How Berkeley Haas Is Leading In The Battle Against Climate Change (Again)

Leadership at the Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley recognizes that climate change is a pressing and complex issue affecting all of us, and needs to be addressed immediately. They know that students and prospective students largely feel the same. That’s the impetus behind a new MBA-Master of Climate Solutions double-degree program.

The program, says Ann Harrison, dean of Berkeley’s Haas School, aims to shape the next group of leaders to be at the forefront of the climate solution.

“Meeting the climate and other global challenges will require new leaders who understand the scale and urgency of the challenges, who understand which corporate actions will make the biggest difference, and who can bring practical solutions to addressing the problems,” says Harrison, Poets&Quants‘ 2023 Dean of the Year.

COMBINING THE ACADEMIC STRENGTHS OF TWO BERKELEY SCHOOLS

Ann Harrison, Dean of Berkeley Haas School of Business

The degree, hosted at both the Haas School and the Rausser College of Natural Resources, will enroll its first class this fall. MBA/MCS candidates will graduate with both a Master of Business Administration and Master of Climate Solutions degree in five semesters.

Both Rausser Dean David Ackerly and Haas’ Harrison are at the heart of the push for this type of program.

“Dean David Ackerly and I both deeply understand the climate change challenge and recognize the need to combine specialized business management skills and operational knowledge with deeper content scholarship around climate solutions. There was clear agreement between the two schools’ leadership that the academic strengths of both programs would complement each other and thus justified the creation of the concurrent degree program,” says Harrison.

The schools can’t say for certain how many prospective students will enroll in the program because they are still accepting applications, but based on the widespread interest, they anticipate they will be receiving an abundance of applications. Harrison says that there is much enthusiasm among current and prospective Haas students , who care deeply about climate change and understand it is one of the most critical challenges of their generation.

This interest builds off their popular Michael’s Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business, which gives students a shorter version of what the new five-semester degree program offers. They started offering this certificate in 2021 and had more than 100 MBAs complete it.

FIVE SEMESTERS BUT A LIFETIME OF IMPACT

The program begins with the MBA core, guest speaker series with speakers who are thought leaders in sustainability, as well as other relevant outings and events. Students will get the chance to visit businesses and network with public agencies. In their second year, MBA/MCS candidates fully immerse in the MCS program, joining the MCS stand-alone students.

Students can anticipate taking courses like Carbon Accounting, Life Cycle Analysis, Environmental Economics, and Energy Policy and Politics. The experiential learning capstone is designed to intertwine content, themes, and skills to bridge business with climate/sustainability. This not only provides them with the opportunity to apply their newfound knowledge but also sparks meaningful connections with industry practitioners.

The Office of Sustainability and Climate Change conducted a survey last summer with more than 180 respondents focused on the kinds of climate and sustainability-related skills that employers seek from MBAs.

“Aside from a solid understanding of the challenges and solutions to meet the climate crisis, employers emphasized strategic thinking and analytical skills,” says Michele de Nevers, director of the Office of Sustainability and Climate Change at Haas. Each course and its content were deliberately incorporated with this in mind.

‘WHAT WE REALLY NEED’: PEOPLE READY & ABLE TO ACT

Michele de Nevers, Director of the Office of Sustainability and Climate Change at Haas

MBA/MCS students will also have two summers of internships to experience employment opportunities in both climate and business settings.

“Examples of internship paths include working for climate tech start-ups, impact investing, climate advocacy, sustainability-related consulting assignments and relevant experience in traditional departments such as procurement and sustainable supply chains, finance, communications, etc. Our students may also serve as internal consultants helping organizations to think strategically and practically about sustainability and climate,” says de Nevers.

They can also take the route of working in government, as a city official working on a municipal climate action plan for example.

“What we really need are people spread throughout society and the economy who are in a position to take action on climate, and who are equipped with the tools to make the right choices. Educating those students is the vision of the program,” says James Sallee, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Haas and faculty director of the MCS program.

For those who wish to enroll, the next upcoming deadline is March 28th, 2024.