Sustainability and Financial Management

Redefine the bottom line

Today’s investors, businesses, and governments are increasingly focused on sustainability alongside dollars and cents.

Sustainable finance is paving the way for a greener future by moving beyond the limited approaches of the past. For companies, aligning environmental responsibility with profitability is becoming essential. Using environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting to drive policy and decision-making ensures long-term success.

This shift is creating a growing demand for a new breed of financial experts who can integrate people, profits, and the planet into the bottom line. Through this unique program, you'll gain a premier accounting and finance education from the School of Accounting and Finance.

You'll also gain a deep understanding of sustainability from Canada’s largest Faculty of Environment, a leader in sustainable business education for over two decades. Plus, with 16 months of paid co-op work experience, you’ll have the opportunity to explore careers and gain valuable skills before you graduate!

What courses will you take in Sustainability and Financial Management?

First-year courses

Throughout your degree, you'll take an integrated approach to learn about financial management. This degree goes beyond understanding finances to understanding and considering how financial decisions impact the people and environments around us. You'll learn to make financial decisions that will lead to a better tomorrow.

September to December

AFM 112 – Analytic Methods for Business 1
AFM 191 – Introduction to Financial Reporting and Managerial Decision Making 1
SFM 101 – Introduction to Sustainability and Financial Management
ENVS 195 – Introduction to Environmental Studies
ENBUS 103 – Economics and Sustainability 1

January to April

AFM 111 – Professional Pathways and Problem-Solving
AFM 113 – Analytic Methods for Business 2
AFM 121 – Introduction to Global Financial Markets
AFM 182 – Introduction to Financial Reporting and Managerial Decision Making 2
ENBUS 104 – Economics and Sustainability 2

This is a sample schedule. Courses may be subject to change depending on availability each term.

After first year

Most of the classes you’ll take will be Sustainability and Financial Management, Accounting and Financial Management, and Environment and Business courses.

Sample upper-year courses

AFM 205 – Introduction to Financial Services
SFM 205 – Advancing Sustainability: A Systems Approach
SFM 403 – Integrated Planning, Reporting, and Risk Management for Sustainability
ENBUS 410 – Engaging Stakeholders

Customize your degree

After the second year of your program, you'll also have the opportunity to select a specialization for your degree. You can choose from specializations within Accounting and Financial Management and Sustainability and Financial Management.

Accounting and Financial Management specializations

Assurance and Advisory
Corporate Finance
Corporate Reporting
Business Performance Leadership
Public Equity and Wealth Management
Tax
Venture Capital and Private Equity

Sustainability and Financial Management specializations

Sustainable Materials and Circularity
Data Analytics for Sustainability
Policy, Governance, and Managing Natural Resources
Indigenous Entrepreneurship

You can further enhance these specializations with an additional focus in Emerging Technologies and Data Analytics.

View "Sustainability and Financial Management Program" on YouTube

Faculty:
School of Accounting and Finance and the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development

Degree:
Bachelor of Sustainability and Financial Management

Available as a co-op program?
Co-op only

Available as a regular program?
No

Available as a minor?
No

Kickstart your credentials. Sustainability and Financial Management (SFM) is a direct route to a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Grow your own green business. Take a course in green entrepreneurship or drop by Entrepreneurship at Environment to work on your business plan with experienced advisors.

Co-op = relevant paid work experience

In the world's leading co-op program, you'll explore potential careers, learn to interview for jobs, graduate with up to two years of valuable experience — and make money!

Co-op work-study sequence

Starting in second year, you'll normally alternate between school and work every four months, integrating your classroom learning with real-world experience. You can return to the same employer for a couple of work terms to gain greater knowledge and responsibility or work for different employers to get a broad range of experience.

Your first work term will be in the winter term of second year.

Year	September to December (Fall)	January to April (Winter)	May to August (Spring)
First	Study	Study	Off
Second	Study	Co-op	Study
Third	Co-op	Study	Study
Fourth	Co-op	Study	Co-op
Fifth	Study	-	-

Learn more about co-op →

What can you do with a Sustainability and Financial Management degree?

Your career path will depend on your interests. You might use your environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) knowledge to lead organizations toward a greener world.

You could pursue further education in a variety of areas, including a Master of Accounting (MAcc) program at Waterloo or elsewhere. You can also pursue your Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation depending on the specialization you choose after your second year. You can also choose to go directly into your career, including the following possible career options.

Accountant
Financial consultant
Sustainability analyst
ESG policy analyst
Internal auditor

Learn about the future of careers in business.

A student's perspective

Discover career opportunities for each of the specializations in SFM by someone who knows the program: Ethan, a current student.

Admission requirements

Ontario students: six Grade 12 U and/or M courses including

Any Grade 12 U English (minimum final grade of 75%)
Advanced Functions (minimum final grade of 75%)
Calculus and Vectors (minimum final grade of 75%)

Recommended courses: Principles of Financial Accounting, Mathematics of Data Management

Admission average: Mid-80s

Not studying in Ontario? Search our admission requirements.

How to apply

Apply directly to this program on your application.

You can apply either to Sustainability and Financial Management (SFM) or Accounting and Financial Management (AFM), but not both. If you're interested in other financial management programs, you can apply to Computing and Financial Management and/or Science and Financial Management in addition to your AFM or SFM application.

Related programs

Accounting and Financial Management

Computing and Financial Management

Science and Financial Management

Environment and Business

Success starts at Waterloo

As home to Canada's largest faculty of environment and the world's leading co-op program, Waterloo is the only place where you can test drive up to five careers before you graduate.