Fall On-Campus Course Sessions: Thursday sessions; September 12, September 19, October 10, November 14, November 21, and December 5; 3:10 PM - 5:10 PM plus two office hour check-in meetings

Travel Dates: Arrive: Sunday, January 5, 2025 and Depart Wednesday, January 15

Course Fee: $3,500

Immersive Field Courses: IFCs require a firm commitment and carry a financial obligation. Financial aid is available in the form of a student loan, a need-based HBS scholarship, or a combination of both depending on your individual circumstances. The Add/Drop process at the start of the term is the mechanism for any IFC enrollment changes, and, after that point, the course fee is non-refundable. Refer to the GEO website for full details on IFCs and be sure you understand the Course Policies and Course Fee & Financial Aid. Visit IFC Financial Aid for a quick assessment to determine your eligibility and process or contact finaid@hbs.edu for more information.

Enrollment: Limited to 45 MBA students (due to the nature of IFCs, auditing is not permitted)

Career Focus

Decarbonization and sustainability are becoming an essential part of business agendas, and some companies and organizations in Europe lead the world in experimentation and implementation of green technologies. Our focus will span four important sectors: energy, transport, agriculture, and materials. Our objective is to curate visits that help us develop the most insight into critical issues around decarbonization. In prior years this IFC has focused on Demark and Netherlands, but for 2025 we are planning to add sites in Belgium.

The Netherlands is a global leader in horticulture and food system sustainability. While it only has 5% of the population of the U.S., it is the second largest food exporter in the world, trailing only the U.S. It is recognized for its track record of innovation and productivity growth, increasing outputs while reducing inputs like pesticides. We will explore environmental sustainability aspects, innovations that can be extended to other global contexts, and examine some of the challenges currently facing the sector.

The materials sector includes things like cement and steelmaking, two large contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We are trying to arrange visits to pilot projects in Belgium. We are also going to visit sites to examine ocean borne shipping, a hard to decarbonize sector.

This EC Field Course offering a unique educational experience, where students will get to observe and interact with business leaders engaged in decarbonization including renewable energy production and storage, and sustainable production of industrial and consumer goods.

Group presentations on core topics and visit site briefings will be required during the Fall to enable everyone to be well prepared for the visits, which allows students to fully focus on the visits during January. In January, we will ask for short daily reflections.

Educational Objectives

Students will gain insight into the opportunities and challenges associated with designing, producing, distributing, and storing renewable energy, as well as developing and implementing sustainable production technologies in industries ranging from consumer goods to food and horticulture. We will visit firms and projects that have pioneered or are experimenting with sustainable technologies.

Course Content and Organization

Fall class sessions will be discussions—based on cases, readings, and student presentations—designed to establish a grounding in basic technologies. We may also engage with guests brought in remotely.

The January 2025 trip will includes visits to a wide range of unique sites that will illustrate the breadth of opportunities. This 3:10 video will give you a taste for 2024 visits. While we plan to visit some of the sites shown here, we plan to incorporate changes for 2025 as we explore new areas.

Paper Preparation and Presentation

Students will be asked to work in small teams to prepare a presentation and paper on a topic related to our visits chosen from a list of options.

Course Credit and Fees

Students will receive 3 credits upon successful completion of this course.

HBS will provide logistical support for the immersion (including accommodations, select meals, and local travel arrangements). Students will be charged a course fee towards defraying a portion of these costs. Students are responsible for booking and paying for their own round-trip air travel and any costs associated with required visa documentation and immunizations. Students should ensure adequate processing time for all visas, as travel fees are not refundable if a student does not secure visas on time.

For detailed information about what the course program fee includes and excludes, as well as information about student accommodations, please visit the GEO website or email geo@hbs.edu.

GEO continuously evaluates the safety and logistical feasibility of running Immersive Field Courses in each location. Please be aware that IFCs can be canceled at any time due to changes in global health and safety or other unforeseen circumstances. Students will not be redistributed into another IFC, nor will a new course be developed. Course fees will be refunded.

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