College of Business

MBA + Blue Certificate and Dual Degree options

The URI Blue MBA is the first program of its kind in the United States, and provides the knowledge and skills needed to develop business models to ensure an environmentally sustainable world for a broad range of industry sectors, companies and organizations.

To maximize flexibility and meet you where you are, URI’s Blue MBA is available 100% online, in-person, or in a blended format. The blended format allows you to to take some classes in person and some classes online. For example, you could take all of your classes online and then participate in person in a Global Immersion experience – maybe in Costa Rica, or Indonesia – or you might choose to come to Rhode Island to take an short class that allows you to experience the extraordinary things that are happening at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography. 

URI College of Business’ interests in the Business of Water are broad, spanning topic areas and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including:

• business roles and responsibilities that pertain to water and social justice 
• water governance and global water management
• clean water and sanitation
• the impacts of microplastics, responsible consumption, and production 
• climate change and coastal resilience
• the need to finance infrastructure
• water-related risk management 
• trade channels
• the impact of water on food and health

The College strategically allocates resources to support initiatives and to share knowledge across disciplines in the College, at the University, in the region, and around the world. In the Blue MBA you will apply critical and strategic thinking to current, real-world problems like coastal resilience and ocean innovation opportunities through coursework led by faculty from URI’s internationally recognized Graduate School of Oceanography and Marine Affairs department.

The Blue MBA is flexible, it combines the URI MBA with one of these academic options:

• Dual degree MBA/MO
• Certificate in Ocean Policy & Science (non-STEM) + MBA
• Certificate in Ocean Science (STEM) + MBA
• Certificate in Coastal Resilience (STEM or non-STEM) + MBA

The URI Blue MBA is a collaboration between the College of Business, Graduate School of Oceanography, Marine Affairs.

We’re proud to highlight Jake Beretta, a graduate of the Blue MBA program, who is now a PhD student at Florida State University, professionally researching marine conservation and fisheries ecology!After graduating, Jake joined Ocean First Institute as Research Staff, conducting field operations and collaborative studies on predators throughout the Florida Keys. He later served as a Biological Technician at Florida State University’s Coastal and Marine Laboratory, conducting fieldwork on critically endangered smalltooth sawfish and contributing to ongoing research on environmental toxin exposure and habitat use. Jake shares, “These roles allowed me to integrate technical field sampling, data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and science communication—skills I first developed during graduate school.”

Jake is currently pursuing his PhD at Florida State University, building upon these experiences by studying the ecology of sharks and rays. In addition to his studies, he teaches undergraduate biology labs, captains research vessels, and serves as a scientific diver—roles that draw directly on the Blue MBA’s emphasis on leadership, operational management, and decision-making in dynamic, real-world environments.
“The URI Blue MBA program profoundly shaped the way I approach marine science and conservation by bridging environmental sustainability with economic practicality. The program’s interdisciplinary structure—linking business strategy with ocean and coastal management—taught me to view fisheries not just as ecological systems, but also as complex economic networks that sustain livelihoods, communities, and industries.”

Jake also completed a Master of Marine Affairs at URI in Spring 2023. He notes that the combination of these two degrees uniquely prepared him to approach marine conservation and fisheries through environmental, economic, and social perspectives, skills that continue to guide his research and collaborations.