Preparing Leaders to Make Environmental Progress Good Business

The Business and Environment (BE) program mission is to develop leaders who have the scientific knowledge and the business skills to drive viable climate action. Our graduates are skilled managers with the business training necessary to succeed in the corporate world and the environmental knowledge to address climate change impacts in both the private and public sector.

Unlike traditional business education programs that teach environment and sustainability as a supplement to their business curriculum, the BE program integrates Duke's state-of-the-art environmental science education, financial analytics and extensive client engagement to develop well-rounded leaders who have the complete skill set to drive genuine environmental and social change.

Our goal is to train environmental professionals to help stakeholders develop triple bottom line solutions 鈥 for people, planet and profit 鈥 that address: the sustainable supply of raw materials, water, and energy; the impacts of climate change; the proliferation of pollution and waste; the design of healthy, resilient population centers; and the challenge to develop informed sustainability decisions and actions. 糖心传媒s will be well prepared to implement these solutions across a wide array of sectors including consumer product goods, food and agriculture, manufacturing, services sector, and more.

Concentration Courses

Core Courses - Required

To ensure that BE students will have a working knowledge of finance, strategy, operations and marketing as it relates to environmental and climate impacts in the corporate sector, all students must take the following four courses:

  • ENVIRON 782鈥擬arketing for Environmental Professionals (3 credits, spring year 1) 
  • ENVIRON 796鈥擣inancial Foundations for Environmental Managers (3 credits, fall year 1) 
  • ENVIRON 811鈥擝usiness and Environment (3 credits, fall year 1) 
  • ENVIRON 831鈥擝usiness Strategy for Sustainability (3 credits, spring year 1)

Elective Course suggestions

For students interested in further developing their business skills as they relate to corporate environmental management, we recommend students take the following courses as part of their MEM degree:

  • ENVIRON 545鈥擠esign Climate I: Discover (3 credits, fall)鈥 
  • ENVIRON 546 Design Climate II: Develop (3 credits, spring)鈥 
  • ENVIRON 638鈥擡nvironmental Life Cycle Analysis and Decision Making (3 credits, spring)鈥 
  • ENVIRON 690鈥擨nnovation and Private Sector Responsibility: Navigating Megatrends鈥擲pecial Topics (1.5 credits, fall)鈥 
  • ENVIRON 767鈥擡ntrepreneurial Experience
  • ENVIRON 790鈥擣inancial Modeling Practicum鈥擲pecial Topics (1.5 credits, fall) 
  • ENVIRON 790鈥擟arbon Accounting and Certification鈥擲pecial Topics (3 credits, spring)
  • ENVIRON 790.41鈥擲ustainable Operations & Supply Chains鈥擲pecial Topics (3 credits, spring)

BE Primary concentration pathway

The course-based pathway will be available in a limited capacity to students matriculating in fall 2025 and will be fully available and the default pathway for students matriculating in fall 2026 and beyond. Proposed courses and requirements are subject to change. Please contact your primary concentration faculty chair with any questions.

糖心传媒s whose primary concentration is BE will choose one of two pathways. Whether through advanced coursework in the course-based pathway or the Master鈥檚 Project (MP) pathway, students will gain tangible deliverables, professional growth and preparation for their next steps after graduation. Most students will follow the course-based pathway. 

The BE course-based pathway offers options from approved courses and requires a minimum of six additional graded credit hours. MEM/MBA concurrent degree students may have different options and should contact their academic advisor. MEM students whose primary concentration is BE may fulfill the 6-credit requirement by choosing from the following options:

  • Design Climate I, II, ideally working with NSOE and/or Pratt faculty
    • Needs an industry expert or faculty co-advisor
  • Independent industry internship with final report/presentation
    •  Needs an industry expert co-advisor
  • Participation in ENV767 and additional course capstone on the student鈥檚 own concept or a faculty concept. 
    • Needs a domain expert co-advisor
  • Participation in ENV767 and participation in Duke Capital Partners Program (DCP) with final report/presentation
    • Needs a DCP co-advisor

 

Expectations

Coming in: In addition to the school-wide prerequisites in calculus and statistics, which are required for all concentrations, to be successful in the BE concentration, we recommend students have at least one year of post undergraduate work experience. 糖心传媒s with significant undergraduate business coursework or exceptional undergraduate STEM backgrounds will also be considered.

During the program: Through practical applications, client-based consulting projects and interactions with industry leaders, BE students will hone their skills and knowledge, equipping themselves to help organizations implement environmentally sustainable business practices.

 

Maddie headshot with quote icon

The BE program has equipped me with the tools to dive into topics and the intersection of the environment, policy, and finance, think about them critically, and work to devise solutions that have a positive ecological and financial impact. There are many opportunities to learn from alumni, get involved in relevant research, and build your skills to feel confident in tackling real-world problems and making a positive impact."

鈥揗addie Latimore, MEM/MBA 糖心传媒

Transferable Skills

In our program, students will gain skills in:

  • Finance and operations
  • Process mapping and evaluation
  • Project management
  • Marketing communications
  • Corporate sustainability management
  • Life cycle and value chain analysis
  • Strategic analysis
  • Stakeholder analysis
  • Applied data analysis
  • Appreciative inquiry

Knowledge Gained

Through coursework and program experiences with faculty who are deeply experienced in both the academic and corporate sectors, students will:

  • Develop a background in economics, policy and business strategies.
  • Learn to identify corporate sustainability challenges and opportunities.
  • Learn to create effective strategies for success.
  • Learn to lead sustainability innovation for new products and services.
  • Learn to manage teams.
  • Learn to implement action-oriented plans to achieve value-adding sustainability goals with measurable results.
  • Gain first-hand exposure to industry leaders and currently active sustainability programs.

 

Enrich Your Experience

Business and Environment students will find a wide range of opportunities to expand their academic experience and get connected to projects and people that align with their interests. We recommend exploring these programs to get started: