Sustainability and Business
Dr. Noah Perlut
Assistant Academic Director
nperlut@une.edu
Dr. John Austin
Business Department Chair
jaustin8@une.edu
Mission
The Sustainability and Business program considers and applies environmental, social, and financial concerns to create a more sustainable world. You gain the knowledge, experience, and ethical grounding to play a leadership role within a public or private company, nonprofit organization, or an entrepreneur.
More specifically the program:
- Prepares you for ethically and socially responsible roles in sustainability and business professions and society.
- Develops your ability to recognize, analyze, and solve problems with an awareness and appreciation of human connections with the rest of nature.
- Helps you achieve personal and career goals.
- Prepares you for entry-level positions in either the private or public sector and/or to prepares you for coursework at the graduate level.
Major Description
The B.S. in Sustainability and Business is offered jointly by the Environmental Studies and Business programs within the College of Arts and Sciences. It is designed to be interdisciplinary and to offer students numerous opportunities for collaboration and experiential learning, and for applying their skills in real-world settings. The first-year experience includes a Green Learning Community.
Curricular Requirements
| CAS Core Requirements | Credits |
|---|---|
| Total | 42–46 |
| Required Courses | Credits |
|---|---|
| BIO 105 and 105L – Biology I: Ecology/Evolution/Lab with Lab | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| BUAC 201 – Financial Accounting | 3 |
| BUEC 104 and 105 or BUEC 106 – Economics in Context | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| BUEC 204 – Microeconomics | 3 |
| BUEC 390 – Environmental Economics | 3 |
| BUMG 200 – Management | 3 |
| BUMK 200 – Marketing | 3 |
| ENV 100 and 101 or ENV 104 – Introduction to Environmental Issues | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| ENV 200 – Environment and Society | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| ENV 208 – Climate Change: Causes, Consequences, Solutions | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| ENV 240 – Environmental Sustainability Lab | 2 |
| ENV 250 – Environmental Policy in Comparative Perspective | 3 |
| ENV 295 – Internship or BUMG 295 – Internship | 3 |
| ENV 344 – Environmental Ethics or BUMG 311 – Business and Society Relations | 3 |
| ENV 495 – Advanced Internship or BUMG 495A – Advanced Internship | 3–12 |
| ENV 499 – Senior Capstone | 3 |
| LIT 121 and 122 or LIT 124 – Literature, Nature & the Environment | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| MAT 151 – Statistics for Environmental Sciences | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| Two (2) Environmental Studies Electives Courses (see below) | 6 |
| Two (2) Business Elective Courses (see below) | 6 |
| Total | 44–52 |
| Open Elective Courses (as needed to reach 120 credits) | Variable |
| Minimum Total Required Credits | 120 |
|---|
Elective Suggestions
| Environmental Elective Suggestions | Credits |
|---|---|
| ENV 204 – Urban Forestry | 3 |
| ENV 309 – Sustainability and Ecological Restoration | 3 |
| ENV 313 – Wetland Restoration: Science and Policy | 3 |
| ENV 316/316L - Land Conservation Practicum with Lab | 4 |
| ENV 321 – Environmental Communication: Expert Practices for Ecosystem Management | 3 |
| ENV 328 – Environmental Pollution: Ecosystems, Wildlife and Human Health | 3 |
| ENV 340 – Environmental Movements and Social Change | 3 |
| ENV 341 – Indigenous Ecology, Conservation Biology, and the Politics of Knowledge | 3 |
| ENV 348 – Environment, Health & Community Development in East Africa | 4 |
| ENV 357 – Sustaining Water: Social and Global Perspectives | 3 |
| MAF 200 – Introduction to Marine Pollution | 3 |
| MAF 210 – Introduction to US Ocean Governance | 3 |
| MAR 316 – Science in Society | 3 |
| Business Elective Suggestions | Credits |
|---|---|
| BUEC 395 – Ecological Economics | 3 |
| BUMG 303 – Management of Nonprofits | 3 |
| BUMG 307 – Operations Management | 3 |
| BUMG 312 – Entrepreneurship/Sm Bus Management | 3 |
| BUMG 315 – Triple Bottom Line Reporting | 3 |
| BUMG 325 – Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| BUMG 410 – Creating Social Enterprises through Design Thinking & Innovation | 4 |
| ORM 250 – Outdoor Entrepreneurship (Makerspace) | 3 |
Additional Information
- Students may choose to tailor the last two (2) years of course selections to their specific interests. For example, in close consultation with their academic advisor, they may select upper-level business and environmental studies electives that would result in an informal concentration in one or more areas including Non-Profit Sector, Corporate/Public Sector Sustainability, Small Business/Entrepreneurship.
- Students are strongly encouraged to participate in study abroad. Academic advisors will help tailor a student’s program to create opportunities for study abroad.
Students in this major can participate in the pre-health graduate school preparation tracks.
Learning Outcomes
The Sustainability and Business learning outcomes are as follows:
- Know fundamental principles of business and ecology and apply these to sustainability initiatives within private, public, and/or civic organizations/enterprises.
- Integrate the environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability and apply that integration to solve concrete challenges.
- Identify and measure the economic, social, and environmental risks and rewards (triple bottom line) of new ventures in sustainability, and compare short-term economic risks and returns with long-term expected benefits.
The Green Learning Community
All entering first-year Sustainability and Business Students, together with other environmental students, participate in a year-long learning community focused on the fundamental themes of environmental studies. The Green Learning Community integrates courses as follows: 4 credits of biology, 3 credits of literature (or an appropriate substitute), 3 credits of economics, and 3 credits of environmental issues for a total of 13 credits over two semesters. This interdisciplinary approach enables students to understand more clearly the complexity of environmental issues and at the same time improve skills in critical thinking, writing, oral communication, research, and the use of computers. Experiential learning activities are central.
Internships and Careers
Internships provide students with an opportunity to practice learned skills in an actual work environment with the guidance of the CAS internship coordinator, who helps students match their interests with a work experience that might take place locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally. Internships provide career exploration and can help establish professional networks that lead to career opportunities upon graduation. The particularly applied focus of the Sustainability and Business majors requires students to do two internships during their four-year undergraduate degree. The interdisciplinary nature of the Sustainability and Business major is reflected in the wide variety of careers open to graduates in the non-profit, corporate, and public sectors. Employment opportunities include Corporate or Municipal Sustainability Officer, Green Business Manager, Community Economic Development Manager, Environmental Affairs Officer, Green Entrepreneur, and Sustainability Program, Developer.
Transfer Credit
See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.
Admissions
See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.
Financial Information
TUITION AND FEES
Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more information regarding tuition and fees, please consult the Financial Information section of this catalog.