Business and Science Converge in new Georgetown University M.S. in Environment and Sustainability Management
For those seeking to help organizations reduce their impact on the environment by harnessing the power of business, Georgetown University is offering a new interdisciplinary M.S. in Environment and Sustainability Management (MS-ESM).
A collaboration among the Georgetown Earth Commons Institute, the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and the McDonough School of Business, the STEM-designated program leverages the university’s expertise in both environmental science and business. Over 11 months, a mix of courses and experiential activities prepare students to become leaders with the knowledge, skills, and determination to advance sustainable business and environmental practices.
“We are excited to build partnerships across Georgetown University to bring together the tremendous knowledge across disciplines,” said Alexander Sens, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. “Our new MS-ESM will provide graduates the unique ability to lead their organizations at the intersection of environmental science and business, providing a deeper context and skill set from which to make an impact.”
The program will begin in August 2022 on the Georgetown University campus in Washington, D.C., where students gain unparalleled access to thought leaders, policy makers, industry experts, global corporations, nonprofits, and government entities. The in-person program is offered in a mixed method approach – skill-building courses have a modular format, with each module spanning six weeks, while science-oriented courses take a full semester.
“This degree encapsulates the idea that both environmental science and business principles are vitally important to achieving sustainability goals,” said Maria Petrova, co-academic director and Assistant Director of Graduate Education at the Georgetown Environment Initiative. “We designed this unique degree to ensure students are equipped with the skills and expertise to advance sustainability in their future careers.”
Students complete 16 courses (30 credits) covering a range of science and business topics. The curriculum content ranges from sustainability and environmental science, climate change impact and measurement, energy technology principles and applications, and environmental data visualization to accounting fundamentals and ESG finance for sustainability management, climate change economics, leadership, sustainable operations, and impact investing. The program also begins with a co-designed, interdisciplinary course that teaches the implications of environment, business, and sustainability management, infused by ethics and justice principles. The program ends with a capstone course where students work in teams on real-life, hands-on projects and consult with an organization to gain experience solving business and environmental challenges.
“The business world has a tremendous opportunity to address the world’s most complex issues – including the betterment of our natural environment – by partnering with experts across industries, functions, and fields,” said Vishal Agrawal, co-academic director and Provost’s Distinguished Lapeyere Family Associate Professor at the McDonough School of Business. “Our graduates will be the experts who bridge the gap between business and the environmental sciences, prepared for a sustainable future.”
In preparing students to become leaders equipped to manage the sustainability and resilience of their organizations in order to protect the natural environment, there are a variety of career opportunities available to graduates of the MS-ESM program. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of environmental scientists and specialists is expected to grow by 8% between 2018 and 2028, faster than the average of 5.2% for all occupations, paving the way for MS-ESM graduates to become environmental scientists, specialists, and managers. Alumni will be able to build their careers across a variety of industries and functions in both organizations with environmentally focused missions, as well as any corporate, governmental, or nonprofit entity seeking to build sustainability into their core mission.
Visit the MS-ESM website to learn more or to request more information about the program.