For the sixth year in a row, the Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) program at the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business (GSB) was named a Top Green MBA by the Princeton Review’s Best Business Schools rankings. A pioneer in reinventing business as a force for good, SI-MBA has consistently placed in the top two, most recently ranking #2 in 2021, 2022 and now in 2023, and also ranking #1 in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
SI-MBA continues to be the highest ranked green MBA program that is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). This accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Less than 5% of the world's 13,000 business programs have earned AACSB Accreditation.
“One of my goals coming into Grossman in 2011 has been to transform our MBA and make it a premier MBA program in the country for sustainable business innovation. The latest recognition from The Princeton Review acknowledges our ongoing commitment to equip tomorrow’s business leaders with the tools and skillsets to create new profitable businesses and transform current business to address global sustainability challenges,” said Sanjay Sharma, Dean of the Grossman School of Business.
Ranking Criteria
One of the criteria of these rankings by The Princeton Review, a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company, is how well the MBA program prepares students to address environmental, sustainability, and social responsibility issues in their careers. SI-MBA is an accelerated 12-month program that integrates sustainable business practices across disciplines and makes for a rapid learning experience that has graduates back out in the world and making an impact in less time.
“Sustainability is more than just about the environment. It’s about the triple bottom line of sustaining the profits and competitive advantage of a firm while enhancing social justice and environmental preservation and restoration. That is why we’ve taken a holistic approach to fully embedding and integrating the triple bottom line concepts throughout our curriculum,” added Sharma.
Survey Says...
The students’ feedback in the survey echoed the ranking criteria, citing how SI-MBA takes a “holistic perspective on social business” with classes taught by “thought leaders focusing on disruptive innovation” and also “truly incorporates sustainability into its entire curriculum, instead of just adding a couple sustainability classes." Other students surveyed noted that the program is “very relevant and necessary for navigating the challenges of the future of the global economy” and commented on “the culture that was created by the directors, professors, staff, and students.”
“SI-MBA has been recognized as a trailblazer in business education since establishing the program in 2014 from the ground up in conjunction with our students, alumni, and business community,” said Kim Nolan, graduate programs director at GSB. “We’re proud of the latest Princeton Review ranking along with other program recognition, which solidifies SI-MBA as the gold standard. Our faculty and staff are deeply passionate about addressing global sustainability challenges and continuous improvement of the program in effort to create real positive change in the world.”
National and International Recognition
The SI-MBA program at GSB continues to receive national and international recognition, including by Corporate Knights, a Toronto-based media and research company focused on clean capitalism.” SI-MBA has now been ranked in the top 10 of its “Better World MBA Rankings for the past five years. Additionally, the SI-MBA program is ranked in The Princeton Review’s "Top 50 schools for Entrepreneurship" for 2022.
“We’re honored to be recognized again for our work in reinventing business education by our students and alumni of the SI-MBA program. Preparing our students to be effective change makers requires the full business toolkit along with an understanding of how to integrate sustainability into all business processes,” added Charles Schnitzlein, professor and academic director of SI-MBA at GSB. “It’s inspiring to see so many business schools beginning to integrate sustainability into their curriculums. We look forward to the day when all MBAs are green MBAs, as doing business better is in the best interest of people and the planet.”
“We recommend these schools highly and with great regard for the MBA programs they offer,” noted Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review. “Every MBA program—on-campus as well as online—that made our lists for 2023 offers outstanding academics, superb experiential components, and impressive career services. As important, every one garnered positive ratings from MBA students we surveyed who attend—or are recent grads of—the program.”
The Best Green MBA category is among some of The Princeton Review’s Best Business Schools rankings that are based on surveys of students attending the schools who rate and report on their experiences, how well their school is preparing them in environmental/sustainability and social responsibility issues, and for a career in a green job market. Learn more about The Princeton Review's methodology.