Kogod School of Business

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Our Approach to Learning

MBA

MS in Sustainability Management

When is the next deadline?
Start Your Application
FALL START
International Student Deadline

April 1, 2025
Closed
FALL START
Int'l Applicant Deadline

Apr. 1, 2025
Closed
FALL START
Domestic Applicant Deadline

June 1, 2025
EXTENDED Domestic Applicant Deadline
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At a Glance

Global sustainability presents a range of critical problems including climate change, environmental justice, resource conservation, and sustainable development. To meet these challenges, companies and organizations seek talented professionals trained in sustainability management. Situated at the intersection of business and sustainability, Kogod attracts students from the US and abroad pursuing careers in the public, private, non-profit, and NGO sectors.

30 Credits
Can be Completed in 12-21 Months

The program can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis, starting in the fall. The residential MS in sustainability management is also a STEM-designated program.

$90,667
Average Salary

In 2019, the average salary of Kogod's MS in sustainability management graduates was $90,667, with employers including Deloitte Consulting, EY, Marriott International, World Wildlife Fund, 
World Bank Group, and more.

In-Person & Online
Can be Completed 100% Online

Both in-person and online options mostly consist of condensed evening courses to give the necessary flexibility to working students who may need to adjust the pace of their studies to accommodate work and life demands.

Why Kogod?

A Business School Dedicated to Sustainability

Our program is one of the few of its kind that is housed in a business school. We teach the mechanics of sustainable business and empower students to maximize their impact in the field through a variety of cutting-edge courses and experiential learning opportunities.  At Kogod, we practice what we preach—we are the first carbon-neutral university in the country and are an AASHE-certified green campus. The campus itself is an arboretum.

Experiential in Nature

Kogod's MS in sustainability management program emphasizes experiential learning. We undertake live projects with sustainability stakeholders in the US and abroad, including an international capstone program in destinations like Scandinavia and Latin America. Through these projects,  students apply the tools and methodologies acquired in their studies to critical problems in sustainability.

Three Career Tracks Available

A complex issue requires a multidisciplinary approach. That's why our curriculum incorporates topics like environmental and social science, public policy, and international relations. For additional expertise, you can choose from one of our three career tracks—business, environment, and policy.

Obtain Professional Certificates

Gain an edge in this competitive job market by completing one of our six professional graduate certificates.

Kogod’s Master's in Sustainability Management has opened up my world in so many positive ways; it's enabled me to pursue a career in something that I wake up excited about, inspired by and motivated to create meaningful and impactful change."

Beck Treharne

Becks Treharne

Kogod/BS Business Administration '14, MS Sustainability Management '15

Kogod Sustainability Review

All KSR Articles
Kogod Sustainability Review Letter from the Editor
May 1, 2025
Letter from the Editor in Chief

KSR editor in chief Fielding Burnette introduces the publication's fifth volume and discusses the...

Drink cans on a yellow background.
May 1, 2025
Who’s Responsible for Products with Addictive and Harmful Substances: Energy Drinks and Corporate Responsibility

MSSM students Ana Pine and Hannah VanWagner and MSSM Program Director Julie Anderson look at how...

Seven people at a table on a blue background.
May 1, 2025
The Role of the Board and Sustainability

McCormack Advisory Group CEO Debra Everitt McCormack explains how a company’s board can play a role...

Headlines about sustainable energy on a green background.
May 1, 2025
Sustainability at a Crossroads: Why ROI is Stalling and How to Fix It

Renowned social scientist Jacqueline Kerr explores why companies’ sustainability progress has...

The Eiffel Tower surrounded by smokestacks on a green background.
May 1, 2025
How Good is the Paris Agreement?

Cambridge University professor of machine learning Carl Edward Rasmussen evaluates how effective...

A gavel over a map of Europe on a blue background.
May 1, 2025
A Step Back for Sustainability? The Omnibus Act and Europe’s Changing Priorities

Université Paris-Nanterre international commercial law student Claire Terrier evaluates the...

The MS in Sustainability Management program at Kogod is one of the best. The professors are very supportive, the materials shared are very relevant and easily relatable, the cohorts are highly diverse in terms of all demographic elements, and hence conversations are very enriching."  

Vivian Moyana

Vivian Moyana

Current Master's in Sustainability Management Student

Program Highlights
Students learning how to operate machinery

STEM-Designated Program

STEM-designated programs equip students with technological expertise and leadership skills vital to the US economy. The designation also allows international students to apply for a 24-month extension of their Optional Practical Training, granting them the ability to work in the US for up to 3 years.

Kogod students waving hello in Norway

International Capstone Experience

During the spring semester, students will participate in a Global Consulting project. Over spring break, you will travel abroad with your team to learn first-hand about sustainable practices in another country and meet in person with your consulting clients.  Past locations include Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmo and Stockholm in Sweden. 

Looking up at columns at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Washington, DC.

City at the Forefront of Sustainability

Washington, DC, has been named the first Platinum LEED city in the world for its efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, innovating around clean energy, and implementing other green initiatives.

sustainability
Kogod School of Business Deepens Investment in Flagship MS in Sustainability Management Program

American University is further deepening its investment in sustainability by redesigning its flagship MS in sustainability management program with a new curriculum, new online modality, and expanded faculty expertise.

Class Profile
3.43
Average GPA
67%
Women
3.1 Years
Average Work Experience
Careers & Outcomes

Our graduates have found professional success across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, with 63 percent working in for-profit organizations, 21 percent working in government organizations, and 16 percent working in nonprofit organizations. 

Graduates of the program can work as:

  • Communications officers
  • Program officers
  • Project managers
  • Analysts
  • Policy advisors

Recent employers include:

  • Bain & Company
  • Carlyle Group
  • Climate Finance Advisors
  • Deloitte Consulting
  • EY
  • IDB Invest
  • JLL
  • Marriott International
  • UBS
  • World Wildlife Fund
  • World Bank Group

Recent Sustainability News

Drink cans on a yellow background.
May 1, 2025
Who’s Responsible for Products with Addictive and Harmful Substances: Energy Drinks and Corporate Responsibility

MSSM students Ana Pine and Hannah VanWagner and MSSM Program Director Julie Anderson look at how...

Seven people at a table on a blue background.
May 1, 2025
The Role of the Board and Sustainability

McCormack Advisory Group CEO Debra Everitt McCormack explains how a company’s board can play a role...

Headlines about sustainable energy on a green background.
May 1, 2025
Sustainability at a Crossroads: Why ROI is Stalling and How to Fix It

Renowned social scientist Jacqueline Kerr explores why companies’ sustainability progress has...

The Eiffel Tower surrounded by smokestacks on a green background.
May 1, 2025
How Good is the Paris Agreement?

Cambridge University professor of machine learning Carl Edward Rasmussen evaluates how effective...

A gavel over a map of Europe on a blue background.
May 1, 2025
A Step Back for Sustainability? The Omnibus Act and Europe’s Changing Priorities

Université Paris-Nanterre international commercial law student Claire Terrier evaluates the...

Sustainability Skills checklist over two hands shaking on a blue background.
May 1, 2025
Meeting the Sustainability Skills Gap: New Research Reveals What Businesses Need to Succeed

As organizations worldwide embrace sustainability, new research from American University's Kogod...

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