Penn State Great Valley’s Sustainable Management Practices Graduate Certificate
We are witnessing a movement. Businesses that adopt triple-bottom line practices experience a competitive edge when it comes to attracting talent, retaining talent, and connecting the public to their mission, products, or services. This movement — one that is charged by the idea that business can be a force for good — is inspiring professionals and entrepreneurs to seek educational experiences that train students to adopt, manage, and maintain new or existing sustainable practices. And although it is one thing to recognize an interest in learning about how sustainable practices can help advance your business or career, it is another thing to find the capacity to further your education.
Fortunately, Penn State Great Valley has designed a twelve-credit Sustainable Management Practices Graduate Certificate to meet the needs of working adults. Their seven-week courses meet in the evenings, online, or in a hybrid format to meet the demands of work, family, and life in general. While some classes are held at their Malvern campus (about 40 minutes from City Hall), some of their programs, including their MBA, offer classes at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia.
“We wanted to create a program grounded in theory, but accessible for individuals who wanted to integrate sustainable business practices into their day-to-day work,” said Elizabeth Palmer, marketing and communications specialist.
Many of the students are already working at companies committed to sustainability, and with courses like Triple Bottom Line Accounting, Sustainable Supply Chain Management, and Systems Thinking, students can tailor their experience and coursework to their career goals and interests.
The Sustainable Management Practices Graduate Certificate is emblematic of a larger systemic commitment to sustainability from Penn State University. In a recent article, President Barron discusses the University’s commitment to the Commonwealth, job creation, and local businesses. One way the University plans to accomplish this vision is through the Invent Penn State initiative, which blends entrepreneurship-focused academic programs, business startup training and incubation, funding, and key regional partnerships together for the benefit of Pennsylvania and beyond. “I would like to be a part of a virtuous cycle in which we work hard to get those ideas into the marketplace, help those students create companies, help them do it in Pennsylvania,” writes Barron.
“If we create this cycle, we change the tax revenue picture for this state, and in doing so we hope that the legislature will provide more funding for us so we can do more to enable our students. That’s the type of virtuous cycle I think universities should adopt as a principle, and that is why Invent Penn State is taking off the way it is. A lot of people in communities see the value of our role in driving the economy as opposed to simply talking about our impact on the economy.”
On April 27, Penn State Great Valley is hosting the first annual Student Pitch Day, sponsored by the campus’ REV-UP Center for Entrepreneurship. This event is an opportunity for student entrepreneurs to pitch a company or business idea to a panel of faculty and business professionals. The winner of the event will be awarded entry to Lion Cage, a Shark Tank-like pitch event that will be held in the Fall.
To learn more, request information, or apply to the Sustainable Management Practices Graduate Certificate, click here.
