BECOME A SUSTAINABILITY CHANGE AGENT
As part of this two-year Master’s programme in Sustainable Business and Innovation, you will learn about sustainability challenges and the technological and other options that businesses can use to work in a more environmentally and socially friendly manner. By reviewing the academic literature and theory, real-life examples, and business case studies, you will acquire insight into the behaviour of organisations, including processes of organisational change and innovation.
Growing societal demand
Businesses increasingly face significant challenges and opportunities from environmental issues such as climate change, energy, and water and social issues such as labour and human rights, corruption, and transparency. Stakeholders in these businesses – including governments, shareholders, business customers, local communities, consumers, employees, and NGOs – are demanding that companies become more focused on sustainability for themselves and the communities they impact. As a graduate with the knowledge and skills to develop sustainable business practices, you will have excellent career prospects across multiple sectors and industries.
Developing sustainable societies
During your studies, you will learn about topics such as sustainable development, sustainability innovations, life cycle assessment, ecoefficiency and cleaner production, environmental management systems, sustainability reporting, organisational change, and management for sustainability. As a graduate from this programme, you will understand how to help business and organisations in their journey toward making societies more sustainable. The course content is framed by life-cycle thinking, systems thinking, and long-term thinking. If you would like to become a sustainability change agent in positions such as sustainability officer or sustainability director in a business, government agency, or other organisation, this programme offers you the perfect preparation.
Research institute
The Sustainable Business and Innovation programme is closely affiliated with the Innovation Studies, Environmental Governance, and Energy and Resources research group of the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University. Research conducted at the Copernicus Institute covers a wide range of issues related to sustainable development and innovation. The content of the programme is also highly visible in the research of the groups.
PROGRAMME OBJECTIVE
As a student in the Sustainable Business and Innovation Master’s programme, you will:
- gain the knowledge and skills to engage with businesses and help them become more sustainable
- acquire an understanding of how to manage a business whilst considering the implications that decisions will have on the environment and societies of today and the future; and
- learn to connect sustainability with business strategies in order to develop integrative and long-term solutions to environmental and social challenges
This programme is an ideal Master for you if you are a student who wishes to complement a natural science background with knowledge of sustainability social sciences and current business practices.