Sustainability Leadership, Master of Arts (MASL)
The Department of Biology & Environmental Science
Website: [https://to be determined]
Program Director: Dr. David Brown (brownd@marietta.edu)
The Marietta College Master of Arts in Sustainability Leadership (MASL) offers an online, multidisciplinary program that helps students master an understanding of the complex systems that intersect in the field of sustainability leadership. The primary goal of the program is to provide students with a strong graduate-level foundation in addressing the challenges of the triple bottom line of caring for people, the planet, and profits. The program is designed to prepare students to apply what they learn in the program to real-world problems.
The MASL program consists of 10 nine-week courses and is designed for completion in two years. Students learn about different disciplines that are related to sustainability in the first nine courses in the program. In addition to covering content related to these disciplines, course assignments help the students better understand the systems that are involved and how they impact each other. Students may complete the first nine courses in any order and then complete the program by taking the Capstone Project course (MASL 510) in which students review what they have learned and apply that knowledge to case studies assigned by the instructor and to their final capstone project. All courses are online and include both synchronous and asynchronous components.
Mission
To assist students in mastering an understanding of the complex systems that intersect in the field of sustainability leadership and become subject matter experts, helping to lead organizational efforts to build a more environmentally sustainable future for their organizations and their organization’s stakeholders.
Program Objectives
Students at the end of this program should be able to:
- Apply systems thinking to the connections between people, organizations, and the natural world within the context of sustainability leadership.
- Articulate a working knowledge of the scientific method and its application to environmental problem-solving.
- Analyze causes and develop potential solutions to environmental challenges.
- Communicate environmental topics clearly, effectively, and with fidelity to the underlying science.
- Design an intervention or create a case study that showcases their knowledge of the causes, effects, and potential solutions to a specific challenge of environmental sustainability in an organization. This final capstone project will demonstrate mastery of program objectives including:
- developing a foundational knowledge of environmental science
- evaluating the complex systems that affect the leadership process
- appraising relevant data for informed decision making
- assessing the benefits and costs of using Earth’s natural resources
- applying environmental policy and law
- analyze approaches to environmental leadership and ethics
- apply concepts of environmental economics
- recommend solutions to issues that promote environmental sustainability
- effectively communicate issues pertaining to sustainability leadership