Sustainability Management School (SUMAS) offers an innovative learning program for students ready to make impact with their education. SUMAS promotes the practice of sustainability in all areas of business management to provide students with the knowledge and experience to build business as it should be.
SUMAS is a private not-for-profit business school with campuses by Lake Geneva in Gland, Switzerland and at the culture and innovation centre, BASE in Milan, Italy. As the first business school in the world to offer Bachelor degrees and MBAs in Sustainability Management, SUMAS brings together industry academics, experts and innovators to deliver an exceptional and essential education to support and develop the future of sustainable business.
SUMAS Career-related Studies® Business & Sustainability
SUMAS Career-related Studies® Business & Sustainability equip students with the fundamentals of sustainability and leadership, combining these with practical experience with international organizations and companies to bring complex business challenges to ambitious students. SUMAS CrS® students specialize in one of three pathways for the Applied Component, choosing from Nature Conservation, Sustainable Fashion or Sustainable Hospitality. Theoretical studies and real-life projects balance academic rigour and practical application. Students who complete the program do so with a solid understanding of industry-wide sustainable business management as well as specific hands-on experience in their chosen pathway.
Upon successful completion of the SUMAS CrS® Business & Sustainability, students are awarded 12 university credits recognized by SUMAS, as well as consideration for the SUMAS Academic Merit Scholarship; a 30% credit towards the fees of a SUMAS Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in one of our five bachelor majors.
SUMAS CrS® Courses
To implement sustainable practice requires confident action from responsible leaders. The SUMAS CrS® courses are designed to teach the foundations of sustainable practice and leadership through 240 guided learning hours delivered in school or online by SUMAS:
- Fundamentals of Sustainability (Year 1)
- Leadership (Years 1 and 2)
- Sustainable Innovation (Year 2)
SUMAS CrS® Applied Component
The Applied Component of SUMAS CrS® is divided into two parts taught across 150 hours of applied learning:
- Sustainability Leadership Experience/Camp (Year 1)
- Integrative Project Experience (Years 1 and 2) in either
- Nature Conservation
- Sustainable Fashion
- Sustainable Hospitality
Full details of the curriculum are available here under the tab, Course Content.
Example of a CP student(s) curriculum
Structure of the iBCP with SUMAS Career-related Studies® Business and Sustainability
SUMAS CrS® Sample School IBCP Timetable
The following timetable is a week view of a sample CP student timetable with SUMAS CrS from one of our partner schools.
Download SUMAS CrS Sample School IBCP Timetable (PDF, 623 KB)
Structure of SUMAS CrS® Business & Sustainability
This is the suggested structure of the SUMAS CrS® Business & Sustainability to allow students to progress successfully through the program over the last two years of high school. The timing of program delivery can be adapted to suit your school’s calendar. Individual course and component time requirements are outlined below. SUMAS will provide recommendations on how best to embed SUMAS CrS® sessions into a school’s schedule.
For Foundation Courses (HL):
Each Foundation Course can be delivered over 20 weeks (minimum) and 28 weeks (maximum) during the last two years of High School and translates into 80 guided learning hours (GLH).
ONLINE program delivery taught by SUMAS professors
SUMAS delivers 20 topics per Foundation Course, allocating 4 GLH per topic: 3 GLH of online learning activities and 1 GLH of live-streaming sessions - direct engagement with students.
Our learning activities incorporate: pre-recorded podcasts and online lectures, presentations, cases studies, videos, exercises, internet research, brainstorming sessions, forum assignments, business simulations, self-reflections, role-plays and other online activities delivered through our E-learning Platform.
Download sample of a 2-week schedule
School-taught program delivery
SUMAS provides careful assistance throughout the entire life cycle of the SUMAS CrS®, including the Assessment Criteria and Grading Rubrics that are explained in detail in the ‘Course Guides and Applied Component Guide for Teachers’.
SUMAS guides the teachers to successfully manage the SUMAS CrS® Courses by providing them with the following:
- Schemes of Work
- Lesson Plans Samples
- Assignments and Projects Samples
- Assessment Criteria and Grading Rubrics
- Final Exams Guidelines and Samples
For Applied Component (SL):
Sustainability Leadership Camp or Experience (40 hours)
Sustainability Leadership Camp is delivered as a 6 to 10 day trip in Switzerland (Lake Geneva area) and/or Italy (Milan).
Sustainability Leadership Experience (online version of Sustainability Leadership Camp) can be delivered over 5 weeks (minimum) and up to 8 weeks (maximum):
30 Hours of Online Classes & Practical Activities (direct live-streaming sessions with students)
10 hours: (2-day Leadership Experience)
Integrative Project Experience (110 hours)
Aspects and schedule must be agreed with SUMAS, the School, and a chosen Industry Partner during the planning phase. Integrative Project Experience can be accomplished in 2 to 6 weeks based on the School’s preferences and a Partner’s availability. We recommend to split the Integrative Project Experience into two parts: the first part during the first academic year and second part during the second academic year to ensure the availability of necessary hours.
Integrative Project Experience Part 1
30 Hours – Preparatory Phase before the Field Visits
25 hours Field Visits - guided tours (2-4 Visits)
Integrative Project Experience Part 2
30 Hours – Preparatory Phase before the Field Visits
25 hours Field Visits - guided tours (2-4 Visits)
Student testimonial
Anita Urassa completed the IBCP with SUMAS CrS® in 2018 at Collège du Léman. She then went on to study a BBA at SUMAS in Sustainability Management.
School testimonial
“I like the relevant and forward-thinking angle that the SUMAS Career-related Studies® takes in terms of helping students know how to lead for change. As an IB school our students are well versed in sustainable thinking and therefore it is great to have an academic course and qualification on offer for students that want to pursue an interest in this area.”
– Lisa McSweeney, IBCP Coordinator, Prem Tinsulanonda International School, Thailand
University recognition
SUMAS issues each student who successfully completes the SUMAS CrS® Business & Sustainability with a full business school transcript and certificate of achievement, in addition to the CP certificate issued by the IBO. The academic rigor of the SUMAS CrS® Business & Sustainability is also recognized to the value of 12 university credits in the SUMAS Bachelor of Business Administration.
Students are required to pass the CRS component to obtain their CP certificate. A student’s transcript from SUMAS will include the grade awarded by the business school, though this is not specified in the final IBCP certificate.
The flexible nature of the IBCP means that universities tend to review applicants on a case by case basis. We would recommend that you contact each university in advance of applying to discuss whether your particular combination of DP Courses and CRS will be considered.
“We recognize the High School students completing the IB Career-related Programme with a Business and Sustainability vocation component, developed by Sustainability Management School (SUMAS), as fulfilling the entry requirements to a range of HE courses at this institution when combined alongside other qualifications.
As a business school with a specific focus on sustainability, SUMAS programs provide students with the knowledge and competencies necessary in becoming responsible managers.”
– Heather Macleod Jones, Admissions Policy and Compliance Officer, The University of Sheffield.
“The Environmental Science and Sustainability Programme Director and Deputy Head of Admissions have agreed that we will accept this IBCP course for Year 1 entry to the Environment Science and Sustainability course.”
– Stacey McAuslan, Senior Admissions Officer, University of Glasgow
Additional information
Program delivery
SUMAS CrS® in Business & Sustainability is delivered in English either ONLINE by SUMAS through ONLINE, or IN-SCHOOL by school teachers under SUMAS’ guidance.
- ONLINE through distance learning from SUMAS staff with a variety of tools, including simulations, forums, case studies, video analysis and live-streamed classes, Q&A sessions and continuous work-in-progress that imitates a business environment.
- IN-SCHOOL taught by the school’s own teachers, supported by SUMAS with our academic services delivered through an online platform. School teachers will have a three-day training on the program’s mission, vision, curriculum design and innovative approach. Upon completion, each member of staff will obtain the SUMAS CrS® Educator Certificate. A Teacher Support Pack is also included prior to the start of the program to ensure successful design, delivery and assessment of the SUMAS CrS® in the classroom.
All schools receive a framework to examine and systematically review their teaching activities of the SUMAS CrS® to ensure that the required quality and efficiency is being achieved. SUMAS provides all schools with the guidelines, tools and support needed to successfully manage, deliver and assess the SUMAS CrS®.
Contact details
Roseanna Rockley, SUMAS CrS® Communications Officer, crs@sumas.ch.
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