IUM launches a new Master’s program in Sustainable Development
The International University of Monaco, part of the INSEEC group, has launched a new Master’s program dedicated to sustainable development, aiming to explore the challenges for business and society in designing and managing financially viable projects which are both respectful of the environment and socially responsible.
The one-year program, created to welcome approximately 20 students interested in pursuing careers in which they will provide a “sustainability” perspective to an organization, will begin in the fall semester, 2012.
“Sustainable development is no longer ‘wishful thinking’ or simply ‘greenwashing’ as it was considered to be five to ten years ago. Today, the national and international environmental legal framework is such that almost all societies and institutions are required to think and act sustainably. They are committed to hiring employees with all of the necessary management skills but also a sustainable way of thinking,” said the Program Head, Damyana Bakardzhieva.
Case studies and international experts
Enrolled students will be able to take modules in eco-consumerism and green marketing, micro-finance and nongovernmental organizations, socially responsible investment, sustainable development law and energy. They will also learn about the European Union climate and energy package and how it’s applied through the construction of “zero energy” buildings, the work of Monaco-based NGOs in the biodiversity sector, socially responsible investment funds developed by banks and the launch of an electric car racing championship.
Renowned international guests will be invited to the campus to give lectures on issues of sustainable development. Previous speakers have included one of the most eminent American botanists, Peter Raven, who gave a lecture on “the loss of biodiversity and climate change” at IUM and who has led much research in the world on the preservation of endangered plants. He won the “Biodiversity Award” in 2010 for his work in this area, awarded by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
After the program
By the end of the program graduates will be able to apply their newly acquired abilities in company support functions (in finance, marketing, strategy and communication, for example) with a ‘sustainability’ perspective. They will also be able to identify, propose and implement more sustainable means of production, consumption and investment within a company.
Program graduates will be able to apply for such jobs as project manager in international organizations or in NGOs, social responsibility executives in the private sector, consultants for companies specialized in the environment and green technology, and many more.
The introduction of the program is a bet on the future for the International University of Monaco:
“The launch of the master’s in sustainable development at the IUM aligns perfectly with the objectives of the university as being a driving force in the creation of new sustainable business models,” said Antonella Patras, Dean of IUM.
World’s Largest Community Solar Project