT 605: Accounting for Sustainable Enterprises (3 credits)
• BUS 601: Quantitative Business Analysis (2 credits)
• BUS 620: Leadership and Teams 1 (2 credits)
• BUS 636: Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (3 credits)
• CIS 600B: Project Management: Impact Enterprise (2 credits)
• FIN 601: Financial Management and Markets (3 credits)
• MGT 612: Managing in a Global Context (3 credits)
• MGT 663: Strategic Opportunities in Impact Enterprise (3 credits)
• MGT 665: Supply Chain Development and Management (2 credits)
• MKT 601: Marketing for Social Sustainable Enterprises (3 credits)

Elective Options:

• Select one course from the following: (2 credits)
  • BUS 641: Financial Markets and Investments
  • FIN 667: Environmental, Social, Governance Investing
• Select one course from the following: (3 credits)
  • BUS 686: Practicum
  • BUS 687: Internship
• Select 13 credits from the following electives:
  • ACT 618: Sustainability Reporting and Accounting
  • AGRI 510: Sustainable Agriculture
  • AM 330: Global Sourcing of Textiles and Apparel
  • AREC 572: Social Benefit Cost Analysis
  • BUS 515: Career Management
  • BUS 623: Building and Leading Exceptional Teams
  • BUS 638: Sustainability Ethics and Business Practice
  • BUS 639: Corp. Social and Sustainable Responsibility
  • BUS 646: Building Value Thru Creativity and Innovation
  • BUS 664: Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation
  • BUS 660: Ethical, Legal, and Regulatory Issues 1
  • CIS 601/MGT 601: Enterprise Computing and Systems Integration
  • ESS 501: Principles of Ecosystem Sustainability
  • ESS 505: International Climate Negotiations
  • ESS 516/NR 516: Climate Justice and Policy
  • ESS 524: Foundations for Carbon/Greenhouse Gas Mgmt
  • ESS 525: Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas Emission Accounting
  • ESS 542: Greenhouse Gas Policies
  • ESS 543/ATS 543: Global Climate Change
  • ESS 555/ANEQ 555: Life Cycle Assessment for Sustainability
  • ESS 696: Group Study
  • FIN 530: Financial Modeling
  • FIN 600: Financial Management
  • FIN 606: Fundamentals of International Finance
  • FIN 611: Financial Institutions Management
  • FIN 613: Alternative Investments
  • FIN 625: Quantitative Methods in Finance
  • FIN 650: Behavioral Finance
  • FIN 655: Investments
  • FIN 667: Environmental, Social, Governance Investing
  • GES 440/ATS 440: Sea Level Rise and a Sustainable Future
  • GES 441: Analysis of Sustainable Energy Solutions
  • GES 450: Global Sustainability and Health
  • GES 460: Law and Sustainability
  • GES 465/MSE 465: Sustainable Strategies for E-Waste Management
  • GES 520: Issues in Global Environmental Sustainability
  • GRAD 592: Water Resources Seminar
  • MGT 476: Negotiation and Conflict Management
  • MKT 364: Product Design
  • MKT 662: Strategic Selling for Business Customers
  • MKT 664: Design Thinking for Sustainable Enterprise
  • NR 517/NRRT 517: Climate Change Communication and Engagement
  • NR 518: Climate Impacts and Risk Assessments
  • PHIL 565: Seminar in Environmental Philosophy

Program Total Credits

A minimum of 44 credits are required to complete this program.

Additional Information

Students will need to obtain a prerequisite override from the department to enroll in certain courses. For more information, please refer to the Requirements for All Graduate Degrees in the Graduate and Professional Bulletin.

Summary of Procedures for the Master's and Doctoral Degrees

The following steps outline the procedures for the Master's and Doctoral degrees:

1. Application for admission
2. Diagnostic examination when required
3. Appointment of advisor
4. Selection of graduate committee
5. Filing of program of study
6. Preliminary examination (Ph.D. and PD)
7. Report of preliminary examination
8. Changes in committee
9. Application for Graduation
10. Submit thesis or dissertation to committee
11. Final examination
12. Report of final examination
13. Submit a signed Thesis/Dissertation Submission Form
14. Submit the thesis/dissertation electronically
15. Graduation