SAS and Wharton create new dual degree

The Wharton School and the School of Arts and Sciences have created a program in which students can receive both an MBA and a Master's of Environmental Studies, the University announced last week.

The program allows students to complete both degrees in two and a half years, spending three semesters in residence at Wharton, where they will complete 15 course units of credit, and three in residence in the MES program, where they will complete nine c.u.'s, said SAS associate dean and School of Liberal and Professional Studies executive director Kristine Billmyer.

The program was created primarily in response to demand from MBA students, said Legal Studies and Business Ethics professor and director of the Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership Eric Orts. But he explained that the inherently "interdisciplinary nature of this whole field" was another factor.

He added that "these degrees have been increasingly common in some of our competitors."

"It's an ideal combination, really building on strengths and reputation for both of those programs and both of those degrees," she added.

A student who participates in the new program will have a number of possibilities for jobs, said Orts, including the office of chief sustainable officer or health and environmental safety departments, roles that create strategies for improving cost efficiency and positions in environmental marketing.

"I think this is a terrific program that will meet an important educational need for today's society and business," SAS Dean Rebecca Bushnell wrote in an e-mail.

As with all dual-degree programs, interested students must be admitted by both SAS and Wharton, said Billmyer. She said she expects students to begin matriculating into the program in September 2009.

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