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Online and Distance Education

Business Sustainability

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Application Deadlines

  • May 15 for Fall
  • October 31 for Spring

Program Contacts

Allison AnthonyAllison AnthonyAssociate Director, Master of Management919.515.7383aanthon3@ncsu.edu
Jessica Yinka ThomasProgram Director919.515.4441jothomas@ncsu.edu
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Graduate Certificates | Business Sustainability

Business Sustainability

Entrance Exam: None
Poole College of Management

The online, flexible, Business Sustainability graduate certificate is a 12-credit program designed to elevate your career as a purpose-driven business leader through the knowledge and skills to address global challenges within sustainable business practices. This program will teach you how sustainable business strategies are used as drivers for innovation, collaboration and transformation, including leading-edge business topics from Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) metrics to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, from a global perspective. This program can be completed entirely online or as a mix of online and in-person classes including a study abroad class. To learn more about the Business Sustainability Certificate, visit the Jenkins Graduate Certificate website.

Eligibility

The NC State University Graduate School, which oversees the graduate certificate application process, has its own admissions criteria but the Poole College of Management has specific admissions requirements as well.

After submitting your Graduate Application (opens in new tab)(opens in new window) for the Business Sustainability certificate, you may check the status (opens in new tab)(opens in new window)  of your application at any time. International students must include complete transcripts, a degree statement and TOEFL or IELTS scores. Applicants should have a minimum 3.0 grade point average. The GRE is not required, but we ask you to upload the scores if you have taken it.

For information regarding the cost of the program, please visit the Jenkins MBA Certificate Tuition web page for detailed tuition information.

Plan of Study

The NC State Business Sustainability Certificate consists of 12 credit hours. A minimum of 9 credit hours within Poole College of Management (PCOM) are required.

  • Core requirements from Poole College - complete 5 credit hours
  • Electives from Poole College - complete 4-7 credit hours
  • Electives from College of Natural Resources - complete up to 3 credit hours

Career Prospects

The Graduate Certificate in Business Sustainability provides an opportunity for graduates to pursue a range of career trajectories from building an entrepreneurial sustainable business to working on a sustainability related role to serving as a changemaker in a traditional role.

The career prospects for graduates of this program are both diverse and promising. With companies increasingly recognizing the importance of sustainability as a core element of their business strategy, the demand for professionals with specialized knowledge in this area is on the rise. Graduates can find opportunities across a wide range of sectors including, but not limited to, corporate sustainability, environmental consultancy, operations management (with an emphasis on sustainability practices) and internal corporate policy development.

The practical skills acquired through the certificate, such as analyzing and applying sustainable business strategies and understanding environmental, social, and governance metrics, make graduates valuable assets to any organization aiming to achieve sustainable growth. Additionally, the program’s emphasis on global perspectives prepares graduates for leadership roles in both domestic and international settings, enabling them to drive social and environmental change through purpose-driven business leadership.