BELLEVUE, Wash. – The substantial rise in the number of corporate social responsibility jobs being created around the globe is driving the demand for sustainable business programs. City University of Seattle is responding to the need by launching a Master of Business Administration in Sustainable Business (MBA in Sustainable Business) and a Sustainable Business graduate certificate. The MBA in Sustainable Business allows students the opportunity to take courses in other countries, which will provide them with a global perspective on sustainability best practices.

Student access to CityU of Seattle’s international sites plays an integral part in this program. “Sustainability is a global issue,” comments Dr. Kurt Kirstein, provost, CityU’s School of Management. “CityU is currently engaged in a worldwide effort to design and launch several sustainability programs in partnership with universities in Eastern Europe and Australia. It is very important that our students truly see the big picture and get the global perspective in sustainable business.”

Students who are enrolled in the MBA in Sustainable Business program will take the same core classes as the other CityU MBA programs that are available in the U.S., Slovakia, Greece, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland. Students will have the opportunity to take their core classes at these international locations during the program, and once the core classes are completed, they can either stay and take their sustainability courses online or come back to the Seattle, Wash. area and take the courses in the classroom. Program emphasis areas are in social and environmental responsibility, marketing in a new economy, environmental accounting, and sustainability and business opportunity.

The MBA in Sustainable Business was developed with input from an advisory committee comprised of local business leaders in the sustainability field. The committee provided valuable industry-specific input, ensuring that the program provide students with a strong sense of business leadership and environmental stewardship.

Kevin Wilhelm, CEO, Sustainable Business Consulting, and a member of the advisory committee adds, “CityU’s MBA in Sustainable Business is unique in that offers a true sense of global corporate social responsibility by allowing student to study in different countries during the program.”

The MBA in Sustainable Business and the Sustainable Business graduate certificate classes begin in the fall of 2009.