Course content
Master in Sustainability and Social Innovation
This program is aimed at high-level applicants who strive to tackle the most pressing challenges of our time. Whatever the size of the company, the function or the sector they plan to work in, graduates will acquire the skills to do business in a world that is increasingly warm, crowded, polarized, angry, and unstable in order to shape tomorrow’s sustainable businesses and inclusive economies.
The curriculum is structured around core courses which provide participants with a solid foundation on the core challenges they will tackle in the program, and a wide array of elective courses touching upon innovation, business strategies and geopolitics & risks. All classes are designed to help participants hone their analytical skills, broaden their understanding of the solutions that can be deployed and enhance their ability to transform organizations.
Participants also apply the knowledge acquired to work on company cases and define solutions to real life problems. Conferences and seminars also provide participants with the opportunity to discuss and exchange with experts. During the year, students can also customize their learning by following a specialization track either in intrapreneurship or entrepreneurship.
As part of their final academic requirements, all participants must complete a thesis, which is a personal, analytical work addressing a pressing issue with empirical materials.
In addition to their specialization, participants can also apply to follow one of the certificates offered by HEC and running between end of April and early June.
Course portfolio
- Master the fundamentals in sustainability and social innovation applied to business.
- Identify current and future megatrends disrupting business environments, as well as the associated risks and opportunities.
- Acquire that practical skills to decarbonize key sectors of the economy and adapt them to climate risks.
- Leverage business mechanisms to maximize positive social and environmental impacts.
- Challenge, adapt and transform classic business models and managerial tools to make them sustainable.
- Quizzes, exercices
- Case studies
- Business games and role-playing games
- Action projects
- Professional immersions
- A master's thesis (research paper)
Semester 1
- Opening seminar
- Research methods
- Strategy and business models for sustainability
European climate policy and regulations
- Semester 2
- Electrification processes seminar
- Learning expedition
SEMESTER 1
Students choose 7 of the following courses
Innovation
- Test your start-up
- Data science for sustainability
- Critical thinking and persuasive communication
Business strategies
- Decarbonization strategies
- Sustainable operations management
- Regenerative procurement
- Introduction to sustainable finance
- Environmental accounting
- ESG reporting
- Social impact assessment Food systems under pressure
Geopolitics & risks
- Business and human rights
- Geopolitics of energy resources
- Environmental geopolitics and International cooperation
- Democracy, governance and policy in the 21st century
- Politics of the energy transition
SEMESTER 2
Students choose from the following courses. The number of courses depends on the chosen track (Business Projects track, Courses Track or Launchpad Track).
Innovation
- Decarbonization of transport
- Socially responsible investing
- Impact investing
Business strategies
- Sustainable development and systemic shocks
- Circular economy
- Transforming value chains
- DEI
- Biodiversity policies
Geopolitics & risks
- Geopolitics for business
- Climate change economics
- Economics of the energy transition
- Risk management and adaptation
- Ecological transition in China
- European policy and the governance of strategic sectors
- Sociopolitical strategies in emerging markets
Please note that courses can be subject to change from year to year. This list is indicative.
Business Projects Track
Students choosing this track have the opportunity to conduct a Business Project in an organization taking their first steps towards sustainability or willing to expand their sustainable practices. A 2-day seminar designed to help students hone their consulting methodology skills is included.
Courses Track
Dig deeper into sustainability and related fields by taking specific courses only. This will give you the opportunity to academically explore a wider range of topics in sustainability.
Launchpad Track
Students working on a solid impact startup project will have the opportunity to work on the development of their idea during the second semester through the HEC Paris Launchpad. The Launchpad, in partnership with other HEC masters, is an intense and condensed 11-week program to support the creation of your start-up, supervised by experienced mentors and experts under the concept of learning by doing and throughout a series of specific masterclasses.
HEC Paris provides students with online courses in the following fields:
Strategy
Finance / Accounting
Marketing
These courses are highly recommended for non-business profiles and are designed to bring them up to date with what they need to know to successfully complete the program.
Participants must write a master's thesis to graduate from this program. It represents a real opportunity to have impact on the public debate: through cutting-edge research and careful consideration of how it can be implemented in practice, participants are expected to shed light on a stake that we know little about and/or that we do not fully understand. The thesis is an important component of the program as a result.
Every Spring, a learning expedition brings students to a place where they can experience the ecological transition in practice: industries decarbonizing their processes, companies adapting to climate risks. The week-long trip is aimed to showcase the industrial challenges facing Europe in a warming climate, and the solutions that are developed locally, both by small businesses and major industries.
All students are required to complete a 4 to 6-month internship.* Students who have not previously earned a degree or worked outside of France, must complete their internship, or other professional experience abroad.
*This requirement may be fulfilled instead through a full-time position at the end of the program.
As an international business school, HEC Paris welcomes participants from all over the world. Almost one hundred nationalities live on the campus. It's a fantastic opportunity to discover other cultures and to share exceptional moments, and it's important that participants can communicate as much as they wish.
HEC Paris Learning Center aims to help participants to learn or strengthen any language they would like, providing a wide range of I.T. and print resources.
Participants do not need to speak French to enroll in the program as all core courses and most electives are offered in English. However, some knowledge of French can be useful to enjoy the full HEC experience, become professionally bicultural and optimize networking with French participants and alumni. This is why HEC Paris offers optional French language classes.
Prior to their studies, participants may also register for a two week French language course (TEF certificate – all levels) in August. This is an exceptional opportunity to learn French before joining the Campus (extra fees are applicable).
Certification
This program is accredited to grant a Master’s degree under European Standards and, by extension, are registered on RNCP (Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles)
See the RNCP document for SASI
The grade of master, or master's degree, is acquired through various diplomas, officially establishes the level of training at bac + 5. It comes after the bachelor's degree (bac + 3) and precedes the doctorate (bac + 8). It is translated into a number of credits (ECTS): a student with a diploma conferring the grade of master has accumulated 300 ECTS (180 during their bachelor's degree and 120 for the master's degree) during his or her higher education studies, allowing him or her to continue on to a doctorate. Degrees were introduced in France to facilitate European mobility of students and the integration of diplomas between European countries
HEC Paris is accredited by the “Bienvenue en France” certification, by the Campus France organization and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation for the quality of the reception of its international students. We have obtained the highest level of accreditation, recognizing the quality of HEC Paris for reception in all the criteria provided:
- The quality and accessibility of information
- Reception facilities and the integration process within school and life in France
- Academic support and availability of English-speaking staff and the teaching community
- Housing and quality of life on campus
- The quality of post-graduation follow-up and career placement
Our degrees are verified by the Verifdiploma service in France and abroad.
Disability Program for Learners
This program is adapted and open to people with disabilities.
Click here to find out more about the HEC Paris Disability Mission
Contact us : accessibility@hec.fr