Lead the Change

Key takeaways

• Environmental activists can turn their ambition into impact through three main career pathways: environmental policy, sustainable business, and environmental education. 
• Bard’s Graduate Programs in Sustainability offer specialized master’s degrees for each career pathway:
  • MS in Environmental Policy or MS in Climate Science and Policy for policy and advocacy careers
  • MBA in Sustainability for mission-driven business leadership
  • MEd in Environmental Education for teaching communities about climate issues and systemic injustice.  
• Students benefit from world-class faculty, experiential learning, an individual thesis or capstone project, and national excellence (Bard has ranked as the #1 Green MBA for multiple years), helping them build their resumes and networks for long-term careers in sustainability leadership.

We are living in an extraordinary time.

A new generation of leaders is stepping up and spearheading the race toward a just and sustainable world. These leaders are rewiring the world by focusing on things such as —

• Providing clean energy
• Building smarter cities
• Reimagining the global food system
• Financing the future
• Reinventing transportation

Policy innovators, sustainable business entrepreneurs, and leaders in environmental and sustainability education are all change agents driving these revolutions. But before their careers in sustainability started, they were environmental activists in some way, shape, or form—just like you.

It doesn't matter where you're at in your sustainability journey. You may want to know how to work for the UN, or you may not know the first thing about a circular economy. Regardless, if you're ready to explore activist careers, keep on scrolling.

Careers in sustainability

1) Careers in environmental policy: changing the rules

In government, corporations, NGOs, and agencies, policies are the rules that drive behavior (sustainable or otherwise).

From international treaties governing trade and investment; to national policies on energy, agriculture, and transport; to local zoning and transit regulations; to internal business and agency policies—getting rid of ineffective rules and putting better ones in place is critical.

Whether you're a climate change activist or a home composter, anyone involved in any level of environmental activism should explore sustainability programs to enter the field. An MS degree in Environmental Policy or in Climate Science and Policy from Bard prepares students for careers in human rights and social justice, policymaking, consulting, international development, and much more. Graduates with an environmental master's degree are equipped to become leaders in whichever areas their passions lie, including but not limited to:

• Renewable energy
• Environmental justice
• Wildlife and biodiversity conservation
• Agriculture & food systems
• Climate change (or climate policy) 
• Conservation 

At Bard Graduate Programs in Sustainability, graduates can also combine the MS degrees with Peace Corps service to support a career in sustainable development.

2) Sustainable business careers: changing the game

Can we change the world through business? We have to. Even as state and national policies evolve, a new breed of business has to put food on our table, keep the lights on, and do it all with a dramatically lower environmental footprint, while also treating workers and communities with justice and respect.

Sustainability-inspired leaders are now reinventing business and directly solving social and environmental problems by pioneering profitable and scalable solutions.

The MBA in Sustainability is based in NYC and is one of a handful of graduate programs around the world that combine a focus on sustainability with mastery of the key skills and language of business. Bard's hybrid program gathers students in person one weekend a month, tied together by weekly, online live classes, allowing students to complete it from anywhere in the US while still working full-time.

Bard MBA graduates have gone on to:

• Start their own mission-driven businesses
• Transform existing companies and non-profits towards a stronger focus on social and environmental purpose
• Work as sustainability consultants

3) Environmental education careers: changing minds

In the long run, education is the primary driver of change. Yet there are very few graduate programs that prepare educators specifically for a focus on sustainability and environmental education.

Bard’s Master's in Environmental Education prepares graduates to create an informed and engaged citizenry supporting progress toward a just, prosperous, and sustainable future. Through intensive academic training, real-world professional experience, and career development opportunities, the program enables graduates to pursue successful, high-impact careers in areas such as:

• Private schools
• NGO’s
• Government land management agencies
• University sustainability offices
• Private land conservation organizations
• Museums
• Environmental education centers

Degrees that help people: what environmental activists should look for

Engaged, world-class faculty 

Bard has been ranked the #1 Green MBA for four years in a row and the #1 MBA for Nonprofit Management. Achievements like these come from an engaged, mission-driven faculty deeply rooted in Bard’s liberal-arts tradition. Students benefit from small, collaborative cohorts and faculty who prioritize mentorship, dialogue, and applied learning—creating an environment where academic and career success is intentionally nurtured.Experiential education  

Sustainability cannot be learned in the abstract. Bard’s master’s degrees are all centered around real-world experiences.

• In the MS and M.Ed programs, students pursue 4-6 month high-level professional internships. Capstone projects typically emerge out of these internships, with students focused on solving real-world problems.

• In the MBA, students in their first year complete a year-long course in sustainability consulting, working for real-world clients, including JetBlue, Siemens Wind, Clif Bar, and UBS. No other MBA program in the world offers this foundational opportunity.

Individual Mastery 

Master’s students need to develop mas­tery of a subfield in their discipline, and that takes focused, independent work. At Bard, the individual capstone a cornerstone of the graduate experience. Students work one-on-one with faculty mentors to design and execute a project that deepens their expertise and often becomes a direct springboard to career opportunities.

What it really means to get a sustainability-focused master's degree

If you have been working to change the world—or want to—a well-crafted master’s degree provides a route to a leadership career. Look for programs that combine rigorous academics and engaged faculty with substantive real-world experience, individual mastery, and strong career development.

Whether you are looking to build a purpose-driven career in business, policy, or education—or want to combine these areas with a dual degree—the challenges ahead demand talent, courage, and the ambition to become a sustainability leader.

Have what it takes? Request more information about Bard's Graduate Programs in Sustainability.