Master of Business Administration - Sustainability Management Concentration

Program Overview

Woodbury University, located in Burbank, California, United States, offers a highly relevant Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a Sustainability Management Concentration. This program is specifically designed for professionals who aspire to integrate environmental, social, and economic responsibility into business strategy and operations. It prepares graduates to lead organizations towards sustainable practices, ethical decision-making, and long-term value creation in a world increasingly focused on corporate social responsibility. Woodbury's MBA is distinguished by its intensive, practice-based format, emphasizing responsible leadership, sustainable business models, and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit within a personalized learning environment.

ACBSP Accredited: The School of Business at Woodbury University holds accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). This accreditation affirms Woodbury's commitment to delivering high-quality business education with a strong emphasis on practical application and student-centered learning. ACBSP accreditation ensures that the curriculum of the Sustainability Management MBA is relevant to the evolving needs of businesses prioritizing sustainable practices, preparing graduates effectively for immediate professional contributions in this growing field. Woodbury has maintained ACBSP accreditation since 1998, demonstrating a consistent dedication to educational excellence.

AACSB Accredited: Adding to its significant distinctions, Woodbury University's School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. This dual accreditation is a prestigious achievement, as AACSB is globally recognized as the premier accrediting body for business schools, a status held by less than 5% of business schools worldwide. Woodbury first earned AACSB accreditation in 2014 and has successfully reaffirmed it, most recently in February 2024. This signifies that the MBA program, including the Sustainability Management concentration, meets the highest international standards for academic rigor, faculty qualifications, intellectual contributions, and impact on practice, providing graduates with a superior competitive advantage in the sustainability sector.

Curriculum: The Sustainability Management MBA at Woodbury University is a 36-credit hour program, designed for efficient completion, often in as little as one year for students with an undergraduate business degree, or one and a half years for those without, by utilizing an intensive 7-week session format. The curriculum comprises 8 core MBA courses and 4 specialized electives within the Sustainability Management concentration. Core courses provide a strong foundation in areas such as Financial Accounting, Quantitative Methods for Business Decisions, Managerial Economics, Managing and Leading Organizations Ethically, Marketing Concepts and Strategies, Managerial Finance, Management of Information Technology, Entrepreneurship, and a capstone Strategic Management Consulting course. The Sustainability Management concentration specifically delves into courses like "Fundamentals of Sustainability: Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle," "Sustainability for Management Executives," "Ethics of Sustainability," "Healthy, Humane, and Sustainable Living," "Leadership for Sustainability," and "Sustainable Business Models and Solutions," providing specialized expertise in integrating sustainability into business.

Research Focus: Woodbury University's MBA program, particularly the Sustainability Management concentration, strongly integrates research and evidence-based approaches. The School of Business explicitly states its mission to cultivate innovative leaders for a "sustainable society," and sustainability is deeply embedded into the curriculum. Faculty members, many of whom are "edu-preneurs" and publish research in professional journals, bring current scholarly insights into the classroom, often focusing on the total environmental and societal footprint of businesses. The program encourages "design thinking" to find creative, results-oriented solutions to sustainability challenges. Students are expected to engage in critical analysis and utilize research to propose sustainable business models, reflecting a commitment to empirical and replicable research that demonstrates the necessity of sustainable practices.

Industry Engagement: Woodbury University fosters robust industry engagement, which is crucial for a field like sustainability that is rapidly evolving. The program's design, including its specialized concentration, is informed by the needs of businesses actively pursuing sustainability initiatives. Faculty members often have practical experience in implementing sustainable practices, providing students with invaluable real-world insights and networking opportunities. The university's commitment to "civic engagement" encourages students to work on real-world business challenges, potentially involving sustainability projects for local businesses. Through various initiatives, Woodbury connects students with practitioners who are at the forefront of sustainable business development, ensuring that graduates are highly adaptable and career-ready for roles integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles.

Global Perspective: The MBA with a Sustainability Management Concentration at Woodbury University inherently embraces a strong global perspective. The concept of sustainability itself is a global imperative, addressing challenges like climate change, resource depletion, and social equity that transcend national borders. The curriculum acknowledges that businesses operate in a globalized world where environmental and social impacts often have international ramifications. Courses within the concentration explore sustainable practices and ethical considerations that are relevant on a worldwide scale. Furthermore, Woodbury's diverse student body and faculty contribute to a rich learning environment where different cultural approaches to sustainability and global environmental challenges are discussed, preparing graduates to lead sustainability initiatives within multinational corporations and global organizations.