By Victoria Brito
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – The Graduate College at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has approved a new graduate certificate under the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship aimed at preparing students for careers in international sustainability management.
The certificate, which consists of four graduate business classes totaling 12 credit hours, will be offered online beginning fall 2019. It is open to all majors who have a bachelor’s degree.
“Sustainability has now become key for all modern enterprises and it involves a global challenge,” said Dr. Edith Galy, UTRGV associate professor of international business and entrepreneurship, and a developer of the program. “We are trying to recruit managers who have tools on how to develop sustainability programs not only within their companies, but within a competitive global market.”
The certificate will consist of the following four three-hour required courses:
- INTB 6303 International Business.
- INTB 6393 Topics Course (topics will vary from Globalization, Consumption Culture and Sustainability).
- INTB 6313 International Supply Chain Management.
- INTB 6323 Global Leadership Theory & Sustainability Issues.
International Supply Chain Management and Global Leadership Theory and Sustainability Issues are newly created courses, approved in February by the UTRGV Graduate College.
“It is a challenge to build a curriculum that is up to date with social issues,” Galy said. “Since this is a relatively new and emerging issue, and almost an emergency now, businesses have to be aware and develop their own programs to see how they help in the sustainability plight.”
She said employers currently are looking for people who have an interest in sustainability.
“Individuals need to be able to show leadership in this area and come up with ideas on how to achieve it,” she said. “We cannot rely on our old economic logic. We need to think of new plans and ideas. Businesses out there are really looking for this skillset. This, combined with international business, is really good for our area.”
ABOUT UTRGV
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.
