Curriculum and Courses
Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management
The bachelor’s degree program consists of 21 required online courses. Each course is three credits. There are no electives. The Capstone course is typically taken during the final semester.
Bachelor’s Program Course List
- SMGT 115 Environmental Science and Sustainability
- SMGT 220 Systems Thinking
- SMGT 230 Triple Bottom Line Accounting for Managers
- SMGT 235 Economics in Society and Sustainability
- SMGT 240 Technical Writing for Sustainable Management
- SMGT 310 Ecology for Sustainable Management
- SMGT 315 Global Environmental Chemistry
- SMGT 320 Energy for Sustainable Management
- SMGT 325 Natural Resource Management
- SMGT 330 Marketing for a Sustainable World
- SMGT 331 Sustainable Organizational Finance
- SMGT 332 Economics of Environmental Sustainability
- SMGT 335 Management and Environmental Information Systems
- SMGT 340 Organizational Behavior and Sustainability
- SMGT 350 Operations Management and Sustainability
- SMGT 360 Environmental and Sustainability Policy
- SMGT 370 Logistics, Supply Chain Management, and Sustainability
- SMGT 430 International Management for a Sustainable World
- SMGT 435 International Development and Sustainability
- SMGT 440 Systems Thinking (See SMGT 220)
- SMGT 460 Environment and Society
- SMGT 495 Sustainable Management Capstone
Certificates
Sustainable Management students can usually complete a certificate in less than a year. Each online course is three credits.
Sustainable Management Science Certificate Course List
(All four courses are required.)
- SMGT 310 Ecology for Sustainable Management
- SMGT 315 Global Environmental Chemistry
- SMGT 320 Energy for Sustainable Management
- SMGT 325 Natural Resource Management
Sustainable Enterprise Management Certificate Course List
(Select five out of six courses.)
- SMGT 230 Triple Bottom Line Accounting for Managers
- SMGT 235 Economics in Society and Sustainability
- SMGT 331 Sustainable Organizational Finance
- SMGT 335 or SMGT 350 (Students select one of these two courses.)
- SMGT 430 International Management for a Sustainable World
Course Descriptions
SMGT 115 Environmental Science and Sustainability
Prerequisites: None
Overview of the interrelationships between humans and the environment. The material presented in the first third of the course focuses on important ecological concepts. The remainder of the course deals with human influence on the environment—and which sustainable practices are best suited to help us avoid or ameliorate any negative impacts of the aforementioned influence. The ecological concepts are used throughout to identify and understand possible solutions to contemporary environmental problems, and to provide a basis for proposing those solutions. Overall, this course will provide you with a better understanding of how humans can more positively affect the environment in which they live.
SMGT 220 Systems Thinking
Prerequisites: None
The process of using systems thinking in applying the concept of sustainability to various business, social, and scientific issues. Rather than looking at a problem by analyzing its component parts, you will learn to analyze whole systems. You will then model the relationships and behaviors to identify leverage points for change.
SMGT 230 Triple Bottom Line Accounting for Managers
Prerequisites: College Algebra
Introduction to the discipline of financial and managerial accounting. You will gain a basic knowledge of the preparation of financial statements and their analytical use. Further, you will explore how this accounting information is applied by managers in the decision-making process to help organizations meet the triple bottom line (strong profits, healthy environment, and vital communities).
SMGT 235 Economics in Society and Sustainability
Prerequisites: College Algebra
General introductory course highlighting economic, social, and environmental issues facing society. In addition to covering traditional issues such as markets and prices (microeconomics), government economic management (macroeconomics), and international trade, this course introduces economic content into the analysis of selected topics such as poverty and discrimination, the environment, and the provision of government services. Critiques of conventional economic thought, within the context of systems thinking and ecological economics, are integrated throughout the course.
SMGT 240 Technical Writing for Sustainable Management
Prerequisites: None
In this course, the psychology and mechanics of written communications are thoroughly explored and widely applied. Also included are nonwritten applications in such business areas as international/intercultural, nonverbal, and ethical communications related to sustainability.
SMGT 310 Ecology for Sustainable Management
Prerequisites: Introductory Biology
This course covers interrelationships of organisms with each other and their environments, as well as investigation into composition and dynamics of populations, communities, ecosystems, landscapes, and the biosphere, with emphasis on sustainability.
SMGT 315 Global Environmental Chemistry
Prerequisites: General Chemistry
An exploration of chemical environments as interdependent thermodynamic and kinetic systems. The "system/surroundings" perspectives of thermodynamics will be applied to systems of progressively larger size in order to arrive at the comprehensive view of the global environmental system.
SMGT 320 Energy for Sustainable Management
Prerequisites: General Chemistry
Basic engineering principles and applications for existing and emerging energy technologies. You will learn about energy production, consumption, and environmental impact, and explore the ways in which these principles relate to sustainable management. Topics cover a wide range of energy systems, including nuclear, fossil fuels, wind, solar, biofuels, and biomass.
SMGT 325 Natural Resource Management
Prerequisites: None
An examination of the interdependence between natural resources associated with land, air, and water. You will explore significant environmental issues regarding the policies and problems in the use and management of natural resources related to soils, vegetation, and landscape within the context of social needs and sustainability.
SMGT 330 Marketing for a Sustainable World
Prerequisites: SMGT 235 (Economics in Society and Sustainability)
An analysis of an organization's opportunities to develop sustainability practices as they relate to the development of product, pricing, supply and distribution channels (retail, wholesale), promotion (advertising, sales promotion, public relations), and target markets.
SMGT 331 Sustainable Organizational Finance
Prerequisites: Statistics, SMGT 230 (Triple Bottom Line Accounting for Managers), SMGT 235 (Economics in Society and Sustainability)
An introduction to the theory and methods of sustainable organizational finance. Topics include financial statements, discounting and budgeting, uncertainty and risk/reward trade-offs, and assessment of the financial implications of the triple bottom line (e.g., climate change, carbon trading, human resource management, and creation of environmentally conscious shareholder value).
SMGT 332 Economics of Environmental Sustainability
Prerequisites: SMGT 235 (Economics in Society and Sustainability)
An examination of the interaction between market activity and the environment. The course applies economic analysis to the efficient and sustainable management of environmental goods and resources, and examines how economic institutions and policies can be changed to bring the environmental impacts of economic decision making more into balance with human desires and the needs of the ecosystem.
SMGT 335 Management and Environmental Information Systems
Prerequisites: Statistics, SMGT 230 (Triple Bottom Line Accounting for Managers)
This course explores how technology can be applied to managing sustainable development in an organization. You will learn about the use of data processing systems, information systems and decision support tools, information systems planning and development, overview of computer hardware and software, database management, networking and Web technologies, green data centers, energy-efficiency trends in information technology, and data and information usage in green businesses.
SMGT 340 Organizational Behavior and Sustainability
Prerequisites: Speech/Introduction to Communications
An investigation of management principles and theories underlying human behavior in organizations. This course examines how personality, motivation, communication, decision making, leadership, teamwork, ethics, power, diversity, and work stress can create both constraints and opportunities within an "eco-friendly" organization.
SMGT 350 Operations Management and Sustainability
Prerequisites: College Algebra, Statistics
An introduction to the operations function in a sustainable organization. Specifically, the course investigates the way green enterprises address issues such as linear programming, continuous and intermittent production processes, aggregate planning, inventory control, materials management, scheduling, project management, and quality assurance.
SMGT 360 Environmental and Sustainability Policy
Prerequisites: SMGT 115 (Environmental Science and Sustainability)
Topics include the spectrum of historical, theoretical, and technical issues applicable to sustainable management of natural resources, environmental quality standards, and risk management. Administrative structures that form the basis for selecting appropriate responses to complex management problems faced by industry, government, and nongovernmental agencies are identified. The historical development and current framework of public policy are investigated, and specific foundational legislation is critiqued.
SMGT 370 Logistics, Supply Chain Management, and Sustainability
Prerequisites: SMGT 350 (Operations Management and Sustainability)
An introduction to the concepts, functions, processes, and objectives of logistics and supply chain management activities. The course covers activities involved in physically moving raw materials, inventory, and finished goods from point of origin to point of use or consumption. It covers the planning, organizing, and controlling of such activities, and examines the role of supply chain processes in creating sustainable competitive advantage with respect to quality, flexibility, lead time, and cost. Topics include customer service, inventory management, transportation, warehousing, supply chain management, reverse logistics, green supply chains, and international logistics.
SMGT 430 International Management for a Sustainable World
Prerequisites: SMGT 235 (Economics in Society and Sustainability)
Analysis of the theory and practice of managing international organizations. The course examines sociocultural aspects and group dynamics of international business and service organizations through the study of sustainable management practices. Implementation of a triple bottom line solution to organizational problems will be emphasized.
SMGT 435 International Development and Sustainability
Prerequisites: SMGT 235 (Economics in Society and Sustainability)
This course considers the historical roots of the societal idea of development. We will investigate economic theories of growth and their implications for sustainability, along with interrelationships between population growth, food security, poverty, inequality, urbanization, technological change, international trade, and environmental change on local, regional, and global scales. Contemporary issues and alternatives are explored.
SMGT 440 Systems Thinking
SMGT 440 has been revised to better meet the program needs. Faculty review indicated that Systems Thinking would be better placed earlier in the curriculum and so revised the syllabus (and prerequisites) so it could take place earlier in the program. The graduation requirements now call for either SMGT 440 or SMGT 220 – so it is not necessary to retake the course if completed as 440.
SMGT 460 Environment and Society
Prerequisites: SMGT 115 (Environmental Science and Sustainability)
An introduction to the fundamentals of human-environmental interaction. The course explores how these interactions create problems, and how the elements of social, technological, and personal choices combine to overcome them.
SMGT 495 Sustainable Management Capstone
Prerequisites: Senior standing, instructor consent
The Capstone course gives students a hands-on opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the real world. Each student will help a real organization solve an existing sustainability problem by implementing practical knowledge to achieve a triple bottom line solution. Issues may range from supply chain structures to energy efficiencies to environmental and climate concerns. The instructor will serve as a guide throughout the experience.
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