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.

To assist undergraduate students as they design their schedules, CSB has assembled the following list of Sustainable Business courses offered in the upcoming Spring 2026 semester.

Foundational Course (Required for Specialization)

BSPA-UB 68: Sustainability for Competitive Advantage

Professor Taylor | MW 9.30 AM - 10.45 PM | 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

BSPA-UB 48: Theory & Practice of Sustainable Investing

Professor Krosinsky | MW 3.30 PM-4.45 PM | In-Person

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.

MULT-UB 60 AI Ethics in Business and Society

Professor Statler | TR 11:00 - 12:15 PM | In-Person

This multidisciplinary course explores the rapidly evolving field of AI through the lens of philosophical ethics, equipping business school students with the tools to think critically and creatively about AI’s ethical challenges in business and society.  Helps students build the ethical fluency and strategic judgment needed to navigate those challenges responsibly and competitively. Counts toward Sustainable Business and Data Science concentrations.

ACCT-UB 53 Renewable Energy and Electric Vehicles Industry

Professor Gode | MW 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM | In-Person

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. Please find a video with an introduction from Prof. Gode here. 

BSPA-UB 67: Accounting for Sustainability

Professor O’Connell | M 2:00 PM - 4.45 PM | In-Person

The main objective of the course is to equip the student with the knowledge required for the understanding as to how to measure, evaluate and disclose social and environmental corporate performance. For this reason, the course will emphasize the interplay between sustainability strategy, organizational architecture and performance, providing the practical knowledge and insights for embedding sustainability into the corporate DNA as daily practice.

Issue Area

BSPA-UB 47: Global Business & Human Rights

Professor Gu, Khan | TR 3.30 PM-4.45 PM | In-Person

One of the only classes of its kind at the undergraduate level, this is an advanced-level class for juniors and seniors that will focus on human rights law and practice, and how the human rights framework applies to business. Students will learn about the theoretical foundations of human rights, the evolving role of business in modern society, and analyze case studies of how companies have been challenged by human rights issues in fashion, investing, social media, and food and beverage, among other sectors. Classes will consist of interactive lectures, stakeholder role play exercises, topical debates, and presentations.

BSPA-GB. 2308 Driving Market Solutions for Clean Energy

Professors Gowrishankar & Berlin | T 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM | In-Person

This course is designed to provide students with a rich understanding of the economy-wide energy transitions that are needed in the United States to help curb climate change, with an emphasis on how the private sector can drive such changes. As relevant background, the course will cover energy-related macroeconomic concepts and trends, and provide environmental and international context. It will draw on the instructor’s diverse experiences, readings and other media, classroom discussions, case studies, visiting speakers, and group projects, to explore and debate how such ambitious but necessary transformations may be brought about.

Note: 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.

Practicum

BSPA-UB 65 Sustainability Consulting: Foundations for Determining Value

Professor Rosenthal | TR 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM | In-Person

This applied consulting practicum immerses students in real-world sustainability strategy, equipping them to uncover and communicate business value.  Working in teams with company partners, students step into the role of management consultants, identifying opportunities, navigating data challenges, and applying frameworks such as NYU Stern CSB Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI™). Through interactive sessions, guest speakers, and collaborative projects, students build analytical, consulting, and leadership skills preparing them to translate responsible business strategies into measurable results; preparing them to drive meaningful impact in any career path. 

INTA-GB 3371 NYU Impact Investment Fund I + II

Note: this course is now a full year commitment. All rising juniors and seniors not studying abroad next academic year are welcome to apply in the spring. For more information please visit https://www.niifonline.com/ and contact experiential@stern.nyu.edu to apply by April 17. Please note that the course runs from September to May on Wednesdays from 12-1:20 PM. 

The NYU Impact Investment Fund (NIIF) is a unique interdisciplinary, experiential learning course which is offered in tandem with a student-led and operated Impact Investing Fund of the same name. For students to participate in the Fund they are required to be enrolled in this course. The creation of NIIF has been approved by the Deans of both Wagner and Stern. NIIF is operated under the guidelines of an Operational Handbook which has been reviewed by the NYU Office of General Counsel. Investment transactions made during the course are supported by the Business Law and International Transactions Clinics of the NYU Law School resulting in a three school interdisciplinary collaboration offering students the opportunity to interact with their peers across the University ecosystem. 

Students participating in NIIF are expected to enroll in the NIIF course for the full academic year (fall and spring) and will receive 1.5 credits for each semester of participation. The course will meet every other week, but students are expected to complete assignments and deliverables during weeks that the class does not meet to assure the investment processes and momentum are responsibly maintained. 

The class will be divided into five Deal Teams. The Deal Teams will have a sectoral focus (e.g., Financial Inclusion, Environment, Healthcare/Aging, Education and Food Systems) for sourcing prospective investment clients. The teams will also have access to the MIINT (MBA Impact Investing Network & Training) program which is a competitive experiential on-line lab designed to give students at graduate schools a hands-on education in impact investing. The NIIF Investment Committee will recommend one of the teams to compete in the finals of MIINT where top graduate schools present to a judging committee composed of industry leaders in impact investing. Those participating in MIINT will have some additional deliverables in accordance with the MIINT program guidelines though the majority of the requirements align with deliverables identified in this Syllabus for the NIIF class as a whole.