Sustainable Business

Developed in partnership with environmental nonprofit GreenBlue, a leader in the field of sustainable packaging, UVA’s certificate program integrates traditional business skills with world-changing thinking, helping you become an advocate and a leader for the greater good.

Requirements

At least one year of college completed and a current resume

Deadline to Apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis

Duration & Format

13 weeks online

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Online Format

Asynchronous, with four live online class sessions

Program Cost

$2,500

Session Start Dates

January, May

Drive value through sustainability.

Organizations that employ sustainable business practices are creating competitive advantage, lifting revenues, and growing their customer base. Yet, according to Bain Capital, 90% of the world's companies will need to reinvent their core businesses if we are to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This program will help put your values into practice. You will:

Understand the fundamental challenges and business opportunities arising from the global sustainability crisis
Develop frameworks for assessing the effects of strategic decision making on an organization’s economic, social, and environment bottom lines
Draft actionable strategies for improving organizational sustainability in any industry
Learn tools for calculating the environmental footprint and projecting the impact of sustainable initiatives
Learn best practices for improving product design and system efficiency

Program Highlights

Learn about sustainability from the environmental, social, and business perspectives.
Build an action plan to develop a sustainable strategy for your product, project, or organization.
Learn from real-world case studies featuring companies such as Oracle, Tesla, Nike, BlackRock, BMW, LUSH cosmetics, PwC, and Qantas.
Hear from some of the world’s most prominent business leaders on how they have incorporated sustainable strategy into their businesses.

McIntire’s Sustainable Business Certificate has opened doors and provided new focus for me in my professional field. I studied sustainability and business separately in college, but this certification marries the skills of both disciplines and allowed me to make tangible change in my organization. I am equipped to identify sustainability challenges in business, evaluate opportunities for improvement, and implement new processes and solutions that both work towards a sustainable future and support the bottom line.

Katie White

The Martin Agency, Account Supervisor

Curriculum

We take an integrated view of creating and managing sustainable businesses. You'll gain perspective from environmental science, business, and architecture lenses as you advance the journey to sustainability while creating business value.

Identify Sustainable Business Challenges

Explore the key environmental challenges in areas, including:

Biodiversity
Climate and energy
Water and oceans
Forests
Land and food

Understand ways firms can mitigate, adapt, and innovate to better protect and conserve these resources.

Evaluate Alternative Business Solutions

Investigate how to create a more sustainable business by aligning:

Finance
Marketing
Management
Strategy

Analyze business sustainability cases from leading firms to distill best practices and processes.

Implement Change in Organizations

Use design thinking to identify opportunities to:

Increase revenue
Decrease operating costs
Do more with less
Reduce risk

Use life cycle analysis (LCA) to assess the environmental impact in the circular economy.

Program Faculty

Mark A. White

Associate Professor of Commerce
Director, McIntire Business Institute

Kerrie Aman Carfagno

Associate Professor
General Faculty
Director, Management Communication Programs

Lisa Colosi-Peterson

Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director of Graduate Studies

Phoebe Crisman

Professor of Architecture
Director, Global Environments and Sustainability Major

Howie Epstein

Professor of Environmental Science

Take the Next Step

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and there is no fee to apply.

Programs at McIntire

Faculty & Research

It's more than an education.