Masters in Sustainable Business

The Master of Science in Sustainable Business (SUSB) program offers seven different certificates, interdisciplinary courses, a large offering of 8-week online courses, and connections to our Sustainable Business Advisory Council and partners through events and guest speakers.

In the MS SUSB program, you’ll learn key concepts and issues in the field and gain knowledge and skills, including Sustainable Business Accounting, Managing for Sustainability, Sustainable Supply Chains and Circularity, and Impact investing, including the opportunity to earn certificates of your choice along the way toward earning your MS degree. In addition to earning a certificate in the Foundations of Sustainable Business, you’ll gain targeted knowledge and skills in particular domains of your choice by earning additional certificates, including Environmental Sustainability, Sustainable Energy, Risk Management & Resilience, Social Enterprise, Managing for Sustainability, or, if on campus, Urban Sustainability and Infrastructure.

With a career-focused mindset, you can use this degree to take a significant sustainable business role in your organization or entrepreneurial firm to drive successful outcomes and innovation.

Unlike an MBA, which covers a number of different business functions and typically only offers courses from across the Business School, with the MS in SUSB, you’ll dig deeper into the sustainable, environmental, and social aspects of running a business, as well as gain interdisciplinary and cross-college expertise to deepen your knowledge into specific sustainability domains of your choice. Sustainability requires interdisciplinary knowledge and skills, so this MS degree is designed to ensure you walk away with the breadth and depth of sustainability knowledge – beyond traditional business disciplinary knowledge - to be successful.

You'll have full access to the CU Denver Business Career Connections team for life. With 10 + years of recruiting and advising experience, they'll help you navigate the corporate recruiting process. Use CU Denver Business School’s connections with 300+ business partners to access exclusive opportunities and network with industry leaders. Their services include:

•  Career workshops – perfect your resume, LinkedIn profile, and job search process.
•  Individual appointments – explore what your personal career path looks like, review your resume, or schedule a mock interview
•  Career events – hone your networking skills and meet hiring managers from top companies
•  Job announcements – monthly emails with the latest job and internship opportunities specific to your degree

The Master of Science in Sustainable Business curriculum consists of one required 15-credit certificate in Foundations of Sustainable Business (15 credits) and two certificates of 9 credits each (18 credits) that complete the elective requirements for a total of 33 credit hours.

Foundations of Sustainable Business Certificate (15 hours)

This certificate introduces the foundational knowledge and concepts for success in any sustainable business career. You’ll be able to compare and contrast competing conceptualizations of sustainable business models, redesign supply chains and products for waste reduction and circularity, set and achieve net-zero carbon targets, apply and report using various sustainability disclosure standards, manage and lead innovative sustainability initiatives and projects, and be aware of various impact investment strategies. Offered online only. Course topics include:

Certificates (18 hours)

Based upon their interests, students choose two certificates, 9 credit hours each, from an offering of six certificates to complete the remaining 18 credit hours of electives in the MS SUSB degree.

We also offer this degree entirely online. The required Foundations of Sustainable Business Certificate for the MS in Sustainability degree is offered entirely online. However, not all elective certificates can be completed entirely online. In short, the following Certificates are possible to be completed entirely online.

Tuition

The cost of tuition for the MS in Sustainable Business degree is different for in-state and out-of-state students.

Residents of western states may qualify for in-state tuition. The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) requires students to maintain current residency of WRGP state until degree completion.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available for students. As a current student, you can apply for scholarships every semester. Some awards are based on program and course enrollment.

Application Process

Applicants are required to submit all application materials. Interviews are not a part of the admission process. To receive priority admission, we must have received your online application and all other required materials including transcripts and GMAT/GRE (if required by program) by the deadline.

You can check your admission status online through the account you created for the online application. You will receive a final decision by email within two to three weeks from the submission of all materials.

Admission Requirements

• Applicants must have completed an undergraduate program at an accredited United States college or its equivalent in another country.
• No work experience or formal business education is required for admission, however, you may have to provide a GMAT or GRE score if you do not have enough work experience, see below.

The GMAT/GRE is not required for this program

The MS in Sustainable Business program does not require GMAT or GRE scores for their degree program as part of the graduate admissions requirements. The requirements are a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or better from a US-accredited four-year undergraduate institution or the successful completion of a graduate degree and five or more years of full-time professional work experience.

However, if you received your bachelor’s degree with a grade point average of less than 3.25 or have less than 5 years of professional work experience, you will be asked to submit a statement that outlines other indicators of exceptional motivation, such as solid upper-division performance, GMAT or GRE scores, and other relevant professional experience. The MS in Sustainable Business admissions committee may require a minimum GMAT or GRE score for students that do not automatically qualify by GPA and prior work.

How Decisions Are Made

The admissions committee considers each candidate’s entire record of achievement. This is demonstrated through:

No work experience or formal business education is required for admission. However, professional experience strengthens your application. Candidates with less work experience can show potential through academic and experiential success.

For any questions, please contact our admissions team at bschool.admissions@ucdenver.edu or call 303-315-8200.