MSc in International Sustainability Management

Sustainability professionals work in “green” companies, such as renewable energy, technological, food, clothing or cosmetics industries, or in certification agencies.

Their mission: to rethink traditional business ideas in ways that create more sustainable value. Others work as environmental or corporate reputation consultants, green governance experts, or non-governmental organization officers. Some eventually go on to find their own innovative start-ups or become social entrepreneurs.

ESCP gives you the opportunity to leverage events, tools and guidelines to efficiently manage your career goals after the end of your Master's.

The Careers Service

Prepare your Career Plan

The Careers Service team supports you in preparing a well-structured Curriculum Vitae and cover letter in order to increase your chances of making an impression on companies. In addition, careers support also provides you with a structured method and process to prepare a plan, in order to start and build an effective job-seeking strategy.

Job Fairs and Recruitment Day

Of particular relevance are the Job Fairs and Recruitment Days organised by the ESCP Careers Service on each campus. Students are welcome to attend the job fairs on any of ESCP's campuses, no matter the current study location. Thanks to these large events you have the opportunity to directly get in touch with HR and managers of leading companies.

The MSc in International Sustainability Management (120 ECTS) will teach you what you need to know to build a rewarding career in sustainability

In your first term, you will study environmental and sustainability management in Berlin. You will learn about business ethics and corporate social responsibility, eco-marketing, and integrated “triple-bottom-line” reporting. At the same time, you will study climatology and resource economics, preparing you for a real role as an advocate for sustainability.

In your second term, you will study how companies can learn to become more sustainable and take an elective that will allow you to delve further into an issue that you are particularly passionate about, such as human rights and international business or business and sustainability in the developing world.

Classes will be delivered on campus and/or online in accordance with government recommendations. The programme begins in September and is organised as follow:

Course modules

You have to be proficient in English to follow these courses.

SUSTAINABILITY

• Environmental and Sustainability Management
  • Environmental and Sustainability Management
  • Business Ethics and CSR
  • Eco-marketing
  • Integrated Reporting
• Ecosystems, Climate Change and Economic Theory
  • Ecological Background of Economic Activity: Climatology / Ecosystems Theory
  • Environmental and Resource Economics
• Frameworks for a sustainability transition
  • Sustainable Supply Chain Management
  • New Concepts for a sustainable lifestyle: the Circular Economy
  • New Interactions between Business and Society: innovative responses to the sustainability challenge
• Elective 1: Society, the developing world and the financial dimension
  • NGO & Management
  • The dark side of Sustainability
  • International Business and Human Rights
  • Sustainable Finance

International

• Sustainable Governance and Management in an international context
  • Cross Cultural Management and Sustainability
  • Sustainability Governance and Policy
• Project management and consulting
  • International Project Management and Consulting
  • Mini Consultancy Project

General Management

• Research & Consultancy
  • Research methods
  • Managing complexity
  • Management of change & organizational behaviour
• Elective 2: Specialisations in Management
  • Eco-Venturing
  • Model United Nations
  • Urban Resilience
  • Business Information Systems
  • Corporate Finance

Research

Master Thesis for MSc

Skills

• Language Courses
• Career Development
• Company Consultancy project
• Internship

Company consultancy projects

Experiential learning

You will accomplish a Company Consultancy Project during the MSc in International Sustainability Management programme, which allows you to put into practice the concepts acquired in the classroom. The projects provide students with collaborative and intercultural work experience on a case provided by a company.

In groups of 4-5, students are expected to perform an in-depth analysis and make recommendations for actions that can realistically be implemented by the company.

At the heart of the programme, the Company Consultancy Projects are a key element of the programme that enables students to get to know a sector or a specific function. They require significant commitment and focus from the students.

Through the Company Consultancy Project, students learn how to work efficiently as a team and hone their skills in:

• Project planning and management
• Data collection and analysis
• Development of hypotheses and recommendations
• Customer service
• Public speaking and presentations

Within the framework of the Company Consultancy Projects, dedicated workshops are carried out such as:

• Client interaction
• Presentation skills

Throughout the project, tutoring is provided by an ESCP professor.

Students learn how to approach an issue with a critical mindset and how to react swiftly in unexpected situations with a creative and open-minded attitude.

Professional thesis

Writing and defending a professional thesis

Starting in February of the second year, you must draft a professional thesis in consultation with an ESCP Professor, which is based on the course "research methods" (term 4). The topic chosen is approved beforehand by an academic advisor. The thesis is defended orally to a committee between June and July. This individual applied research project is an essential part of the programme since it leads to in-depth analysis. It represents 20 of the total of 120 ECTS credits earned over the two years.

Internship

A professional mission in the form of an in-company internship of at least 3 months.

From May to July of the second year, students must complete an in-company internship of at least 3 months. The internship is an opportunity for practical application of the theoretical concepts learned from courses, with an eye to establishing a career.

Here are some examples of companies and organisations at which students have obtained internships:

United Nations Environment Programme – Nissan – Endeva – Impact Hub Berlin – Siemens – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – Bearing Point – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) – Save the Children – BNP Paribas – Deloitte – Marine Stewardship Council – San Benedetto – Nordex Energy – E.ON – WWF – The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group – L’Oreal

The Corporate Relations Department

The Company Relations Department is dedicated to gather placement offers from many companies. The department also organises a series of fairs involving firms, giving MSc students many opportunities to make contact.