Online MBA Today (http://www.onlinembatoday.com/) has published a ranking of the 15 best online MBA programs in environmental sustainability (http://www.onlinembatoday.com/rankings/best-online-mba-environmental-sustainability/).

The data for this ranking was derived from the most recent and publicly available sources, including PayScale, US News and World Report, the Princeton Review, the Financial Times, Quacquarelli Symonds, and the National Center for Education Statistics. A list of more than 350 online MBA school programs was obtained and then ranked based on the following five factors: estimated tuition cost, accreditation, early career salary, prestige, and overall graduation rates to find the top online MBA programs in Environmental Sustainability. The ranking lists Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business as #1, followed by Oklahoma State University's Spears School of Business at #2, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School at #3.

Other schools making the list include (alphabetically ordered):

• Chatham University School of Arts, Science & Business -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• City University of Seattle School of Management -- Seattle, Washington
• Concordia University Wisconsin School of Business -- Mequon, Wisconsin
• Maharishi University of Management College of Business Administration -- Fairfield, Iowa
• Marylhurst University School of Business -- Marylhurst, Oregon
• Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Graduate School of Business and Technology -- Winona, Minnesota
• Southern New Hampshire University School of Business -- Manchester, New Hampshire
• University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management -- Los Angeles, California
• University of Colorado Denver Business School -- Denver, Colorado
• Webster University George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology -- Saint Louis, Missouri
• Wilmington University College of Business -- New Castle, Delaware
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute Robert A. Foisie School of Business -- Worcester, Massachusetts

MBA programs that focus on environmental sustainability train professionals to lead organizations in one of the most exciting and popular business fields today. This sector of business, as explained by Tammie Cagle, editor of Online MBA Today, is built around the concept of the triple bottom line. Cagle explains that leaders who focus on the triple bottom line "lead organizations to profitability and positive environmental and social impacts." This complex organizational goal requires trained professional leaders. An MBA can fast track professionals in a career of environmental sustainability leadership by providing this training in a rich educational environment.

An online program provides these experiences in a flexible environment, which allows students to continue to juggle their current professional and personal responsibilities. This type of flexible program can provide skills and knowledge that can be immediately implemented in student's daily workplace. Online MBA programs in environmental sustainability will cover core business and management topics like finance, accounting, organizational behavior, marketing, and statistics. Then once the core classes are completed, students explore topics in sustainability and supply chain management, environmental change, environmental risk management and strategies, and energy and society.