Chief Sustainability Officers

High School

A good foundation for sustainability officer work includes classes in business, accounting, economics, mathematics, environmental studies, and computer science. Strong communication skills are important in this type of work, so be sure to take English, writing, and speech classes. Foreign language classes, such as Spanish, French, or Mandarin, are also beneficial for working with international offices.

Postsecondary Education

Many chief sustainability officers have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in business administration or in an area related to their field of work. For example, a CSO who works for an engineering firm might have an engineering degree. Other types of degrees that employers may prefer for chief sustainability officer jobs include accounting or finance, law, public administration, or the liberal arts. A growing number of colleges and universities—such as Indiana University, Arizona State University, and Harvard University—offer degrees and minors in sustainability. 

Certification

An increasing number of colleges and universities offer certificate programs in sustainability. Certificate programs typically last six months to a year and are available in online, in-person, and hybrid formats. Earning an undergraduate certificate is a good way to obtain introduction to the field, and completing a graduate-level program will be useful for current business professionals and recent baccalaureate graduates who want to enter the field. One example of a graduate program is offered by Johns Hopkins University. In its Climate Change, Energy, and Environmental Sustainability Graduate Certificate Program, students must complete five courses. Examples of classes include Climate Change and Global Environmental Sustainability; Energy Technologies for Solving Environmental Challenges; Transportation, Innovation, and Climate Change; Natural Disaster Risk Modeling; Data Analytics in Environmental Health and Engineering; and Industrial Processes and Pollution Prevention.

Other Education or Training

Chief sustainability officers maintain their knowledge and skills by taking continuing education courses that are offered by professional associations such as the International Society of Sustainability Professionals and the National Association for Environmental, Health & Safety, and Sustainability Management. They also keep up with general administrative and management knowledge through ongoing courses offered by the American Management Association, Financial Executives International, and the National Management Association, among others.