Environmental, Social and Governance Factors for Business, MBA

The Concentration/Major in Environmental, Social, and Governance Factors for Business (ESGB) is designed to provide in-depth foundations for those interested in the complex relationships between business and the natural environment and business and society more broadly, including management of environmental, social, and governance risks and opportunities, the business and economics of energy, and the ways in which firms incorporate ESG factors into their governance. There is a strong need for a new generation of expert business leaders who understand the rapidly evolving trends in business models, technology, regulation, and financing with implications for the environment and society as a whole. Students choosing the ESGB Concentration/Major are therefore ideally suited for the ever-expanding set of careers in many fields. Relevant courses are offered by departments including Accounting, Business Economics and Public Policy, Finance, Legal Studies and Business Ethics, Management, Marketing, and Operations Information and Decisions. This Concentration/Major is jointly administered by the Business, Economics and Public Policy Department, the Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department, and the Management Department. The Faculty Advisors to this Concentration/Major are Professors Arthur van Benthem (BEPP), Vit Henisz (MGMT) and Sarah Light (LGST). Questions from current Wharton students regarding this Major should be directed in the first instance to Sara Jane McCaffrey. Prospective students should contact the Admissions Office.

Curriculum

Major electives taken on a pass/fail basis cannot be counted toward the ESG major.

Environmental, Social and Governance Factors Major Requirements
Select 4 course units from the following:4
Environmental:
Climate and Financial Markets
Risk Analysis and Environmental Management
Energy Markets & Policy
Environmental Management: Law and Policy
The Business and Governance of Water
Environmental Sustainability and Value Creation
Strategy and Environmental Sustainability
Global Modular Course A
Thinking with Models: Business Analytics for Energy and Sustainability (Social and Governance:)
Social and Governance:
Financial Disclosure Analytics
American Public Policy through an Economic Lens
ESG and Impact Investing
Energy Finance
Shareholder Activism
Big Data, Big Responsibilities: Toward Accountable Artificial Intelligence
Other People's Money: The Law, Politics, and History of Financial Institutions
Law of Corporate Management and Finance
Employment Law
Leading Across Cultural and Relational Differences
Corporate Governance, Executive Compensation and the Board
Reforming Mass Incarceration and the Role of Business
Corporate Diplomacy
Political Environment of the Multinational Firm
WORKS Immersion (Prison Education)
Social Entrepreneurship
Global Modular Course A
Urban Fiscal Policy
Urban Fiscal Policy
In addition, we note the following: For both undergraduates and MBA students especially interested in ESG analytics, we note that while the STAT Department does not have courses on this list that count toward the 4 required credit units for the concentration/major, the following courses may be of special interest:
Data Collection and Acquisition: Strategies and Platforms
Predictive Analytics for Business
Applied Machine Learning in Business
Text Analytics
Forecasting Methods for Management
Introduction to Bayesian Data Analysis
Data Analytics and Statistical Computing
Modern Data Mining
Sample Survey Design
Introduction to Python for Data Science
Electives
Select 5.5 course units of electives5.5
MBA Core Requirements9.5
Total Course Units19

MBA Core Requirements

Accounting
Select one of the following:0.5-1
Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
Fundamentals of Financial and Managerial Accounting
Finance 1
Corporate Finance
Select one of the following:0.5-1
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance (Half CU)
Macroeconomics
Select one of the following:0.5-1
Macroeconomics and the Global Economic Environment
Macroeconomics and The Global Economic Environment (Half CU)
Legal Studies
LGST 6110Responsibility in Global Management0.5
or LGST 6120 Responsibility in Business
or LGST 6130 Business, Social Responsibility, and the Environment
Microeconomics
BEPP 6110Microeconomics for Managers: Foundations0.5
BEPP 6120Microeconomics for Managers: Advanced Applications0.5
Management
MGMT 6100Foundations of Teamwork and Leadership0.5
MGMT 6110Managing Established Enterprises1
or MGMT 6120 Management of Emerging Enterprises
Marketing
MKTG 6110Marketing Management0.5
MKTG 6120Dynamic Marketing Strategy0.5
or MKTG 6130 Strategic Marketing Simulation
OIDD
Select one unit of the following:0.5-1
Quality and Productivity
Business Analytics
Online Business Models and the Information-Based Firm
Innovation
Operations Strategy
Enabling Technologies
Managerial Decision Making
Statistics
STAT 6130Regression Analysis for Business 21
or STAT 6210 Accelerated Regression Analysis for Business
Management Communication
Select one of the following options:0.5
Management Communication 3
Entrepreneurial Communication
Second Year Requirement:
Students must satisfy the following requirements during their second year in the program: (1) maintain a Wharton GPA that is greater than 2.33 in each semester of their second year, and (2) have no more than 4 CU of Wharton courses with a grade less than or equal to 2.33 (C+ or lower) in their second year.
Total Course Units9.5
1

Students cannot enroll in both FNCE 6210 and FNCE 6230.

2

STAT 6210 is by placement only.

3

Enrollment in WHCP 6180 requires pre-approval.

The Global Experience Concentration facilitates MBA student participation in a study abroad program. Students must complete two full credit units in an approved International Exchange Program at the partner university’s location. In addition, students must take one full credit unit of internationally focused MBA electives to satisfy the concentration requirement.  

Curriculum

Students must complete two full credit units in an approved International Exchange Program at the partner university’s location. Approved International Exchange Programs include:

  • Australia – AGSM, Sydney
  • Brazil – COPPEAD, Rio de Janeiro
  • Chile – Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Santiago
  • China – CEIBS, Shanghai
  • China – Peking University, Beijing
  • France – HEC/ISA, Paris
  • France – INSEAD, Fontainebleau
  • Hong Kong – HKUST, Kowloon
  • India – ISB, Hyderabad
  • Israel – IDC, Herzliya
  • Israel – Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv
  • Italy – SDA Bocconi, Milan
  • Japan – Keio University, Tokyo
  • Netherlands – RSM, Rotterdam
  • Philippines – AIM, Makati City
  • Singapore – INSEAD, Singapore
  • Spain – IESE, Barcelona
  • Sweden – Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm
  • Thailand – Sasin, Bangkok
  • United Kingdom – LBS, London

In addition to two full credit units taken in an approved study-abroad program, students must take one full credit unit of internationally focused MBA electives to satisfy the concentration requirement. The electives should be selected from the list below and cannot be taken on a pass/fail basis.

Global Experience Concentration
Students must complete 2 CU in WHG 5000-level or above2
Select at least 1 CU from the following: 11
Accounting
Taxes and Business Strategy
Business Economics and Public Policy
Energy Markets & Policy
Climate and Financial Markets
Economic Globalization: Policy, History and Contemporary Issues
Finance
International Financial Markets and Cryptocurrencies
Global Valuation and Risk Analysis
International Banking
Central Banks, Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets
ESG and Impact Investing
Energy Finance
Health Care Management
Comparative Health Care Systems
Private Sector Role in Global Health
Legal Studies and Business Ethics
Law of Corporate Management and Finance
Management
Political Environment of the Multinational Firm
Corporate Diplomacy
Strategy and Environmental Sustainability
Global Management of Digital Businesses
Managing and Competing in China
Private Equity in Emerging Markets
Global Growth of Emerging Firms
Advanced Global Strategy
Comparative Capitalism
Marketing
Operations, Information, and Decisions
Global Supply Chain Mgmt.
Risk Analysis and Environmental Management
Environmental Sustainability and Value Creation
Real Estate
Global Real Estate: Risk, Politics and Culture
International Housing Comparisons
Total Course Units3
1

Global Modular Courses (0.5 CU) offered in a foreign location also count.

Other courses with substantive international content may be counted upon approval of the concentration adviser.

Concentration advisor: Alyssa Swanson