Sustainable Business (MBA)
Professional Certifications
Professional certifications are optional features of the MBA in Sustainable Business. Students may receive academic credit for successful completion of the following professional certification courses:
LEED — Accredited Professional
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.
Types of LEED professional certification:
- New commercial construction and major renovation projects
- Existing building operations and maintenance
- Commercial interiors projects
The University does not currently offer a course leading to LEED certification; however, students who complete LEED certification training through an outside source may receive credit toward the MBA in Sustainable Business degree.
Certified Building Biology Practitioner (BBP)
Building Biology principles are rapidly gaining the respect of many mainstream architects and builders, medical practitioners, health and other environmentally concerned individuals and businesses. This surge of interest in healthy building practices has created a strong demand for specialists who are trained to recognize and address healthy building issues.
The International Institute for Bau-Biologie and Ecology (IBE) is the only institution in North America that offers comprehensive training in Building Biology principles. Our vision is to create natural living and workplace spaces that lead to healthier people.
The Building Biology Practitioner (BBP) certification at MUM is being offered through a joint arrangement of MUM and IBE.
The BBP certification program at MUM includes two components:
- Successful completion at the MUM Fairfield campus of the IBE course Building Biology: Natural Healthy Buildings. This course looks at healthy buildings from different perspectives:
- Elements — how air, water, matter, and energy impact the indoor environment; what are the health risks, and the remedies
- Design — what design features promote a healthy building
- Standards — applying Building Biology Healthy Home Standards
- The subsequent successful completion of 30 hours of online IBE courses. The cost of this online requirement is $6 an hour or $180 if completed within six months of the Building Biology course at MUM. IBE’s online courses are recognized as continuing education credits by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Indoor Air Quality Council, and the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI).
Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC)
The Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course is a foundational course in sustainable living systems design for all climates and landscapes which connects students to a global network of permaculture contacts and projects.
In this locally offered course, students will:
- learn how to integrate organic food production into sustainable communities
- gain skills necessary to design and teach Permaculture systems
- access a global network of environmental activists and projects
- learn the essentials of nature-friendly, energy-efficient house design
- understand, and be responsible for, your energy consumption and waste production
- apply Permaculture principles and methodology to other fields
This certificate training is offered annually in Fairfield, and students may receive academic credit for successfully completing the course.
Software Competencies
Students have the option to gain competency in industry-standard simulation software:
ENERGY-10 This software tool helps users to identify the most cost-effective, energy-saving measures for planning a low-energy home or building. The simulation software is suitable for residential homes and small commercial buildings.
ENERGY-10 can conduct a whole-building analysis, evaluating the energy and cost savings that can be achieved by applying energy-efficient strategies such as daylighting, passive solar heating, and high-performance windows and lighting systems. Using the software at the early phases of design can result in energy savings of 40% to 70%, with little or no increase in construction cost.
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