December 05, 2008
New Social Change concentration available to Clark MBA students
Students studying for their master's degree in business administration at Clark University's Graduate School of Management (GSOM) may now find it a little easier to heed the University's motto of "Challenge Convention. Change Our World." MBA students now have a new option--the Social Change concentration--allowing them to blend the business skills they develop in the MBA program with skills that focus on major social and environmental issues that are increasingly important in our global economy.
"Clark attracts MBA students who want to make a difference in the world," said Dean Ed Ottensmeyer. "Even though our students focus primarily on developing world-class business skills in finance, marketing, or global business, we see increasing numbers of students who want to put those skills to work outside the traditional business sector. Through this new concentration, our students can add to their repertoire of leadership skills by learning more about the social and environmental challenges facing our world. Without question, these challenges will play a greater role in the business leader's world…and we all need our future leaders to be better prepared."
The new concentration is a result of a collaborative effort between GSOM and the International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE) department at Clark.
Clark MBA students have the unique opportunity to earn a concentration in Social Change by taking advanced courses in international development, community development, environmental policy, and social entrepreneurship–courses that are useful for preparing students for work at corporations, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the United States or in any part of the world. And MBA students can expand their learning opportunities through a connection to the diverse perspectives of IDCE students and exceptional faculty.
"Clark MBA students are fortunate indeed; very few business schools in the world have a program like IDCE on their campuses, and a joint partnership between programs such as this is extremely rare," said Dean Ottensmeyer.
Ottensmeyer said that in recent years, he's seen MBA candidates express a strong interest in cross-registering for courses offered through the IDCE program, including Non Profit and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Management, Grant Writing, Microfinance, Environmental Policy, Economic Fundamentals of International Development, and Sustainable Consumption and Production.
"The worlds of business and development are increasingly intertwined," said GSOM professor Mary-Ellen Boyle, who chaired the joint task force to develop the new concentration. "Corporations are facing social, environmental and sustainability challenges -- and development and planning professionals use management skills and strategic thinking every day.
"The separation of goals and activities that once characterized the private and public sectors is dissolving in the face of new partnerships, alliances, and collaborations aimed at addressing the greatest challenges of the 21st Century: economic well-being, social justice, and environmental sustainability."
Clark University's Graduate School of Management offers master's degree programs in business administration and finance. It is ranked among the nation's Best Business Schools by Princeton Review and is accredited by AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), which places Clark's GSOM in the top 10 percent of business schools worldwide.
IDCE focuses on major forces of social change: grass roots initiatives, social movements, government policy, market approaches, entrepreneurship, technological innovation, individual action, and education. IDCE graduates are effective professionals who can work with activists, civil society organizations, government policy makers, business people, academics, scientists and technical experts.