Today, this importance is widely recognized, with sustainability increasingly becoming a priority for business school students. Almost two-thirds (63%) of prospective students feel it is important for a school to actively support and incorporate sustainability into the academic experience, according to the GMAC 2025 Prospective Students Survey.
So, how exactly will an MBA prepare you for a career in sustainability? We spoke with insiders at Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM), where sustainability is an essential part of the MBA program, to find out.
Develop a sustainable mindset
An MBA can do more than just develop your business acumen—it challenges students to rethink the role of business in society, as well as the impact sustainable practices can have. Through working on strategic thinking and critical analysis, and by gaining opportunities for collaboration, studying an MBA can help develop a mindset that is essential for success when incorporating sustainability within business.
At GEM, sustainability is integrated throughout the MBA program, from classes focused on skill-building to practical, simulative experiences.
“Sustainability is ingrained into the DNA of the school,” explains Lea Stadtler, associate professor of strategic management at GEM.
“We have developed sustainability learning goals that are tracked across the modules that we offer in the MBA,” she adds. “We make sure that they are not just outsourced to sustainability modules that we have, but that they are also addressed in the core courses—when it comes to risk management, legal affairs, and investment strategies.”
An MBA also provides students with a diverse network of peers from different professional and cultural backgrounds, encouraging them to view sustainability through the lens of different regions and industries.
“I didn’t know much about sustainability before I came to GEM,” explains Anil Kumar Gogu (pictured), a GEM MBA student originally from India. “I came to know about sustainability from coming to France and studying the MBA, and along with that, management skills.”
Build sustainability skills
Whether you’re aiming to lead ESG strategy at a top firm or launch your own sustainable startup, an MBA can equip you with the skills you need to prepare for a career in sustainability.
From broad skills, including teamwork and leadership, to specialized skills, such as data analysis, the core capabilities developed during an MBA are transferable across a range of sustainability roles. Within programs like the GEM MBA, where sustainability is integrated throughout the curriculum and school experience, this helps students develop vital abilities.
“The MBA provides skills in terms of collaboration and communication,” says Professor Lea. “If we consider how sustainability is about driving change, these are really critical models.
“Understanding how organizations work is key for people who want to work on sustainability,” she continues. “Studying an MBA which is broader, rather than a specialization on sustainability, encourages an understanding of how to drive change and transformation, and learn about frameworks to use to adopt a systems perspective.”
Gain real-world experience in sustainability
One of the most valuable aspects of an MBA is experiential learning—where real-world projects, internship opportunities, and competitions can prepare you for sustainable work environments.
During his MBA, Anil took part in the Green Seed Journey—a competition led by investment company EIT InnoEnergy, which challenged students to showcase their expertise in green investment strategies. Competing among Europe's top business schools, GEM students demonstrated leadership in entrepreneurship, sustainability, and collaboration through their performance, earning them first place in the competition.
“Our job was to evaluate 26 startup companies, on marketing strategies, business models, financial models, and even cash flow projections—everything we learnt through the MBA,” explains Anil.
Such immersive experiences help to further develop a sustainable mindset, providing a platform to engage the skills students learn during their MBA classes within hands-on learning environments.
“Even during the MBA, the sustainability aspect was simulation, not just theory,” Anil adds. “We learned about what kind of frameworks we have to follow to make a company more sustainable. Sustainable finance and CSR was [also] included in risk management and auditing.”
Practical experience and building key skills are the foundation of developing a sustainable mindset. Through collaborating with others and applying these skills in action, you can shape not only your career, but a more sustainable future.
