# Spring 2027 Undergraduate Courses in Sustainable Business

CSB Blog

— October 21, 2026

![Stock course photo](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/2026-10/scott-graham-5fnmwej4taa-unsplash_0.jpg?itok=5m-c9nvY)

Stern undergraduate students concentrating in Sustainable Business examine the unique role of the private sector and gain a broad understanding of how embedding sustainability into core business strategy benefits financial performance and management practices. To learn more about the Concentration and its course requirements, [**click here**](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/portal-partners/current-students/undergraduate/academics/degree-programs/bs-business/sustainable-business).

To assist undergraduate students as they design their schedules, CSB has assembled the following list of Sustainable Business courses offered in the upcoming Spring 2027 semester.

**\[NEW CLASS!\]**

**BSPA-UB 135: Capital, Commons, and Circularity: Economic Innovation in Spain**

Jill Simeone | R 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM | In-person | SAW Seville Trip - May 2027

The world is becoming ever more complex. As society’s needs and goals expand, the limits of zero-sum economics are obvious in daily life. In this course, students will discover that Milton Friedman sits alongside other governance models in modern economics. They will ask what it means for business and society to be “successful,” and learn how to design three-dimensional business solutions that deliver, yes, financial growth, but also much more. Some frameworks will include: \*Oxford economist Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics model - a visual framework for sustainable development that balances human well-being with planetary boundaries (i.e. the Earth is a closed system with finite resources). \*Professor Elinor Ostrom’s Framework for Governing the Commons - The Nobel Prize winning work of Elinor Ostrom debunked the “Tragedy of the Commons” and proved that local communities can sustainably manage Common-Pool Resources without relying on top-down government control or privatization.

**Foundational Course (Required for Specialization)**

**BSPA-UB.68.001: Sustainability for Competitive Advantage**

Professor Taylor | M, W 9:30am - 10:45am | In-Person

In this course, students will develop an effective leadership perspective through pursuit of the following learning objectives: 1) to become familiar with the key environmental and social issues affecting business today, 2) to understand the evolution of corporate response—from compliance to engagement to innovation, 3) to develop some of the skills required for leading in this new social and political environment (e.g. multi-stakeholder management), 4) to explore the efficiencies and innovations being developed by corporate leaders in pursuit of sustainability, 5) to explore innovations in sustainable finance, 6) to become familiar with the latest consumer insight research on sustainability, 7) be able to design an effective embedded sustainability strategy that will deliver competitive advantage. In short, this course is multi-disciplinary, and seeks to integrate across the functions of the firm to arrive at an effective firm-wide leadership sensibility.

Discipline

**ACCT-UB.67.001: Accounting for Sustainability**

Professor O’Connell | M, W 3:30PM - 4:45PM | In-Person

The main objective of the course is to equip you with the knowledge of how to measure, evaluate and disclose Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance. The course will emphasize on the interplay between strategy, organizational architecture and company performance. We will examine how firms respond to the sustainability call expressed by investors, customers, employees, and governmental bodies. The course will provide you with the practical knowledge and insights on how to embed sustainability into the corporate DNA as a daily practice from an internal perspective as well as how to assess ESG performance from an external perspective.

**ACCT-UB.53.001: Renewable Energy & Electric Vehicle Industry**

Professor Gode | M,W 2:00PM - 3:15PM | In-Person

Please visit [https://www.dangode.com/renewables/](https://dangode.com/renewables/) for details. This course analyzes renewable energy and electric vehicles industries from the perspective of someone who wants to start these businesses, manage them, or invest in them. It covers the following: (1) The business drivers for key renewable energy and electric vehicle technologies and their trends (2) Simplified financial models of renewable energy projects (3) Understanding and analyzing financial statements of renewable energy companies and electric vehicles companies.

Issue Area

**BSPA-UB.41.001: Social Entrepreneurship**

Professor Shanley | T, R 2:00PM - 3:15PM | In-Person

Social Entrepreneurship is an emerging and rapidly changing business field that examines the practice of identifying, starting and growing successful mission-driven for-profit and nonprofit ventures—that is, organizations that strive to advance social change through innovative solutions. This course, rooted in stakeholder theory, is designed to provide a socially relevant academic experience in order to help students gain in-depth insights into economic and social value creation across a number of areas including poverty alleviation, energy, health and sustainability. Students will have the opportunity to find and test new ideas and solutions to social problems, create sustainable business models, identify funding options and alternatives, learn about evolving legal and governance structures, learn how to measure social impact and scale a social enterprise to name a few. This course will provide students with a toolkit and frameworks that can be used to start a social venture, applied within a social venture or within other types of organizations to influence social change.

**ECON-UB.925.DC1: Business and The Environment**

Professor Metzel | W 3:00pm - 6:00pm | In-Person (DC Campus)

Environmental problems typically arise from “market failures.” This course examines several environmental issues at local, national, and international levels, with a particular focus this year on energy and climate change, but also briefly on water and population. Drawing on the theories of externalities, market failure, and mechanism design, it explores the causes of these problems and some of the potential remedies, including government regulation, “cap-and-trade,” and carbon taxes, as well as potential related business opportunities. The schedule will include lectures by relevant industry representatives.

Practicum

**BSPA-UB.65.001: Sustainability Consulting: Foundations for Determining Value**

Professor Rosenthal | T, R 2:00PM - 3:15PM | In-Person

This practicum course immerses students in the practice of applied consulting, giving them the tools to uncover and communicate the value of sustainability initiatives. In collaborative teams, students will step into the role of management consultants, working directly with a company on a real sustainability initiative using the NYU Stern CSB Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) methodology. Students will learn how to determine where relevant data lives within the company, connect sustainability actions to measurable business benefits, and tackle the challenges of identifying data gaps that influence financial analysis. By the end of the course, students will not only strengthen their analytical and consulting skills but also develop a foundation for sustainability leadership through the following learning objectives: 1) Identify key sustainability risks and opportunities within companies 2) Conduct a benefit analysis across the ROSI framework's nine value drivers 3) Collaborate with companies on locating and evaluating data, while discovering any data gaps critical for financial benefits of sustainability initiatives 4) Deliver a project deliverable that highlights the building blocks of value measurement (data discovery, benefits analysis, and preliminary financial framing) for real-world sustainability initiatives. The class combines lectures with real-world consulting experience. Students will partner with advisors and pre-selected companies in industries such as retail and food and beverage, producing insights and recommendations that bridge the gap between sustainability and business value. Class sessions will feature guest speakers from the business community, interactive discussions, role-playing, and project-based client consulting work creating a high-energy, hands-on learning environment

**BSPA-UB.70.001: Social Innovation Practicum**

Professor Taparia | R 6:20PM - 9:00PM | In-Person

This course is designed to help students gain actionable insights into the nexus between economic and social value creation. Specifically, the purpose is to provide students with hands-on exposure to the entrepreneurial pursuit of social impact and innovation. As a result of this course, students will gain: Increased ability to recognize and critically assess various forms of social enterprise strategies as tools of economic development and social transformation; Greater understanding of the challenges of growing and sustaining a social enterprise, as well as special insights into enterprise development and growth; Improved consulting skills, including project planning, issue analysis, formulation of strategic and tactical recommendations, and client relationship management. By participating in the course, students will be better able to adapt and apply business skills and academic disciplines in the social sector, and will have increased skills for effective and thoughtful leadership in business and society throughout their careers.

**BSPA-UB.48.001: Sustainable Investing**

Professor Kronsinsky | M, W 3:30PM - 4:45PM

21st century investors face a broadening and deepening array of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks and opportunities. Climate change, water scarcity, community conflict, resource depletion, supply chain breakdowns, worker well-being and economic inequality pose material challenges that make sustainability an imperative for successful investors and the companies they choose to invest in. This course will couple theory with the practice of Sustainable Investing (SI). We will examine current ESG investment and corporate strategies, trends, future scenarios, players, and frameworks and integrate that theory with practical investment performance analysis, metrics, and studies of data, screens, asset classes, and diversification. The course maximizes student interaction with industry leaders and is taught through a mix of case studies, analyst reports, and lectures. Students gain perspectives from assessing fund manager strategies and perform quantitative and qualitative analysis in conjunction with the development of stock pitches for possible direct investment as concentrated positions within a portfolio.

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