Business Administration, Impact Specialization

Sustainability underlies many of the complex global challenges we face today, carrying profound implications for business practices, economic development, and environmental stewardship. Businesses increasingly recognize the need to incorporate environmental risks and social objectives into their core strategy and operational decisions. The commitment to sustainable practices can take many forms, such as developing social enterprises, creating and distributing fair-trade products, reducing carbon footprints, ensuring a sustainable value chain, guiding social impact investments, and making frugal use of natural resources. Sustainability initiatives are motivated by a desire to manage risk, drive growth, improve returns on capital, and create value.

The Master of Business Administration, Impact Specialization, is a 44-credit, 3 semester, full-time Resident Instruction program. The program aims to provide business solutions that achieve positive economic, environmental, and social impact. The program educates and prepares future business leaders to take effective roles in organizations that integrate economic, social, and environmental sustainability into core strategy and operations. There are elective options to enable students to pursue either a venture-creation process or take up to 15 credits outside the College of Business in areas such as environmental sustainability, social impact, water resources, life cycle assessment, ethics and sustainability, and climate change.  

Program

Business Acumen and Integration Skills: Graduates demonstrate competency across business functions and integrate them into strategic decisions.

Practical Leadership and Management Skills: Graduates demonstrate individual, interpersonal, and organizational leadership skills necessary for professional development and organizational effectiveness.

Critical and Analytical Thinking: Graduates apply critical thinking and analytical skills for management decision-making.

External Environment – Ethical, Legal and Regulatory Framework: Graduates consider ethical, legal, and regulatory implications inherent in business situations and apply that knowledge to make responsible decisions.

Global Perspective: Graduates acquire a global and cross-cultural perspective in formulating decisions and implementing organizational strategy.

Enterprise Approaches to Global Challenges: Graduates of the Impact MBA program develop the skills to:

• Assess opportunities for enterprise approaches to address social and environmental challenges.

• Develop, implement, and manage initiatives or enterprises that address global social and environmental challenges.

GRE/GMAT Scores

Contact the academic department to verify whether the GRE/GMAT is required. For program contact information, please visit our program pages. The GRE department code can be found at www.ets.org.

Official Transcripts/Credential & Certified Translations

Official transcripts or mark sheets and any certificates, diplomas, or degrees from each college or university attended is required regardless of the length of attendance, including courses in progress. Final records will be required upon completion of the course or degree. ALL records submitted must be in the native language; any credentials written in languages other than English MUST be accompanied by a certified English translation (Colorado State University transcripts are not required). Official documents must be sent through a certified, secure document service, or through the postal mail, directly from your school to CSU. Transcripts and diplomas sent through email are not considered official documents. International students, please use the Guide to Comparable Degrees for graduate study.

Official transcripts and credentials, such as degree certificates, are issued directly by the granting institution where the coursework was completed or the degree was earned (with original seals, stamps, and/or signatures). Officially certified transcripts or degree certificates can be hard-copy photocopies of the original document provided by the issuing institution, the U.S. Consulate’s Education/Culture Departments (or representatives), or by limited U.S. sponsoring agencies (such as Fulbright, IREX, etc.). Notarized copies of transcripts/credentials are not accepted in lieu of official or officially certified documents.

Official transcripts and credentials, such as degree certificates, are issued directly by the granting institution where the coursework was completed, or the degree was earned with original seals, stamps, and/or signatures. Officially certified transcripts or degree certificates can be hard-copy photocopies of the original document provided by the issuing institution, the U.S. Consolate’s Education/Culture Departments (or representatives), or by limited U.S. sponsoring agencies (such as Fulbright, IREX, etc.). Notarized copies of transcripts/credentials are not accepted in leu of official or officially certified documents.

Letters of Recommendation

A minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation are required from previous instructors or employers who are able to comment on your abilities and potential for graduate study. You may provide contact information for up to five (5) recommenders. There is no standardized format unless specified by the academic department. Your recommenders will be notified and prompted to supply a recommendation letter through the system. Academic references should be prepared to discuss your academic knowledge and skills, aptitude for graduate study, ability for independent research, and classroom performance related to characteristics such as integrity, leadership, problem solving, and teamwork. Choosing an individual as a reference who has an impressive title but cannot discuss the aforementioned qualities will not result in an informative letter of recommendation that supports your admission. Writing any portion of the recommendations yourself, either in whole or in part, may result in rejection or dismissal.

When applying using the online application system, most documents are uploaded directly by the applicant. For documents that cannot be submitted through the application system, such as official transcripts and test scores, request the documents be sent to the Office of Admissions:

Send official electronic test scores using code 4075.

Graduate Admissions
Colorado State University – Office of Admissions
1062 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1062