Sustainability is good for the environment—and for business

We envision a time when students consider people and the planet alongside profit in every business decision.

If you're passionate about sustainability, your Tippie coursework will often weave the topic into your studies. Both our undergraduate and graduate programs offer courses that focus on addressing global challenges to business, society, and the environment. Undergraduates can enroll in courses that lead to a Sustainability Certificate.

Certificate in sustainability

Take 24 semester hours in courses such as Introduction to Sustainability, Environmental Economics and Policy, and Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, and you’ll graduate with a Certificate in Sustainability. The certificate is open to all majors and adding it to your resume will help you stand out with future employers.

Tippie offers several courses that count towards the Sustainability Certificate, such as:

  • MGMT:2000 Introduction to Law
  • BUS:2013 Introduction to Sustainability
  • ENTR:3500 Social Entrepreneurship
  • ECON:3625 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
  • ECON:3650 Policy Analysis
  • MKTG:4250 Marketing and Sustainability

How to earn your sustainability certificate 

Sustainability engagement

Want hands-on practice in sustainability outside of the classroom? Join a student organization, participate in a case competition, enroll in an internship, or study abroad.

Net Impact UIowa

Net Impact UIowa is an undergraduate organization that will inspire you, educate you, and equip you to use the power of business to create a more socially and environmentally sustainable world through projects designed to improve campus.

Enactus at Iowa

Enactus at Iowa is a Tippie organization open to all majors that encourages students to create their own entrepreneurial endeavors to improve communities around the world and at home.

Frontier Co-op Case Competition

During the Frontier Co-op Case Competition, student teams from any major will develop their own sustainability solution to a business problem with help from student advisors, faculty, and professionals for the chance to win cash prizes.

Study abroad

Study abroad opportunities are available to Tippie students who wish to learn more about sustainability. Travel to Belize for Spring Break to learn about sustainable entrepreneurialism or participate in a three-week India Winterim program, to learn about water poverty in rural India.

Undergraduate Business Sustainability Internship Program

Open to all business majors, the Undergraduate Business Sustainability Internship Program helps students develop problem-solving, management, analytics, reporting, and marketing skills through projects focused on sustainability. 

Sharing our progress

We are committed to equipping business students with the skills to make a positive impact now and in the future. Tippie is committed to the Principles of Responsible Management Education, an initiative of the UN Global Compact. Read more about our social impact, and what we are working on next.

Read the report (pdf)

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Sustainability News

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A five-factor framework to strengthen global cooperatives

Wednesday, October 19, 2022
More than 12% of the world’s population is employed by a co-op, but because the growth of co-ops differs from one country to the next, a new study from Tippie has identified some of the factors that determine how receptive a country is to that form of organization and the role it plays in its success.
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Tippie College of Business receives honorable mention for sustainability

Tuesday, June 21, 2022
The Tippie College of Business received honorable mention recognition in the First Time Reporters category for its annual report outlining sustainability education and research initiatives. Compiled by Sustainability Manager Sara Maples and written by a team of students, it is one of 59 reports submitted from institutions in 25 countries. It’s the only report from a U.S. business school to be recognized.
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UN recognizes Tippie's sustainability reporting efforts

Tuesday, June 14, 2022
The Tippie College of Business received honorable mention recognition in the First Time Reporters category for its annual report outlining sustainability education and research initiatives and the progress made toward achieving its goals in compliance with the UN’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME).