Exciting news from the Business School!

After a year-long process, the Business School faculty has redesigned its MBA program and the Graduate College, Faculty Senate and Provost have approved it. The program will be a one-year, accelerated program centered on Sustainable Entrepreneurship. We call it the Sustainable Entrepreneurship MBA program, or SEMBA.

Though SEMBA is radically different from our previous program, the Business School has kept UVM's commitment to excellence in education, our terrific faculty, the small size of our classes, and our long-proven record of graduating successful entrepreneurs. The AACSB accredited program will require a total of 45 credit hours (after all prerequisites are met), including a 3-credit online orientation course in late summer before the residential portion of the program begins.

We are planning to enroll no more than 60 students in the program. The new program will launch Fall of 2014.

About SEMBA

The SEMBA program, by bringing together the best faculty and most successful entrepreneurs in Vermont, offers a unique, innovative, and exciting curriculum. Indeed, faculty from the Rubinstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, Community Development and Applied Economics, and the Vermont Law School will join the faculty of the Business School in the delivery of an accelerated, full-time cutting-edge curriculum that includes a three-month practicum. The practicum will be an intense and meaningful hands-on learning experience centered on the development of a new venture or a venture within one of the many firms that are members of SEMBA's Board of Advisors.

SEMBA aims to be an inflection point and an accelerator in the career development of young professionals. Who are we looking for? The program is designed for young women and men who, after three or four years of being in the workforce, want to go back to school not only for the traditional MBA toolkit, but to learn how to make a difference in the world. SEMBA is for change makers who love innovation and want to immerse themselves in disruptive, new clean technologies that address global problems and opportunities. SEMBA is for those who share the goal of "doing well while doing good."

The program is based on the premise that well-managed businesses are an integral part of the solution to the world's current problems of unequal prosperity and climate change; issues of access to clean water, food, air, and good healthcare; and to inexpensive and renewable energy sources.

There are several differences between traditional MBA programs that offer a "concentration" in sustainability and SEMBA: SEMBA is built on the notion of sustainability and entrepreneurship from the ground up. Sustainability is not just a set of "bolt-on" electives; it is at the core of the program and addressed in every single course. Our courses share educational material and cases across disciplines and deal with issues of sustainable development. Entrepreneurs who have built successful, sustainable businesses will share the classroom with our excellent faculty.

Our Advisors and Mentors

We have assembled a Board of Advisors and a Council of Mentors to help us keep the program on mission.

The Board of Advisors is comprised of exceptional individuals who work in corporations that have a long history of commitment to sustainability as well as individuals who have had long and successful careers as entrepreneurs. The members of our Board represent many iconic Vermont brands (e.g., Ben and Jerry's, Burton, Cabot, Green Mountain Coffee Rosters, King Arthur Flour, Seventh Generation); others represent new and exciting firms (Allearth Renewables, Cassella Waste Management, Dealer.com, Heliae, NRG, Terry Bicycles, Tetra Tech); others come from state government agencies (Department of Creative Economy) and non-profits (VBSR, VEIC); while others lead firms in the venture capital and private equity worlds (FreshTracks, Clean Yield Asset Management). All members of the Board are committed to sustainability and to the entrepreneurial spirit that permeates SEMBA's curriculum.

The Council of Mentors is an impressive group of individuals with long careers and connections in the sustainability world. The members of the Council represent a variety of organizations that are committed to innovation and service (Good 360, KPMG’s International Development Assistance Services Global Center of Excellence, the National Peace Corps Association, United States Business Council for Sustainable Development, and Water for People) and have an international projection. These terrific individuals will play an important role in SEMBA by being in the classroom, participating in the development of cases, judging "pitch" competitions, arranging and hosting practicums, and mentoring students. We are grateful for their leadership, support, energy, and commitment to make SEMBA one of the best programs on sustainable entrepreneurship in the world.

Our Promise to Students

This is what we are promising applicants to the program. SEMBA will deliver:

  • Speed to Market. One-year program that accelerates your career and impact.
  • Relevance and Innovation. A curriculum that is academically sound, cutting-edge, and imminently practical. Our curriculum is innovative in both its format and delivery: a full MBA tookit that’s all about sustainable entrepreneurship.
  • Rigor and Commitment. A program that is rigorous. We expect you to be stretched and to grow. You will be surrounded by individuals who want to make a difference. You will be taught by people who have made a difference.
  • Excitement and Passion. Our award-winning faculty is not only highly knowledgeable and professional but truly multidisciplinary and totally committed to delivering a program of great distinction. We believe in what we teach; we live it with passion.
  • Intensity and intimacy. The program will have no more than 60 participants. Each student will get personalized attention and you will get to know your class cohort -- your amazing fellow students and professors as well as thought leaders and successful entrepreneurs. The experience will be intense and intimate.
  • Beauty and Adventure. Burlington has been rated one of the most beautiful cities in the US and one of the best small cities in the US in terms of quality of life and access to outdoor adventure.
  • Affordability. Our tuition for the entire MBA program is lower than many of our competitors. And we offer generous financial aid.

Find Out More

You can find more information about SEMBA at www.uvm.edu/business/mba or by contacting the director of the program, Professor William Cats-Baril, at william.cats-baril@uvm.edu.