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Loyola launches bachelor’s degree in sustainability management

The Quad
Loyola University Maryland’s Sellinger School of Business and Management introduced a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in sustainability management, the first program of its kind in Maryland and one of few in the nation. The interdisciplinary program prepares students to create sustainable solutions for businesses, the natural environment, and society.

“Our new sustainability management degree is one more way that Loyola’s Sellinger School of Business moves business forward as a force for good in the world,” said Kathleen A. Getz, Ph.D., dean of Loyola’s Sellinger School. “Following our Jesuit values of ethical leadership and service, the degree combines the university’s resources from departments across campus for an innovative, interdisciplinary major.”

In addition to liberal arts and business foundations courses, sustainability management students will take four business management courses and four courses addressing topics including poverty, human rights, justice and equality, the climate crisis, biodiversity, and scarcity of natural resources. Students will engage in hands-on activities through service-learning projects, case competitions judged by local business professionals, and consulting projects.

“Our students will learn how to analyze complex, multifaceted and multidimensional global business environments and sustainability challenges and solve problems for the greater good,” said Hung-bin Ding, Ph.D., associate professor of management and chair of the management and international business department. “This major teaches business students how to avoid unsustainable decisions and instead take better, more equitable actions that benefit business, society and the planet.”

Sustainability management graduates will enter a growing job market with increasing demand for professionals with knowledge in sustainable development strategy in commerce, industry, government, and nonprofit sectors. Employment of environmental specialists is projected to grow 8% from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations. The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked sustainability as one of the top five majors on the rise.

While students do not officially declare their major until sophomore year, prospective undergraduate students considering applying to Loyola University Maryland for the Class of 2025 are able to indicate sustainability management as an intended major when they apply. All students considering a business major may also now apply to the four-year Sellinger Scholars program after submitting their early action or regular decision applications.

Loyola University Maryland’s Sellinger School of Business and Management provides business education rooted in the Jesuit tradition of emphasizing strong ethical leadership, commitment to social responsibility and a global perspective. With more than 60 faculty members and 2,000 students, the Sellinger School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. Part-time and full-time MBAs as well as Master of Accounting programs are delivered on campuses in Baltimore, Columbia, and Timonium, Md.