Master of Science in Sustainable Business and Innovation
Utrecht, Netherlands
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 24,432 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for Non-EU/EEA students (institutional fee) | Dutch and other EU/EEA students (statutory fee, full-time) 2025-2026: € 2.601
Key Summary
Become a Sustainability Change Agent
As part of this two-year Master’s program in Sustainable Business and Innovation, you will learn about sustainability challenges and the technological and other options that businesses can use to work in a more environmentally and socially friendly manner. By reviewing the academic literature and theory, real-life examples, and business case studies, you will acquire insight into the behavior of organizations, including processes of organizational change and innovation.
Growing Societal Demand
Businesses increasingly face significant challenges and opportunities from environmental issues such as climate change, energy, and water and social issues such as labor and human rights, corruption, and transparency. Stakeholders in these businesses – including governments, shareholders, business customers, local communities, consumers, employees, and NGOs – are demanding that companies become more focused on sustainability for themselves and the communities they impact. As a graduate with the knowledge and skills to develop sustainable business practices, you will have excellent career prospects across multiple sectors and industries.
Developing Sustainable Societies
During your studies, you will learn about topics such as sustainable development, sustainability innovations, life cycle assessment, ecoefficiency, and cleaner production, environmental management systems, sustainability reporting, organizational change, and management for sustainability. As a graduate of this program, you will understand how to help businesses and organizations in their journey toward making societies more sustainable. The course content is framed by life-cycle thinking, systems thinking, and long-term thinking. If you would like to become a sustainability change agent in positions such as sustainability officer or sustainability director in a business, government agency, or other organization, this program offers you the perfect preparation.
Research Institute
The Sustainable Business and Innovation program is closely affiliated with the Innovation Studies, Environmental Governance, and Energy and Resources research group of the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University. Research conducted at the Copernicus Institute covers a wide range of issues related to sustainable development and innovation. The content of the program is also highly visible in the research of the groups.
As a student in the Sustainable Business and Innovation Master’s program, you will:
- gain the knowledge and skills to engage with businesses and help them become more sustainable
- acquire an understanding of how to manage a business whilst considering the implications that decisions will have on the environment and societies of today and the future; and
- learn to connect sustainability with business strategies in order to develop integrative and long-term solutions to environmental and social challenges.
Career prospects
On this page you will find information about possible career prospects for both academic and non-academic careers. As a graduate from the Sustainable Business and Innovation programme, you are trained to become a sustainability change agent in commercial organisations, industries, NGOs, and government bodies. You may also want to continue with research at a university.
Academic careers
This Master’s programme prepares you for a career that can be focused on research and several Sustainable Business and Innovation graduates have found a job as a PhD student. After your studies, you are well placed to pursue a PhD in the field of Corporate Sustainability.
Non-academic careers
As a graduate with the knowledge and skills to develop sustainable business practices, you will have excellent career prospects across multiple sectors and industries. If you would like to become a sustainability change agent in positions such as sustainability officer or sustainability director in a business, government agency, or other organisation, this programme offers you the perfect preparation.
You will have the perfect training to work in firms that are interested in changing their business strategy to a more sustainable direction. Sustainable Business and Innovation graduates have found jobs like Product Manager, Coordinator of Sustainability, Trainer/Coach and Trainee.
Jobs after graduation
- Sustainability Consultant and Business Development at Sustainalize
- Client Portfolio Manager - Sustainable Investing at Robeco
- Corporate Sustainability Officers at Equans
- Sustainability Project Manager at G-Star RAW
Year 1
Period 1
- Innovation Management
- Understanding and Assessing Technologies for Sustainability
Period 2
- Corporate Sustainability and Change Management
- Sustainability Assessment and Management tools
Period 3
- Governance and Sustainability Transitions
- Sustainable Business Research Methods
Year 2
Period 1-4
- Electives (15 EC) & Master's thesis
Electives
- Innometrics
- Environmental Ethics and Sustainable Development
- Innovation and International Development
- Energy in the Built Environment
- Squaring the Circular Economy
- Sustainable Food Systems
- Integrated Assessment of Climate Change
- Bio-Based Economy
- Photovoltaic Solar Energy Physics and Technology
Studying Sustainable Business and Innovation at Utrecht University has several advantages and benefits.
- The Sustainable Business and Innovation programme is closely affiliated with the Innovation Studies, Environmental Governance, and Energy and Resources research group of the Copernicus Institute of
- Sustainable Development at Utrecht University. Research conducted at the Copernicus Institute covers a wide range of issues related to sustainable development and innovation. The content of the programme is also highly visible in the research of the groups.
- Businesses actively participate in this program by contributing real-life cases that either failed or proved to be highly successful. You will also interact closely with the business world during a consultancy project and your Master’s thesis that you can combine with an internship.
- Our programme attracts students from diverse parts of the world and is embedded in an institute recognised for the quality of its research.
- As a Sustainable Business and Innovation student you will have the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary research projects and establish an international network that can assist you in your future endeavours.