MBA Sustainability Program Ranked No. 1 in U.S., 8th Worldwide

Corporate Knights, a quarterly international publication focused on social, economic and ecological benefits and costs, has ranked Duquesne’s MBA Sustainability program in the Donahue Graduate School of Business No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 8 worldwide. Among small schools, Duquesne’s program is No. 2 internationally.

“The MBA Sustainability at Duquesne is a unique program that few business schools in the world, much less in the United States, can match,” said Dr. Dean McFarlin, dean of the business school. “The fact that the MBA Sustainability program is so innovative is a great testament to the faculty and staff within the Donahue Graduate School of Business who were instrumental in launching the program and taking it to new heights, including this latest impressive recognition by Corporate Knights.”

This 2013 survey of full-time MBA programs examined “how universities around the world are faring at integrating sustainability into the academic experience.” Duquesne’s rankings were based on coursework, institutional support and student initiatives in its MBA Sustainability program. This year’s “global green MBA” survey, which formerly focused on Canada, encompassed programs from 17 countries.

“Alumni of the MBA Sustainability are leading sustainable change for employers of choice around the world,” said Thomas J. Nist, director of graduate studies and Donahue Chair in Investment Management. “Being first in the United States on a list of globally recognized business schools offers additional validation for our innovative approach to management education.”

The MBA Sustainability, launched in 2007, was among the first MBA programs to align with the Principles for Responsible Management Education, an initiative signed by 510 business schools. The program has ranked consistently among the Aspen Institute’s top 25 in the world for integrating financial, social and environmental responsibility since its inception, and it received the 2008 Page Prize for incorporating environmental resource management into the MBA curriculum.

Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business since 1962, the Donahue School received a commendation during its 2013 re-accreditation for “highly effective practices … (in the) innovative and ambitious 12-month MBA Sustainability.” In addition, the Donahue School has been recognized among the top three in the United States for ethics.

Duquesne’s MBA Sustainability enrolls one highly selective cohort per year. Across a three-semester, signature graduate experience, students solve challenges in consulting projects and a practicum, combining rigorous coursework in core business disciplines with opportunities to apply cutting-edge business theories, models and tools to real-life issues. Corporate and nonprofit clients have included Alcoa, Bayer, Heinz, PPG Industries, PNC Bank, Carnegie Museums, Green Building Alliance, Highmark, Phipps Conservatory, UPMC and local government.  The program’s study abroad investigates global practices and conducts field work with corporate partners, faculty and graduate students in countries such as India, China, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.