Students and Alumni

Information on the efforts of sustainability education at the Penn State Smeal College of Business.

Braden Ward sitting with two other people that are looking at a laptop.

The undergraduate academic experience at the Penn State Smeal College of Business offers many opportunities for students to engage in the sustainability and impact space. Inside and outside of the classroom, students can learn about sustainability concepts and tools, and engage in development opportunities that will help prepare them for a meaningful career.

Start Here! Major Sustainability

Major Sustainability will be a valuable resource for you throughout your sustainability journey. This website will assist you in navigating your business education and put you on your way to a meaningful career. This site offers major exploration, sustainability concepts, careers, and engagement opportunities. Start by reading up on sustainability basics then continue your passion and read the overview and concepts for a major of your choice.

Inside the Classroom

Two-Piece Sequence

The sustainability two-piece was created to help students develop a global mindset and an understanding of the social and environmental challenges and opportunities in business. Because sustainability spans all majors at Smeal, our students will learn to appreciate the global challenges and discuss how business can help solve the world’s toughest problems (e.g., climate change, plastics pollution, water and food insecurity, poverty). They will learn that good stewardship of environmental and social resources is not only the right thing to do, it is the necessary and profitable thing to do. As we like to say, sustainability is just, good business.

Students choose to take two of the three possible classes in the sustainability two-piece:

BA 441 - Strategies for Enterprise Sustainability
MKTG 442 - Sustainable Behavior of Consumers, Firms, and Societies
SCM 448 - Building Sustainable Supply Chains

BA441 and MKTG442 are project-driven and provide students with real-world learning opportunities with external clients. To complete the semester project, students will collaborate across majors. SCM 448 is a case-based class focused on sustainable supply chain management.

Coursework

There are many opportunities for students interested in sustainable business practices in all majors to build their expertise. Examples of sustainability-related courses offered at Smeal include:

Socially Responsible, Sustainable, and Ethical Business Practice (BA 342): Begins with the personal, organizational, national, and global dynamics in ethical decision-making and is followed by a "stakeholder" model for both domestic and international responsibility.
Strategies for Enterprise Sustainability (BA 441): Examines the external and internal forces such as environmental groups, policy-makers, and consumers that impact business strategies to help students gain a better understanding of environmental issues that impact business operations.
Sustainability and International Business (IB 497): Examines the global business environment in the context of sustainability, focusing on sustainable development strategies, and how corporations interact with nations to develop partnerships that support sustainable economic development.

View a listing of undergraduate sustainability-related courses available at Smeal.

Sustainability Leadership Minor

Want to make it official? Penn State proudly offers a cross-college Sustainability Leadership Minor. To complete this minor, every student takes Sustainability 200, chooses from a subset of course options based on their interest, and completes a capstone project of their design. Talk to your advisor to see if this would be a good fit for you.

Outside the Classroom

Net Impact Chapter

Net Impact is a student organization dedicated to inspiring and equipping emerging leaders to build a more just and sustainable world. Join Net Impact today!

Undergraduate Sustainability Case Competition

Each spring semester, Smeal hosts a case competition for undergraduates in collaboration with a company sponsor. The competition is a hands-on opportunity to work on a cross-disciplinary team, to use business and markets to solve real-world social justice and environmental conservation challenges.

Student Sustainable Business Conference

The Student Sustainable Business Conference offers opportunities for students and professionals to connect, discuss, and advocate for the business of sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and ethics. Plan to attend this event in April of every year.

Intern Program

The Center for the Business of Sustainability offers paid internships to undergraduate and graduate students where students are charged with a project that relates to the Center’s mission: to accelerate the integration of sustainability in business. We value students’ ideas and work and find it imperative that as a part of students’ experience at Smeal, they should be given opportunities to work on sustainability projects that will help guide their future career interests and skills in sustainability-related topics. Each intern is paired with a supervisor for their individual project and participates in meetings and professional development opportunities with the other interns in the program.

Since 2019, the Center has had over 30 interns. Examples of previous internships include developing the majorsustainability.org project, organizing a sustainability case competition for undergraduates, communications including graphic design and social media, LEED recertification, and impact careers research. In addition to the practical skills they’ve gained, our former interns have really appreciated the community and exposure to collaborative and passionate sustainability professionals.

Openings are posted to Penn State Jobs before or during the start of each semester. Summer opportunities are sometimes offered. Contact Tracey Mariner at tcd119@psu.edu for details.

Follow Along on Instagram

For your weekly dose of sustainability education, be sure to follow @JustGoodBiz on Instagram. You’ll see inspiring stories of innovative companies, career information, and great info on how each major contributes to sustainability.

Alumni Network

Before you go…

Upon graduation be sure to join the Smeal Sustainability Alumni Network where you can connect with others who are incorporating sustainability into their careers and lives.

Students & Alumni

Undergraduate and graduate student organizations also provide a way in which students can apply principles and knowledge on sustainability outside the classroom. Net Impact, a national nonprofit, has two chapters within Smeal at the undergraduate and MBA levels. Both groups are aligned with the organization’s mission to improve the world through programs that educate, equip, and inspire members to make a positive environmental impact through business.

Undergraduate Experience

Smeal offers a robust academic experience as well as a variety of engagement opportunities for undergraduate students in business. We work to incorporate sustainability education into the core curriculum for each major so that sustainability is not just an add-on, but an essential part of business education. We also provide enriching opportunities from internships, to case competitions, and student organizations. Students will find there is not just one way to do sustainability at Smeal.

Graduate Experience

At the graduate level, Smeal offers many degree options to suit your academic pursuits. There is also an MBA Net Impact chapter, whose mission is to improve the world through programs that educate, equip, and inspire members to make a positive environmental impact through business.

Professional Development for Individuals and Organizations

As concern for the environment has grown in recent decades, incorporating sustainability practices into core business strategy and operations, from supply chain to marketing to accounting, is no longer an option for companies — it’s a necessity. Now more than ever, businesses must manage their environmental and social impact in order to drive profitability, reduce cost and risk, and build competitive advantage. You need the skills and knowledge to help your organization create transformative change and achieve long-term sustainability.

In 2019, Smeal began offering the Graduate Certificate in Business Sustainability Strategy via the Penn State World Campus. This 9-credit certificate can help prepare you to develop a sustainability plan for any size or type of organization, from startup to global corporation. This program can teach you the skills needed to effectively assess opportunities and measure financial, environmental, and social returns.

Penn State Executive Programs develops leaders across all levels of responsibility through award-winning executive education programs and customized learning solutions. Sustainability and corporate social responsibility is now a key ingredient for building great companies. Our focus is on strategic sustainability: a broad understanding of the costs, risks, opportunities, and obligations of leadership and business growth.

Alumni Resources and Engagement

The Penn State community includes more than 700,000 alumni located in every corner of the world. Within that network, graduates of the Smeal College of Business number 95,000. There is power in numbers, and we hope you will find value in leveraging your Smeal connections.

Alumni with an interest in sustainability and social impact can receive coaching for impact careers, take classes, participate in alumni events, and join the Smeal Sustainability Alumni Network

CENTER FOR THE BUSINESS OF SUSTAINABILITY