Track: Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility
Sustainability, corporate responsibility, and business ethics are increasingly important in IB and require both deep knowledge and well-developed competence. This is also exemplified by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
The IB Track "Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility" (SaC) aims at acknowledging students with a special interest in these themes and motivates them to combine in a unique way IB expertise with proficiency in SaC. Therefore, students who have completed the SaC track have insights and knowledge relevant at the intersection of IB and SaC. They are able to assume in-depth perspectives on SaC-related issues and have developed the corresponding skill-set and competencies necessary to succeed in an international environment.
The SaC certificate
In addition to obtaining advanced knowledge about sustainability, corporate responsibility, and business ethics in the IB context as well as associated skills and competencies, students who fulfill the requirements as described below, will receive a certificate showcasing their successful completion of the SaC track. Such a certificate may turn out helpful for applications and, in some areas, may even lead to competitive advantage given that the SaC track is a unique initiative that combines IB proficiency with expertise in sustainability, corporate responsibility, and business ethics.
Admission to the SaC track
All students admitted to the specialization International Business are eligible to complete the SaC track and to obtain a certificate. As part of the entry exam, students can indicate that they are interested in completing the track (simply by ticking a box). This though is neither a commitment for students to actually complete the track nor a guarantee that they will eventually do so. Rather, depending on the kind of advanced seminars 3, 4, and 5 they choose to take – both at WU and/or abroad –, they may meet the requirements to apply for a certificate once the three courses are completed.
Requirements for successful completion of the SaC track
The key prerequisite for completing the SaC track is that the advanced seminars 3, 4, and 5 incorporate aspects related to sustainability, corporate responsibility, and/or business ethics. Each semester, IIB offers at least one of the advanced seminars 3, 4, and 5, respectively, meeting this criterion. Such courses are labelled with “IB Track – SaC” in WU’s course directory. Please note that IIB does not offer any guaranteed slots for students in SaC courses if they indicated in the entry exam that they are interested in completing the track. The number of available slots in SaC courses is always contingent on student demand and in all courses will strictly be determined on a first-come-first-serve basis upon course registration. No exceptions are made or priorities given to individual cases.
Courses completed abroad may equally qualify as SaC courses, which ultimately is subject to approval by the track chair. This will be based on whether courses completed abroad fulfill the accreditation criteria and, thus, qualify as advanced seminars 3, 4 or 5 in the first place. In addition, such courses need to incorporate aspects of sustainability, corporate responsibility, and/or business ethics. The track chair’s decision will be based on course outlines, literature lists, and any additional supporting materials provided by students and showcasing the relevant linkages to SaC aspects. In cases of doubts, students are asked to clarify with the track chair before going abroad whether or not a course will qualify as SaC course.
N.B.: The last opportunity for students to take IB SaC courses 3-5 is in the winter semester 2024/2025. Subsequently, the SaC track ends. If you plan to complete the SaC track, please bear in mind this timeline.
Obtaining the SaC track certificate
Students who successfully completed the advanced courses 3, 4, and 5 and/or equivalents from abroad in line with the above requirements, can request their SaC track certificates by completing the application form and submitting it together with supporting materials for courses completed abroad via email to the track chair by the following deadlines:
• 1 February • 1 April • 1 June • 1 August • 1 October • 1 December
Students’ applications are processed within ten working days after a deadline passed, after which the SaC track certificates are issued. NB: Requests prior to these deadlines do not result in earlier processing and issuing of certificates.