Sustainability Management

Students will learn interdisciplinary approaches to addressing the most critical sustainability issues, such as high-level urbanisation, energy supply, the vulnerable clean water and food securities, air pollution, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and the general effects of global climate change.

After completing the programme, you will be able to apply critical, ethical, and holistic perspectives and analyses in the management of business or government organisations towards economic efficiency, while minimising negative environmental impacts. Students will obtain a solid knowledge in typical business school disciplines, such as financial and marketing management, ethics, leadership, and organisational behaviour. You will also learn about specific technical and managerial challenges and solutions in relevant fields, such as energy supply, food security, and global climate change.

Through close collaboration with vanguard private businesses and government agencies in coursework, internships and thesis research, you will, after graduation, be able to combine various academic competencies and practical experiences in identifying, planning and implementing novel managerial strategies for merging economic progress and environmental sustainability in different societal contexts. The compulsory internship arrangement is crucial and contributes to the relevance of the learning outcome. It will also help students to find relevant employment and make successful careers after graduation.

Students can expect to have careers in private enterprises, public offices, non-government organisations, or academic institutions. There is an increasing demand for candidates with the combined competence and understanding of business administration, environmental impact analyses, and viable technical solutions in various sectors. As markets and corporations put higher priority on the environment while consuming and producing goods and services, we see an increasing number of Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) being employed. They work on analysing and improving institutions’ environmental impact, and thereby their recognition. In government offices at central and local levels, there are also increasing needs for candidates able to understand and implement environmentally defendable solutions, e.g. in public service supply, urban planning and management, conservation management, and in the management of all kinds of natural resources use. The program also qualified for further PhD studies.

Please note! Mandatory Pre-MBA Courses will take place in November- December 2022 (i.e. Business and Management, Accounting and Finance, Managerial Economics, and Statistics). More details will be available soon.

The program is a full-time two-years MBA (120 ECTS) but taught intensively over 18 months. The selected multidisciplinary approach makes this MBA unique. The courses are taught jointly by professors from UGM and UiA. Practitioners from private businesses and public offices are invited as guest lecturers in most courses. Combining competence from business school disciplines, such as Finance, Marketing, Strategy, and Business Ethics, with knowledge and experiences from environmental sciences, like Forestry, Agronomy and Engineering, will bring students towards a deep understanding of environmental problems and solutions, not least in Asia. A practical case-study approach throughout the courses will educate and train you in economic-ecological system analyses. Throughout the study program, you will learn about the necessity of multi-stakeholder engagement and corporate and public social responsibility.

First semester (Core courses)

• Business Ethics
• Financial Management
• Marketing Management
• Technology and Operations Management
• Leadership and Organizational Behavior
• Leadership Communication

Second semester (Focus courses)

• Sustainable Business Strategy (in cooperation with Harvard Business School Online)
• General Business Environment
• Research Methods

Second semester (Concentration courses)

(students select three of six options)

• Marine Resources and Coastal Management
• Energy Resource Management
• Urban Planning and Management
• Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture
• Climate Change Laws and Greenhouse Gas Reductions
• Forest and Conservation Management

Third semester

• Internship and Master Thesis (can be taken in Asia or in Norway)

General admission criteria is completed bachelor’s degree or equivalent education with a scope of minimum 3 years’ duration.

1. Academic basis: Economics, management, life sciences, engineering, political science, geography or law are studies that are considered as a suitable academic basis.

1a: For applicants with a specialisation of at least 80 ECTS credits or an integrated study programme of at least two years duration in business administration, marketing, management or similar, the following applies:
The subject areas below must be included in a total of at least 60 ECTS credits:

• Business Economics
• Economics
• Methodology
• Marketing
• Organisational and management subjects

All subject areas must be covered.

1b: Applicants with a specialisation of at least 80 credits or an integrated study programme of at least two years duration within life sciences, engineering, political science or law. Applicants with this academic basis must complete a compulsory 4 – month preliminary course before beginning their studies,

1c: Applicants with another relevant higher education may be found to be qualified after an individual assessment. Applicants with this academic basis must complete a compulsory 4-month preliminary course before beginning their studies.

There is no conditional admission for applicants to this study programme. Admission takes place in accordance with the Regulations concerning admission to programmes and courses at the University of Agder.
[Adopted by the university's Academic Affairs Committee on 15 February 2022]

Recommended previous knowledge

Students without a bachelor’s degree in business administration or equvialent degree as described in 1a in Admission requirements, must complete a 4-month intensive online preliminary course in disciplines such as accounting, finance, general economics, and statistics (Matriculation programme at UGM) in the first semester.

Students with a bachelor’s degree in business administration may also take the preliminary course voluntarily. The preliminary course provides a sound basis for the mandatory coursework in second semester.

All students in this program will have to go abroad and spend a minimum of one year at UGM in Asia. Students opting for the joint degree must do the internship and write the master thesis under supervision by a professor from UiA.

Internship is compulsory and forms a part of the last semester, where students work for two months in a business enterprise or public office and gain work experience as well as collect data for the master's thesis research and writing. The internship can be in Asia or Norway.