Sustainability in business school education

Last week, I had the privilege of hosting a panel at the QS Europe Summit near Barcelona, focusing on whether sustainability is a must-have for business school students. The session featured esteemed deans Edgar Meyer , from a Birmingham Business School and M.N. Ravishankar from Queen's Business School Belfast. We relied on data from three comprehensive sources: The QS Global Business School Deans Survey, The QS Global Business School Careers Survey, and The QS International Business School Applicant Survey. These insights, combined with real-time audience polling and expert commentary from Edgar and Ravi, provided a rich context for our discussion.

Our initial query addressed whether students aspire to lead solutions for global issues, including sustainability, and if business schools should ensure this aspiration is met. The consensus was a resounding yes. However, when we delved into the motivations behind attending business school, a disparity emerged. While 56% of deans cited better salaries as the primary reason for attending business school, 78% of career offices pointed to career advancement. Notably, only 7% of deans believed students aimed to gain sustainability practices. This highlighted a disconnect between the perceived importance of sustainability and the motivations driving business school enrolment.

Further discussion revealed significant challenges in integrating sustainability into business school curricula. Ensuring faculty readiness and balancing new skills, such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), with traditional business teachings were identified as top concerns. Interestingly, while 92% of deans agreed that sustainability should be core to business education, only 40% of career offices felt it was becoming a critical hiring criterion, with 36% remaining neutral. This uncertainty suggests a gap between academic intentions and market demands.

Concluding the session, we acknowledged that while sustainability is not yet a primary concern for applicants—only 17% prioritised it—business schools have a responsibility to inspire and prepare students to address global issues. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "The future depends on what we do in the present," and it is imperative that business schools lead the way in embedding sustainability into their core values and curricula.