Top Business Programs for Environmental Sustainability and Social Impact

With the release of its 2014 guide to top business programs for environmental sustainability and social impact this week, Net Impact once again gives students aiming to save the world a valuable roadmap. The new guide rates nearly 100 graduate programs (mostly MBAs) on program strengths from corporate responsibility to social entrepreneurship, and provides detailed information on courses, faculty, and alumni.

Net Impact ranks 50 programs on social impact, including first-place Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco, where all students work on no fewer than four sustainability projects over the course of their studies. It also ranks 50 programs on environmental sustainability, including UC Santa Barbara, where the capstone course in the Master of Environmental Science and Management program requires small groups of students to partner with corporate clients to solve real-world environmental problems.

What follows are the findings from Net Impact’s survey of more than 3,300 students. Interestingly, more than half the schools surveyed this year reported new curriculum innovations to integrate social impact and environmental sustainability themes. Yet for the third consecutive year student satisfaction with their programs’ progress in this area has declined – by a whopping 15% this year—suggesting schools are failing to keep pace with students’ desire for change.

“Over the years, students have become increasingly committed to making an impact, and expect more from their education as a result,” says Liz Maw, CEO of Net Impact. “Graduates want to leave their programs fully equipped to create social and environmental change in the workplace and the world.”