To ensure that all students are capable of leading transformations toward sustainable enterprise, the Erb Institute has adopted eight essential competencies in which every MBA/MS graduate should excel. These competencies are:

1. Global perspective -- consider global trends and the implications of decisions on both a local and global scale.
2. Transformational leadership skills -- be capable of leading organizations through significant and lasting transformations to foster sustainability.
3. Systems/strategic thinking -- be strategic thinkers who understand systems dynamics and apply systems thinking in decision making.
4. Ecological, scientific & technological literacy -- be literate in ecological and scientific theories and technological innovations in the field of sustainability.
5. Ethics & social responsibility -- demonstrate sound ethics in decision making and integrate social responsibility within strategy.
6. Cross-sector partnerships -- comfortably work across sector boundaries to create and leverage partnerships.
7. Entrepreneurship -- demonstrate entrepreneurial skills to develop and oversee new projects and enterprises.
8. Management fundamentals -- clearly articulate the business case for recommendations and decisions.