約克大學(xué)

The challenge of building long-term value for stakeholders at the same time as embracing economic, social and environmental risks and opportunities is of growing significance on the corporate governance agenda.

Meeting this challenge requires a fresh mindset and a toolkit of professional and research-inspired knowledge and skills. This specialist Masters will equip you with essential theoretical and evidential foundations and help you to develop relevant practical and professional skills from which you can build or accelerate a career in the field of corporate sustainability.

Our unique course draws on the academic expertise and professional experience of the Department of Environment and Geography and The York Management School, alongside industry-leading guest speakers working in the corporate sustainability sphere. You will have the opportunity to combine the study of sustainability-driven business models, techniques and tools with legal, ethical, financial, governance, accountability, marketing and organisational aspects.

Our postgraduate teaching is informed by our research as well as top-level international and national level experience in consultancy, industry and professional practice. Our research includes work in areas as diverse as corporate social responsibility, ethical marketing, social enterprises, corporate governance, international business and risk management, sustainability policy and governance, climate change, pollution, supply chains and their interface with ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation and wildlife management.

Course content

Corporate sustainability takes its cue from the convergence of environmental management and corporate social responsibility disciplines, examining connections between businesses, society and the natural world, reflected in the ‘triple-bottom-line’.

Our course combines various ‘core’ modules, which provide a solid grounding in corporate sustainability principles and practices, alongside an employability-skills focused corporate environmental management training. Optional financial, marketing and accountability modules enable you to tailor a degree to your interests.

You will be trained in suitable research methods and relevant ethical issues, while practising your research skills through a variety of team and individual projects. In particular, as an alternative to a University-based dissertation, you can opt for a placement-based dissertation which you can carry out with a suitable organisation of your choice (eg a consultancy, industry or business, governmental body, civil society organisation), enabling you to gain valuable workplace experience while conducting research with a practical focus.

Careers and skills

This course is suitable if you are aiming for a corporate sustainability related role in the for-profit or not-for-profit sectors. This role is central to industrial and business activities of all kinds, with many these days employing dedicated specialists, or teams of specialists, or allocating tasks across a range of job functions. The banking, finance and insurance sectors in particular are showing growing leadership on climate-change risks and responsible investment. As such, the range of opportunities for developing a career in this area of practice is growing.