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Challenging Convention & Making Waves
Overview
Business & Sustainability, BA
Offered on the Bellingham and Poulsbo Campus
Challenge the idea of conventional business practices. Explore the role of business in navigating social and environmental challenges and advancing sustainable development, as established by the United Nations. Through an interdisciplinary program provided in conjunction with three campus colleges, seize the opportunity to study economics, management, energy, environmental science, and policy. Learn to analyze complex issues from multiple perspectives and advocate for sustainable solutions within your organizations and communities.
Energy Studies Concentration
Offered only on the Bellingham Campus
This unique program within the Business & Sustainability major emphasizes the importance of transitioning to a more sustainable energy system to reconciling our economic and environmental aspirations. Find growing opportunities in the emerging energy economy in Washington and beyond. Develop a strong blend of analytic and communication skills, along with energy-related expertise that industry and government experts identified as essential to workforce needs in the emerging energy economy.
Plans of Study
Explore the Curriculum
Learning Components
Dive into the Coursework
What You'll Learn
- The skills to apply economic analysis to problems in sustainable business faced by modern organizations.
- The ability to understand the social and political climate as well as the scientific issues involved in sustainable business.
- An extensive knowledge of business and management in the context of business sustainability giving you the basic skills needed to succeed in organizations.
Students Challenging Convention: Applied Skills from Featured Courses
MTKG 384/474
MTKG 384/ 474 provides students with the skills for developing and marketing a sustainable product.
Final Project Winter 2021
Students were tasked with creating a marketable product to reduce an environmental impact.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted growth in the takeout restaurant industry, increasing the amount of plastic waste going to landfills. A student team created an eBook to offer business solutions to local restaurant owners in compliance with local waste management guidelines.
For more, read: The eBook
Business & Sustainability major with a double minor in Economics and Environmental Policy
Alum 2021
ENVS/ MGMT 466
ENVS/ MGMT 466 offers an experiential capstone combining faculty and student teams from the College of Business and Economics and Huxley College of the Environment.
Final Project Spring 2021
Students were tasked with carrying out a proposed plan to enhance sustainability within our community.
Vitality Veterinary Wellness is an emerging veterinary hospital in Bellingham, WA focused on sustainable design and ethical pet care. In developing the consulting proposal for this up-and-coming clinic, the team provided a detailed plan for developing a passive building design, sourcing sustainable building materials, and implementing solar panels, a green roof, and solar tube installations.
For more, read: The Vitality Veterinary Wellness Consulting Proposal
ENRG 459
ENRG 459 (Advanced Energy Policy) provides students the opportunity to research and write pro-environmental policies.
Final Paper
Fuel From Farms Policy Proposal
Learn how one student uses the idea of anaerobic digestion implemented through policy to improve the sustainability of the cattle industry.
ECON/ENRG 484
ECON/ENRG 484 (Alternative Energy Economics) facilitates the study of the economics of renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar and cultivates skills necessary to read and interpret the results of a regression analysis.
Final Paper
The Economics of Energy Efficiency Upgrades and Residential Installations
A student compares the costs and benefits of deciding between an energy efficiency upgrade or a rooftop solar installation using economic tools for analysis.
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Careers & Networking
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Hear From Our Students
Gain First-Hand Insight
"At the school that I used to go to, there really wasn't an emphasis on the social and environmental parts of business, really just.. maximizing profit... Finding the Business & Sustainability program here at Western has really been a fantastic experience."
Will BarrorBusiness & Sustainability Alum 2021
"I chose Business & Sustainability (B&S) because I wanted to make a difference in the world that future generations will be able to enjoy and experience for a long time to come... I get to collaborate with companies around the world on a variety of issues related to sustainability. Without B&S, I would never have been able to be a part of such a progressive company that aligns with my aspirations for the future."
Greyden SaundersConsultant Scientist at Environmental Resource Management
"I chose B&S because I was interested in how businesses could be a positive for the planet instead of a negative. It taught me about B corps while also giving me experience through projects that got me immersed into the recycling world which gave me a leg up when looking for jobs in that industry."
Nathan AndersonProcess Development Analyst for Recology-San Francisco
“I wasn’t completely sold on being a traditional business student. The B&S program valued my interest in environmental issues and reducing my carbon footprint. It gave me the advantage of being one step ahead of my peers with a background in environmental economics and policy while also understanding budgets and marketing. I believe the expertise in both fields gave me the advantage I needed to be able to work in sustainable communications.”
Garett ValenzuelaAssistant Program Coordinator for C+C
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Connect with Our Faculty
Teri Hall
Pre-Major Advisor, College of Business and Economics
Parks Hall 045, MS 9072
360-650-4140
hallt21@wwu.edu
For questions about transfer equivalency and lower-division credits
Cristina Nelson
Department Manager, Department of Management
Parks Hall 351
360-650-2902
Cristina.Nelson@wwu.edu
For department-level questions, B&S course overrides and submitting graduation documents
Gail Cowan
Admin and Program Advisor, Energy Studies Concentration
AH 303
360-650-4422
cowang4@wwu.edu
For questions about transfer equivalency and lower-division credits
Craig Dunn
For questions about upper-division credits, major requests, and program details
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