Singapore, 16 April 2026 — Singapore and economies across the region are advancing their net-zero ambitions and strengthening sustainability agendas. In tandem, there is a growing demand for business leaders and managers who can navigate the transition to more sustainable and responsible forms of economic growth.
Leveraging this momentum, NUS Business School has encouraged faculty to integrate sustainability-related topics into their teaching across a wider range of courses. As a result, the number of students enrolled in courses taught by NUS Business School faculty members that incorporate sustainability-related content has doubled, growing from close to 1,700 in AY2019/2020 to more than 3,600 in AY2023/2024.
These highlights are drawn from NUS Business School’s first Impact Report, released as part of its commitment to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative.
“Sustainability capabilities are no longer niche specialisations but business-critical competencies. Organisations are looking for leaders who can integrate financial considerations with environmental stewardship and social responsibility, and our students understand that sustainability is not a peripheral issue,” said Associate Professor of Finance Zhang Weina, who is the lead in the PRME Committee at NUS Business School, Academic Director of Master of Science Programme in Sustainable and Green Finance and Deputy Director of Sustainable and Green Finance Institute (SGFIN) at NUS.
“The strong growth in enrolment indicates that sustainability competencies are increasingly important to the market. Our role is to equip our graduates with the analytical rigour, strategic perspective and real-world experience needed to lead that sustainable transformation in decision making and implementation with confidence and impact,” she added.
As a signatory to the United Nations-supported initiative PRME since 2023, NUS Business School commits to raise the profile of sustainability in its classrooms and equip future leaders with the skills needed to balance economic and sustainability goals. In line with its own mission to advance knowledge and develop leaders to serve business and society, the School advances the PRME Principles and UN Sustainable Development Goals through research, education and engagement activities in the area of sustainability.
Scaling talent development to meet industry needs
NUS Business School currently offers 53 courses with sustainability components, more than doubling from 23 courses in AY2019/2020. The increase is driven primarily by growth in graduate and executive education programmes. These courses are offered across disciplines, including finance, marketing, analytics and operations, management, strategy and accounting. Popular offerings include Corporate Governance and Sustainability, Sustainability and Finance, Business and Sustainable Development, Sustainable Operations Management and Strategic Sustainability.
At the postgraduate level, the Master of Science in Sustainable and Green Finance develops specialised expertise in sustainable finance, a fast-growing field as global capital increasingly aligns with climate and sustainability goals. The programme combines core finance training with electives that integrate environmental and social considerations into financial decision-making, policymaking and strategy, covering areas such as sustainable and green investment, sustainability risk management, carbon accounting and sustainability reporting. Students also gain hands-on experience through industry partnerships and collaborations, culminating in a capstone project that applies their learning to real-world sustainability challenges.
Beyond degree programmes, the School delivers 10 executive education programmes focused on sustainability in AY2023/2024, equipping more than 900 professionals with practical frameworks to drive sustainable transformation within their organisations.
Building a network of sustainability practitioners
The School is also extending sustainability education beyond graduation. Through the NUS Centre for Governance and Sustainability (CGS) and the NUS Business School alumni network, it has launched G.L.O.W (Green Living for Optimal Well-being), an initiative that brings together alumni and sustainability leaders to translate sustainability principles into everyday practice.
G.L.O.W fosters a connected community committed to responsible leadership and sustainable living. Through advocating green living and purposeful leadership, it brings together alumni and industry leaders to integrate governance, business performance and personal responsibility, shaping individuals who live and lead sustainably across work, home and society.
“Nurturing green skills through sustainability education is not an end in itself; more critical will be the impact on the environment and society that our graduates make. Completing the linkage to our alumni will ensure that benefits to the economy and human well-being can be fully harnessed continually,” said Professor Lawrence Loh, Director, Centre for Governance and Sustainability, NUS Business School.
The full PRME Impact Report is available on the NUS Business School website: https://bschool.nus.edu.sg/sustainability/#impact-report.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Natalie LAW Assistant Manager, Corporate Communications NUS Business School National University of Singapore Tel: +65 6601-1206 Email: natalielaw@nus.edu.sg
About National University of Singapore (NUS)
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 15 colleges, faculties and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established more than 20 NUS Overseas Colleges entrepreneurial hubs around the world.
Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, research centres of excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity.
For more information on NUS, please visit nus.edu.sg.
About NUS Business School
With 50,000 alumni and 60 global chapters, the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School is known for providing management thought leadership from an Asian perspective, enabling its students and corporate partners to leverage global knowledge and Asian insights.
The school has consistently ranked first in Asia by independent publications and agencies, such as The Financial Times and Quacquarelli Symonds, in recognition of the quality of its programmes, faculty research and graduates.
The school is accredited by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) and EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System), endorsements that the school has met the highest standards for business education.
For more information about NUS Business School, please visit https://bschool.nus.edu.sg.