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Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership

The Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business (PCSB) is a 9-month Master's-level postgraduate programme, delivered part time for working professionals.

The programme is designed to strengthen your leadership skills, help you embed sustainability in your organisation or across your supply chain to achieve positive, transformative change.

You can choose from two streams depending on your role and discipline, professional interests and learning needs.

Applications for 2023 entry are now closed.

Download the postgraduate study brochure to receive further information on our postgraduate programmes.

Organisational stream


This stream is designed for senior to mid-career professionals and managers, who are looking at embedding sustainability within an organisational context. The course provides a general overview of what it means to embed sustainability in business and attracts candidates who wish to deliver system-level change within and beyond organisational boundaries.

 

Value Chains stream


This stream is designed for all business functions and stakeholders associated with a value chain – not just procurement or specific supply chain roles. The course is relevant to upstream as well as more downstream ends of the value chain, including post-consumer sustainability challenges.

 

Organisational stream

 

Organisational 

Value chains and markets stream (formerly PCSVC) 

supply chain icon

Focus

Embedding sustainability within the context of an organisation, from strategy through to operations.

Driving sustainability across an organisation’s supply chain and the markets in which it operates by creating value across the full life cycle of a product (from its conception to its end use). 

Find out more about the definition and characteristics of a value chain.

Who's it is for

Senior to mid-career professionals and managers interested in:

  • Embedding sustainability in organisational decision-making
  • Developing or contributing to the development of sustainable strategies, policies, processes, or products
  • Engaging internal and external stakeholders to drive sustainable change

Senior to mid-career professionals and managers interested in:

  • Sustainable procurement
  • Enhancing sustainability or building resilience across their company’s supply chain
  • Engaging and influencing customers
  • Developing ‘circular’ approaches to resource use
  • Engaging peers across key sectors or regions to raise standards or address common challenges

What will you learn

  • A robust knowledge of global social, environmental and economic trends and how business can catalyse wider system-level change
  • How to develop the strategic business case for organisational change
  • How to embed sustainability into business action at an organisational level
  • How to lead organisational change
  • A robust knowledge of global social, environmental and economic trends and how business can catalyse wider system-level change
  • How to develop the strategic business case for embedding sustainability across value chains and markets
  • New approaches, tools and techniques for developing resilient and sustainable value chains
  • How to influence and engage customers, to shape the market context and embed sustainability across value chains

 

Organisational stream curriculum 

Value Chains stream curriculum

 

Organisational stream Tutors

Value Chain stream Tutors

 

Testimonials


Helen McTaggart photo

 

  

“I signed up for a course and left with a new network.” Helen McTaggart, Senior Sustainability Manager at Amazon on how undertaking PCSB: value chains enabled her to strengthen her professional network.

Richard Bond

 

 

“It was incredibly satisfying to translate an idea originating at CISL into a collaborative programme of this scale” Richard Bond, Global Senior Manager Sustainability at Lavazza Professional on how studying PCSB: value chains improved his communication and leadership skills

Ana Holden Peters2

 

   

“The programme allowed me to take stock of the areas that really interested me and to understand where I could have the strongest impact.” Ana Holden-Peters, Sustainability Lead at Bakkafrost describes how studying the PCSB led her to focus on her own purpose as a sustainability leader and change her career path

paul cassell

 

 

“The course has delivered innovative insights and has expanded our network within companies addressing similar sustainability challenges.” Paul Cassell, Vehicle Engineering at Jaguar Land Rover on studying the PCSB – supply chains and markets.

 

 

Accreditation and progression options


Successful completion of the PCSB results in a Postgraduate Certificate awarded by the University of Cambridge. This carries 60 CATS points at Level M and is equivalent to one-third of a Master’s degree.

PCSB alumni who wish to continue their learning with CISL are welcome to apply for admission to the Master of Studies in Sustainability Leadership via either of two routes:

Continuous route: PCSB alumni are exempted from the first (of four) workshops and gain credit for the year 1 assignments.

Flexible route: PCSB alumni can apply to continue to the Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Business. Thereafter, PG Dip alumni can apply to continue to the final stage to achieve the Master of Studies in Sustainability Leadership This route is longer in duration, but has a less intensive workload compared to PCSB and the continuous route.

See here for more details on the differences between the two routes.

 

 

 

Meet the Directors


Join a webinar session hosted by the Directors of our part-time graduate courses as they give you an overview of our programmes and admissions process for 2023 applications and can answer your questions.

 

Quick links


All graduate courses


Who should apply?


Delivery format


Assignments


Organisational stream curriculum


Value Chain stream curriculum


What is a Value Chain?


Value Chain-related publications


Employer benefits


Admission requirements


Sources of funding 


Student impact stories


Register for the Meet the Directors webinar


FAQs on our sustainable business courses


Contact


emma fromberg

Emma Fromberg Programme Manager