ACCT 3330 Sustainability Reporting and Analysis: Accounting for a Changing World

As concerns around sustainability grow, firms' reporting on this information is increasingly prevalent and demanded by shareholders and other stakeholders. This course will introduce students to the current reporting landscape and the various sustainability reporting frameworks used by firms, exploring these frameworks by comparing and contrasting companies' sustainability reports. We will study global regulations to standardize reporting and consider how these disclosures complement what firms already report in their financial statements (e.g. 10-Ks). After understanding how firms report on sustainability issues (e.g. climate risk, GHG emissions, human capital, etc.), we will examine how stakeholders use this information, considering questions such as how to assess the reliability of these disclosures (e.g. is this just "greenwashing"), how these disclosures relate to commercial sustainability (also called ESG) ratings, and how these disclosures tie to the firms' strategies (e.g. tying executive compensation to sustainability metrics). Since the regulatory environment is evolving, this course will be fluid; topics we cover may change during the semester as current events dictate.

Course overview

Department
Accounting
School
CSOM
Credits
3
Level
Undergraduate
Offered
Annually

Catalog details

Prerequisites
ACCT1021 or MCAC1021

Catalog text is imported from the reviewed Boston College course snapshot. Confirm eligibility in EagleApps.

Requirements fulfilled

  • Accounting: Accounting Department Electives (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Accounting for Finance & Consulting: Approved concentration elective options (Current University Catalog)
  • Environmental Studies: Concentration — Environmental Entrepreneurship: Two Environmental Economics Courses (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Accounting for CPAs: Accounting Department Electives (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Accounting for Finance and Consulting: Electives (6 credit hours from the following list) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)

Requirement eligibility can vary by school, cohort, and section. Confirm the selected section in EagleApps or with an advisor.

Official evaluation summary

4.31 / 5

Based on 148 aggregate responses from BC Avalanche/Blue evaluations.

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-08-02. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

  • Mary Ellen Carter
    Fall 2026, Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023 · Official rating 4.54/5

Sections

  • Section 01
    Fall 2026 · Mary Ellen Carter · Fulton Hall 110 TuTh 10:30AM-11:45AM · Offered
  • Section 02
    Fall 2026 · Mary Ellen Carter · Fulton Hall 110 TuTh 12:00 Noon-01:15PM · Offered