Sustainability+MBA (MSUS+MBA)

Sustainability+MBA (MSUS+MBA) Overview

This dual degree program leverages the strengths of Chatham’s Master of Sustainability and Master of Business Administration (MSUS+MBA) programs to develop sustainability leadership in business management. The MSUS + MBA positions graduates for leadership positions in sustainability across all sectors, including business, government, and NGOs. The program includes foundational coursework in business and sustainability as well as advanced work in various aspects of sustainability.

Program School

Falk School of Sustainability & Environment

Application Deadline

Priority and Regular

Priority deadline for fall is February 1 (all application materials must be received by this date for first consideration of fellowships and assistantships). Regular deadline for fall term is July 1. Regular deadline for spring term is November 1.

Credits Required

57

The MSUS+MBA program may be completed in two years of full-time study.

National Recognition

Environmental Impact

The Princeton Review and the U.S. Green Building Council recognized Chatham as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada.

Meet Us & Learn More

Open House

Join us for a Virtual Open House on November 6 or our monthly virtual information sessions to learn more about the MSUS+MBA and Falk School.

Explore the MSUS+MBA Degree:

Throughout the curriculum, students work on projects focused on real-world sustainability challenges, such as consultation with sustainable businesses, making business plans for sustainability businesses, or individual or group sustainability projects for businesses.

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university
Overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 or better on a 4.0 scale. Applicants with less than a 3.3 who show extreme promise through other achievements may be granted conditional admission.
Completed Application Form, including submission of the following documents:
- Curriculum vitae or resume
- Admissions Essay
- 2 letters of recommendation, from an academic source and/or direct work supervisor
- Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts, sent directly by the institutions
- Additional writing sample (optional, but encouraged)

International Applicants

International Applicants must submit additional documentation to the Office of Admissions. A list of these documents can be found on the International Admission web page.

BUS641: Sustainable Supply Chain Management

This course provides students with an understanding of how the supply chain works, how and where along the supply chain sustainability questions should be addressed/considered, and the impacts of those decisions on stakeholders further down the chain. Topics include: packaging, transportation, energy use, and waste.

BUS639: Sustainability Assessment and Reporting

An in-depth study of how to measure, track, and report on sustainability issues in a business. This course will include a study of how to create effective Social Responsibility reports and the standards currently used to measure sustainability, such as the GRI Standards. It will also teach students how to monitor and measure sustainability issues from within a business.

SUS580: Sustainable Behavior Change

This hybrid course combines classroom and online instruction with real-world application. Students learn the latest science concerning sources of environmental degradation. In teams, students apply motivational theory, collect secondary and primary data, and develop an action plan for increasing pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) in a real project.

View Course Catalog

The combination of sustainability and management skills truly positions you to build the businesses of the future where the efficiencies of sustainability and preserving our natural resource base are going to be crucial.

—LOU LEONARD, JD, dean of the Falk School of Sustainability & Environment

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Research Experience

Explore the current faculty- and student-driven research projects and opportunities at the Falk School to see the types of experience students can gain in the program.

Explore Research

Eden Hall Campus

The University’s 388-acre Eden Hall Campus is the first campus in the world built from ground up on the principles of sustainability, where students have the tools to test, experiment, and refine practices for use in the real world. As an MSUS+MBA student, you will balance your time between the Shadyside Campus and Eden Hall.

Explore Eden Hall Campus

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Alumni Employment

One hundred percent of students are employed within a year of graduation. Graduates have gone on to work for organizations including Evoqua, MGM International, Allegheny Land Trust, and Chromolax.

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Program Faculty

Chatham's Sustainability + MBA faculty members are accomplished teachers, scholars, practitioners, and active leaders in the field. They serve as mentors and advisors and are there for you every step of the way.

Meet the Faculty

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United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The MSUS curriculum incorporates the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a roadmap for sustainability adopted by all nations. In addition to links within courses, each student’s thesis addresses at least one SDG. Focused on concrete issues like water, food, and energy, learning through the SDGs helps sustainability come alive.

Photo of Chatham University students and instructors gathering in the industrial style field lab at Eden Hall Farm.

Master of Sustainability Option

Not sure the dual-degree MSUS+MBA program is right for you? Chatham also offers a stand-alone MSUS that allows students to go even deeper in a specialization area and have more flexibility to take electives. One possible area of MSUS specialization is in sustainable business. This concentration focuses on the intersection of sustainability and business, rather than providing a broad overview of business administration.

Learn About MSUS

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Tuition & Funding

The cost of a graduate degree consists of university tuition (per credit charge), fees, and any other personal expenses you may require for earning your degree. Chatham also offers a 20% corporate partner discount, graduate assistantships, and professional campus work positions for many graduate programs that can help make a Chatham graduate education more affordable. The Falk School provides numerous financial resources to our currently enrolled students, including funds available for research, unpaid internships, conference presentations, and study abroad opportunities. Our Financial Aid and Admissions offices will also work with you to understand loan and financing options available.

Explore Tuition & Funding

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Read Our Blog

Chatham’s School of Business & Enterprise blog serves to inform current and potential students, faculty, alumni, and friends of the department. It covers recent events, highlights extraordinary students, and introduces new professors and courses that are of interest to our readers.

View Blog

Visits & Events

Start the next steps in your graduate journey at Chatham University by visiting campus or attending upcoming events. Join virtual info sessions, open houses, or admitted student sessions to learn about our programs and the application process, interact with faculty, and experience the Chatham community. Click the button below to view the schedule and register, and email graduate@chatham.edu with any questions.

View Graduate Event Schedule

Master of Sustainability+MBA (MSUS+MBA)

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Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities, One Neighborhood At a Time

Chatham University's Eden Hall Campus, located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, is home to Chatham's Falk School of Sustainability and functions as a living and learning laboratory, where the campus just doesn't house classrooms, but is the classroom. It's where a blend of knowledge, experience, and creativity is always working, persistently developing, and constantly improving. It's the first in the world of its kind.

Photo of a faculty member and two students studying water near a creek on Eden Hall Campus

Water Science and Sustainability

The Falk School of Sustainability & Environment uses Chatham's Eden Hall Campus to employ classroom learning for research, experience, and education. Master of Sustainability + MBA students in the Falk School measure and monitor stream conditions to better understand the ways water quality changes, and how that can change everything around us.

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Mary Schrott, MSUS + MBA '21

Photo of Feyisola, a young Black woman in a bright suit, poses smiling and laughing against a table in an ornate room

Feyisola Akintola, MSUS+MBA '16

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Falk School Students Consult for Marburger Farm Dairy

“Marburger came to us and wanted us to put together a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report for their suppliers,” explains Taylor Whitehead, MSUS+MBA ’20. Throughout the course, students asked questions about how Marburger Farm Dairy and their suppliers run their farms and how they could be more sustainable.

Read the Story

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Student Profile: Lindsey Mifsud, MSUS+MBA ’20

In summer 2019, Lindsey Mifsud, MSUS+MBA ’20 completed an internship with 3R Sustainability, a high-performance building consulting company. 3R tackles LEED review documentation and energy modeling; creates corporate social responsibility reports for companies; and finds solutions to an organization’s needs in regards to environmental impact reduction and resource-management. Lindsey provided effective communication for 3R in the form of social media and news releases regarding our current projects, sustainability tips, and case studies.

Photo of Julia and James Rea House, atop a grassy hill covered in multicolored fall leaves on Chatham University's Shadyside Campus.

High Ranking

Chatham routinely ranks within the top 25 universities in the world for sustainability as measured by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).

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Princeton Review’s Green Honor Roll

Chatham has been selected as one of only 21 universities for The Princeton Review’s Green Honor Roll, which recognizes the most environmentally responsible colleges across the United States, earning a perfect Green Rating score of 99 out of 99.

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Sustainability+MBA (MSUS+MBA)