Program overview
Put your passion for protecting the environment on a sound business foundation as you prepare for a career in the new green economy. Explore and learn on our unique coastal campus, situated on 540 acres, including coastline, riverbanks, woodlands, wetlands, dunes, and vernal pools. Through highly collaborative and interdisciplinary study, you’ll discover how to bring together environmental, social, and financial concepts as we work together to create a more sustainable world.
Why UNE for Sustainability and Business
Our tagline says it all: “Innovation for a Healthier Planet.” Our commitment to the environment and our dedication to out-of-the-box thinking makes UNE the ideal place to earn your degree in Sustainability and Business. With our electric car charging stations, sustainable landscaping, green living wall, Edible Campus Initiative, and Green Revolving Fund, we celebrate a University-wide commitment to green practices.
- Green Learning Community for first-year students
- Marine Science Center with aquaponics, aquaculture, and fisheries labs
- Kelp farming research
- Makerspace for innovative ideation and prototyping
Internship Story: Sustainability and Business in Action
Find Your Career
Perhaps you’re an aspiring green entrepreneur, or maybe you’re interested in the management of corporate sustainability practices. Wherever your aspirations take you, you’ll graduate with the knowledge, internship experiences, analytical skills, and ethical grounding you need to have a successful career combining business and sustainability. Relevant professions include:
- Chief Sustainability Officer
- Green Business and Corporate Manager
- LEED Certified Construction Manager
- Green or Sustainable Entrepreneur
- Sustainability Program Developer
- Environmental Public Affairs Officer
- Community Economic Development Manager
Career Advising
Whether you have a specific career goal in mind or a vague idea of the field that interests you, Career Advising is here to help you plan your next step.
UNE By The Numbers
of undergrads employed or engaged in ongoing higher education within one year of graduating
number of times UNE was ranked among the most environmentally responsible colleges
Academics
Examples of Available Courses
There are many ways you can navigate this major. The following are some examples of the exciting courses that the Sustainability and Business degree offers:
- Sustainability and Ecological Restoration
- Climate Change Adaptation: Planning and Policy
- Environmental Movements and Social Change
- Ecological Economics
- Management of Nonprofits
- Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Curriculum
| CAS Core Requirements | Credits |
|---|---|
| Total | 42–46 |
| Required Courses | Credits |
| BIO 105 and 105L – Biology I: Ecology/Evolution/Lab with Lab | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| BUAC 201 – Financial Accounting | 3 |
| BUEC 104 and 105 or BUEC 106 – Economics in Context | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| BUEC 204 – Microeconomics | 3 |
| BUEC 390 – Environmental Economics | 3 |
| BUMG 200 – Management | 3 |
| BUMK 200 – Marketing | 3 |
| ENV 100 and 101 or ENV 104 – Introduction to Environmental Issues | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| ENV 200 – Environment and Society | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| ENV 208 – Climate Change: Causes, Consequences, Solutions | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| ENV 240 – Environmental Sustainability Lab | 2 |
| ENV 250 – Environmental Policy in Comparative Perspective | 3 |
| ENV 295 – Internship or BUMG 295 – Internship | 3 |
| ENV 344 – Environmental Ethics or BUMG 311 – Business and Society Relations | 3 |
| ENV 495 – Advanced Internship or BUMG 495A – Advanced Internship | 3–12 |
| ENV 499 – Senior Capstone | 3 |
| LIT 121 and 122 or LIT 124 – Literature, Nature & the Environment | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| MAT 151 – Statistics for Environmental Sciences | Credits Fulfilled by Core Requirements |
| Two (2) Environmental Studies Electives Courses (see below) | 6 |
| Two (2) Business Elective Courses (see below) | 6 |
| Total | 44–52 |
| Open Elective Courses (as needed to reach 120 credits) | Variable |
| Minimum Total Required Credits | 120 |
Elective Suggestions
| Environmental Elective Suggestions | Credits |
|---|---|
| ENV 204 – Urban Forestry | 3 |
| ENV 309 – Sustainability and Ecological Restoration | 3 |
| ENV 313 – Wetland Restoration: Science and Policy | 3 |
| ENV 316/316L - Land Conservation Practicum with Lab | 4 |
| ENV 321 – Environmental Communication: Expert Practices for Ecosystem Management | 3 |
| ENV 328 – Environmental Pollution: Ecosystems, Wildlife and Human Health | 3 |
| ENV 340 – Environmental Movements and Social Change | 3 |
| ENV 341 – Indigenous Ecology, Conservation Biology, and the Politics of Knowledge | 3 |
| ENV 348 – Environment, Health & Community Development in East Africa | 4 |
| ENV 357 – Sustaining Water: Social and Global Perspectives | 3 |
| MAF 200 – Introduction to Marine Pollution | 3 |
| MAF 210 – Introduction to US Ocean Governance | 3 |
| MAR 316 – Science in Society | 3 |
| Business Elective Suggestions | Credits |
| BUEC 395 – Ecological Economics | 3 |
| BUMG 303 – Management of Nonprofits | 3 |
| BUMG 307 – Operations Management | 3 |
| BUMG 312 – Entrepreneurship/Sm Bus Management | 3 |
| BUMG 315 – Triple Bottom Line Reporting | 3 |
| BUMG 325 – Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| BUMG 410 – Creating Social Enterprises through Design Thinking & Innovation | 4 |
| ORM 250 – Outdoor Entrepreneurship (Makerspace) | 3 |
Additional Information
- Students may choose to tailor the last two (2) years of course selections to their specific interests. For example, in close consultation with their academic advisor, they may select upper-level business and environmental studies electives that would result in an informal concentration in one or more areas including Non-Profit Sector, Corporate/Public Sector Sustainability, Small Business/Entrepreneurship.
- Students are strongly encouraged to participate in study abroad. Academic advisors will help tailor a student’s program to create opportunities for study abroad.
Students in this major can participate in the pre-health graduate school preparation tracks.
For more information view the Academic Catalog.
For more information see the Academic Catalog.
Green Learning Community
First-year Business, Communications, Sport and Recreation Management, and Marine Entrepreneurship majors are able to participate on a competitive basis in the Green Learning Community (GLC). The GLC is an intentional community of professors and first-year students dedicated to studying human relations to the environment through many ways of knowing. You will study environmental issues through the integrated lenses of biology, literature, environmental studies, and economics.
2022 Student Innovation Showcase
Experiential Learning
The Sustainability and Business degree at UNE provides hands-on learning, both in and out of the classroom, to give you real-world experiences and the confidence to make a difference.
- Use the latest technologies in the Makerspace, such as 3D printers and CNC routers
- Apply learning to actual environmental problems as part of the first-year Green Learning Community
- Conduct research on sustainable products, such as aquaponically grown vegetables and farmed shitake mushrooms
Beyond the Classroom
- Participate in UNE’s Student Innovation Challenge, a University-wide idea-stage competition
- Intern on campus at UNE’s Office of Sustainability or off campus at various aquaculture farms and fisheries or other institutions, including:
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Gulf of Maine Research Institute
- Manomet U360: Economic System
- New England Aquarium
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
- Wells National Estuarine Reserve
Global education
See The World
Travel the globe to learn about environmental concerns and — possible solutions — in other geographic areas. Learn about human impact on the rainforests of Costa Rica, explore the unique ecosystems of Iceland, or work on environmental and community development issues in Kenya. Other trips include excursions to Mexico, Cuba, Ireland, and other exciting countries. If you would prefer a longer cultural immersion experience, we offer semesters abroad in Spain, France, Morocco, and Iceland.
Interested in studying abroad? Make a plan with your advisor.
