Undergraduate Current Students | Sustainable Business

At a time of indisputable societal and environmental change, concentrating in Sustainable Business will 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 declare a concentration in Sustainable Business, you must fill out the concentration declaration form on SternLife.
 

You are required to complete 12 credits of Sustainable Business courses that consist of: 

• Sustainability for Competitive Advantage (BSPA-UB 68) 
• Three (3) courses (at least 9 credits), one from each of the following sections below: Issue Area, Discipline, and Practicum
   

Approved Issue Area Courses

• Social Entrepreneurship (BSPA-UB 41)
• Economic Inequality: Perspectives and Practices (BSPA-UB 43)
• Global Business & Human Rights (BSPA-UB 47)
• Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Protein (BSPA-UB 50)*
• Flourishing (BSPA-UB 52) open to sophomores only
• Social Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Food Business (BSPA-GB 2306)
• Driving Market Solutions for Clean Energy (BSPA-GB 2308)
• Business and the Environment (ECON-UB 225)
• *The Global Business of Chocolate: Sustainability, Strategy, and Hawaii Trip (MULT-UB 137 - SAW: USA) 
• *Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainable Development-Costa Rica (BSPA-UB 45 - SAW: Costa Rica)

* Please note: a max of one Stern Around the World (SAW) travel course can be applied per concentration or minor

Approved Discipline Courses

• Renewable Energy and Electric Vehicle Industry (ACCT-UB 53) two-credit course**
• Innovations and Strategies for Building a Progressive Social Enterprise (BSPA-UB 44) 
• Theory & Practice of Sustainable Investing (BSPA-UB 48) 
• Accounting for Sustainability (BSPA-UB 67) two-credit course**
• Managing Climate, Cyber, Geopolitical and Financial Risk (FINC-GB 6075)
• Climate Finance: An Economic and Financial Approach to Climate Change (FINC-UB 77)

** These courses are designed to be taken in tandem.  Both will be offered starting in spring 2024 - one in the first 7 weeks of the term and the other in the second.  Please check Albert for more details.

Approved Practicum (P) Courses

• Marketing for Impact: Strategies for Sustainable Business (BSPA-UB 51)
• Social Innovation Practicum  (BSPA-UB 70) 
• Experiential Learning Seminar: Social Impact Consulting (BSPA-UB 103) 
• NYU Impact Investment Fund (NIIF) (INTA-GB 3371) This is a year-long 3-credit course that requires special permission for students to enroll.

• A Stern elective course may satisfy only one concentration requirement. For example, Marketing for Impact (BSPA-UB 51) can count as a Sustainable Business elective or Marketing elective, but it cannot satisfy both requirements.
• Stern juniors and seniors can request enrollment access into an MBA (-GB) course by filling out the MBA Course Request Form. See the form for more information. If you have questions about how a graduate course can fulfill concentration requirements, please speak with your Stern academic adviser.