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Lead Instructor(s)
Date(s)
Jul 01, 2025 - Jun 30, 2026
Registration Deadline
Location
Online + On Campus
Course Length
12 Months
Course Fee
$33,000
CEUs
45.8
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Sustainability is becoming increasingly prominent on corporate agendas. Once considered a matter of compliance, it is currently viewed as a key to increasing efficiency and a source of competitive advantage as consumer demands for sustainability rise. 90% of executives acknowledge its importance but only 60% of companies have a sustainability strategy. Hence, there is a strong need for Chief Sustainability Officers to interpret changes in the external sustainability environment, work on the strategic consequences and define a corporate strategy to tackle them properly. The Chief Sustainability Officer is responsible for an organization's objectives and initiatives regarding sustainability and the implementation of sustainable strategies. 

COURSE OVERVIEW

Chief Sustainability Officers are responsible for an organization's objectives and initiatives relating to sustainability. The Chief Sustainability Officer will work with managers, employees, customers, and shareholders to address the organization's approach to environmental responsibility with the goal to minimize the company's environmental impact. At MIT Professional Education, we offer the skills needed to take the leap from a sustainability professional to becoming a CSO. 

“To succeed in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, one should use the most powerful tool for amplifying the benefits of each investment: technology innovation.”

- John E. Fernández, Professor of Building Technology Program in the Department of Architecture in MIT and Director of MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

Blended Professional Certificate: Chief Sustainability Officer, with curriculum developed and taught by MIT faculty, is delivered in collaboration with Global Alumni. Contact Global Alumni for more information about this program:

Global Alumni is an ed-tech company that collaborates with institutions to manage enrollments (including all payment services and invoicing), technology, and participant support. 

Learning Outcomes

The Chief Sustainability Officer Program from MIT provides you with the knowledge, skills, professional direction, and access you need to become a CSO. You will learn specific subjects to reach your professional goals such as leadership and innovation, circular economy, life cycle assessment, and more. Here are some key learning objects you will obtain:

  • Understand what is sustainability, its root causes and how to measure it through different techniques
  • Formulate cogent and rigorous positions and arguments in order to make sustainability decisions within your organization
  • Learn how to implement life-cycle sustainability assessments (LCSAs) to identify and develop new methods for boosting sustainability
  • Understand the meaning and evolution of a circular economy and the roles of material science, economic and institutional structures, and technology
  • Acquire the required leadership skills to drive and implement the sustainability agenda in your company

Links and Resources

News/Articles:

Why Sustainability is Key to the Future of Professional Education
With tightening environmental regulations in a number of global markets—and with people beginning to experience the impacts of climate change in their everyday lives—sustainability has become a top-of-mind concern for companies across sectors. But many business leaders lack the foundational sustainability-related knowledge needed to drive change within their organizations.

Who Should Attend

A crucial aspect of the program enables you to apply your learnings to a real-world challenge as you gain insights into the opportunities awaiting a Chief Sustainability Officer. The contents can be of great benefit for professionals from a number of sectors and different levels, such as:

  1. Directors and VPs responsible for setting and running the sustainability strategy in their companies.
  2. Current and aspiring C-suite executives responsible for strategy definition and execution.
  3. Senior consultants and entrepreneurs looking for a deep understanding of sustainability and its strategic value.
  4. Policy makers and development markers that need a deep understanding about sustainability and how to manage it.

Participants are required to have:

  • Minimum of 10 years of experience
  • At least 3 years of experience managing projects related to strategy management
  • Fluency in written and spoken English
  • International experience is appreciated 
Courses

Businesses need to be ready for the changing legislative evolution toward a more sustainable planet. Thus, this program will equip you with the skills to lead adaptability in the enviornmental sphere. This program includes various certificates from the following courses:

1.        Leadership & Innovation
2.        Sustainability: Strategies and Opportunities for Industry
3.        Life Cycle Assessment
4.        Sustainable Infrastructure Systems: Planning and Operations
5.        Circular Economy

Brochure
Download the Program Brochure