Sustainability and Financial Management

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Redefine the bottom line

Overview

Co-op

Careers

Admissions

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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 111 – Professional Pathways and Problem-Solving
  • AFM 112 – Analytic Methods for Business 1
  • AFM 191 – Foundations for Financial Reporting
  • SFM 101 – Introduction to Sustainability and Financial Management
  • ENVS 195 – Sustainability: The Future We Want

January to April

  • AFM 113 – Analytic Methods for Business 2
  • AFM 121 – Introduction to Global Financial Markets
  • AFM 182 – Foundations for Management Accounting
  • SFM 102 – Sustainability Economics
  • ENVS 131 – Communications for Environmental Professions

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
  • ENBUS 202 – Environmental Management Systems
  • 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.

  • Corporate Sustainability. This specialization will prepare you to work in the financial departments of companies or to work as a part of a team establishing sustainable practices. Plus, this pathway will give you the skills to pursue the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation and/or enable you to take the required courses to be admissible to the Master of Accountancy Program (MAcc). 
  • Government Policy and Financial Markets. This pathway will prepare you to work within governance channels, either creating policy and regulations or leveraging financial market mechanisms to achieve sustainability objectives. You will also gain the required skills and knowledge to pursue the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. 

  • Indigenous Entrepreneurship. This specialization will provide Indigenous students with foundational training in financial management and sustainability. Students will deep dive into business strategic development, enabling them to start their own business ventures or to contribute to the growth strategies of existing organizations. 

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Faculty:
School of Accounting and Finance and the Faculty of Environment

Degree:
Bachelor of Sustainability and Financial Management

Available as a co-op program?
Yes

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

Waterloo's co-op program, the largest in North America, is an amazing way to 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.

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 Study Co-op Co-op
Fifth Study  -  -

Your first work term will be halfway through your second year (January to April 2027).

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.

headshot of nathan sitting in front of a tree

Tuition fees

First-year tuition

Type of fees Tuition (8 months of school)
Domestic (Ontario residents) $9,000
Domestic (Out of province students) $9,000
International (visa students) $57,000
  • For accounting and finance programs, tuition is significantly higher in your upper years.
  • Estimated amounts listed include incidental fees. Fees based on 2024-25 tuition rates.
  • Visit our financing page to learn about scholarships, estimate your total expenses, and see how co-op can help pay for your education.

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%)
  • Completion of the SAF Admissions Assessment (SAFAA)

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

Anticipated admission average: Individual selection from the mid-80s

Not studying in Ontario? Search our admission requirements.

How to apply

Apply directly to this program on your application.

Related programs

Accounting and Financial Management

Computing and Financial Management

Environment and Business

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Questions about courses, programs, requirements, careers?

Please email Kelly Millar who can answer questions you have.