There’s not a single M7 business school in the best sustainability MBA programs ranking released by Corporate Knights, with a list of schools that, for the most part, looks starkly different to what we’re used to seeing in rankings of the world's best MBA programs.
The Better World MBA ranking for 2024 spans the globe, with 13 countries represented among the top 40, including strong representation from the UK, Canada, the US, France and The Netherlands.
The list is significant because recent research has indicated that students are increasingly applying to business school with the twin goals of learning to maximize profit and purpose.
There’s a growing understanding that business practices should make a positive impact on the planet, as well as a company’s bottom line. Today, more than half of prospective business school students say they wouldn’t consider a business school if it lacked sustainability, equity, and inclusion efforts.
So which schools offer the best sustainability MBA programs worldwide?
20 best sustainability MBA programs
Among the top 20 programs in this year’s ranking, the three highest-ranked programs are Australia’s Griffith Business School—the ranking leader for the last two years—US-based University of Vermont Grossman School of Business, and Bard College, also located in the US.
Vermont Grossman rises from fifth place in 2023, while Bard College ranks among the top three after placing fourth previously.
Colorado State University College of Business continues to rise up the ranking of the best sustainability MBA programs, jumping from seventh to fourth this year. Meanwhile, Duquesne University’s Palumbo Donahue School of Business—a former ranking leader—places fifth.
Last year's third-placed sustainability MBA, the program offered by Netherlands-based Maastricht University School of Business and Economics, ranks sixth this year, according to Corporate Knights.
One of the largest risers in the 2024 list is University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, which jumps 20 places to seventh overall. It's followed by Centrum PUCP Business School, based in Peru.
The Peter B Gustavson School of Business at University of Victoria rises six positions to rank as the ninth best sustainability MBA. University of Exeter Business School drops one space to place 10th overall.
Other UK b-schools with top sustainability credentials include Warwick Business School (11th); and American University Kogod Business School (12th), which has shot up 70 places between 2023 and 2024.
University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business is among Canada's highest-ranked schools, placing 13th. It's followed by Australia's LaTrobe Business School (14th) and another Canadian b-school, York University Schulich School of Business (15th).
The UK's Glasgow School for Business and Society located at Glasgow Caledonian University places 16th, followed by Toronto Metropolitan University’s Ted Rogers School of Management (17th), and Nottingham University Business School (18th).
A major US institution, University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business ranks among the top 20 this year, in 19th. Rounding out the top 20 sustainability MBA program s is the UK's University of Winchester Business School.
Best sustainability MBA programs by country
The Better World MBA ranking produced by Corporate Knights is a global affair.
Among the 20 best business schools for sustainability, there are two schools from Australia, the UK has five, while the US has six. Canada has four schools listed as having the best sustainability MBA programs, while there are also representatives from the Netherlands, South Africa, and Peru.
Spotlight: The 3 best business schools for sustainability
3. Bard College (US)
Bard College is one of the large contingent of US-based business schools to feature in this list of the best sustainability MBA programs.
The school offers a specialist MBA in Sustainability with an approach it describes as "sustainability baked in, not bolted on". Students learn a broad array of business fundamentals, each delivered through sustainability lens. According to Corporate Knights' evaluation of the program, the proportion of sustainable teaching embedded within the curriculum is 71%.
In 2023, the Bard College MBA in Sustainability ranked just outside of the top three, according to Corporate Knights, however this year sees the school enter the top spots for the first time.
2. University of Vermont Grossman School of Business (US)
The Grossman School of Business at the University of Vermont has leapfrogged a number of business schools to elevate from fifth to second place in the 2024 ranking of the best sustainability MBAs.
Also a US-based business school, Grossman offers students a specialist Sustainable Innovation MBA that's delivered via an accelerated, full-time, on-campus approach. The curriculum features a 73% integration of sustainability, according to Corporate Knights.
Students begin their studies with an Introduction to Sustainable Business module, which is then followed by modules spanning management foundations, building and growing sustainable enterprises, and sustainable innovation.
1. Griffith Business School (Australia)
Located in Australia, Griffith University's full-time MBA program tops the list of best business schools for sustainability, repeating the feat it achieved in 2023.
The program is renowned for its dedication to three core values: responsible leadership, sustainable business practices, and an Asia-Pacific focus.
Griffith’s faculty believe that business success in the 21st century relies on creating sustainable leaders who can take advantage of opportunities created by sustainable business practices.
Better World MBA Ranking: methodology
According to the report’s methodology, the 174 universities chosen for evaluation included programs from the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking, the Princeton Review Best Green MBA list, the 2023 Corporate Knights Better World MBA Results, and business schools accredited by the major accreditation bodies. Signatories to United Nations PRME that opted to be evaluated were also included.
The team at Corporate Knights based their evaluation of each school primarily upon the proportion of its core curriculum that addresses concepts of sustainable development.
All course content covering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors therefore impacted a school's performance.
A much smaller proportion of a school's weighting—up to 10%—was also based on the percentage of recent graduates who landed roles in impact organizations. Corporate Knights defines these organizations as either nonprofits or those that appear within its Corporate Knights Global 100 or Clean 200 company rankings.
The 20 best sustainability MBA programs
This article was originally written by in November 2021, by Rita Krieg Nuemann, and updated in November 2024
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