Sustainability Studies, B.A.
Director: Drew Ferrier
Academic Coordinator: Katie Huy
Sustainability has a uniquely human perspective. It is rooted in decisions we make about the quality of life we want for ourselves, our community, and future generations.
The major is designed to thoughtfully integrate the liberal arts and technology, to explore the values and the cultivation of community, and to equip students for lives of responsibility, service, civic engagement and leadership.
The Sustainability Studies program emphasizes three interrelated areas that form a framework for studying the complexities of sustainable societies: 1) Sustainable Watersheds; 2) Sustainable Energy; and 3) Sustainable Food Systems. All three focus areas within the Sustainability Studies program feature systems thinking, high impact practices, content knowledge, field and laboratory research, and civic engagement and service learning. These activities will be incorporated in introductory coursework and revisited by students in classes taken throughout the major.
There are many career paths in sustainability for graduating students. Given the unique framework of our Sustainability Studies major, we provide our students with a competitive advantage when applying for jobs in their field. Many positions classified within the manufacturing and service economies contain significant responsibilities toward enhancing sustainable practices for their companies or for their clients. Sustainability majors will also find employment in municipal, state, or federal government agencies, as well as non-profit organizations. As a Sustainability Studies major it is critical to work closely with your academic advisor to craft the career path that best fits your goals.
Requirements for the Major
The Sustainability Studies major provides foundational knowledge and skills that are further developed in upper level electives. These foundations are based in the environmental sciences and extend deeply into the intersection of human activities and quality of life issues pertaining to the need for clean water, healthy food and sustainable energy. Courses emphasize the development of hands-on skills, as well as the systematic introduction of concepts and applications of recently acquired principles.
Course information is put into practice during numerous opportunities offered in Focus Area elective courses. The program culminates by having each student complete a capstone project in the form of an individual research experience or an internship with a business, nonprofit, or municipal organization involved in some aspect of sustainability.
Two courses from the following (a minimum of 7 credits)
Focus Area Electives- 4 more courses, distributed as follows (13 to 16 credits)
- 2 courses in one of the following Focus Areas
- 1 course from each of the other two Focus Areas
- One of the courses must be 4 credits
- A single course can only be used to fulfill one focus area elective
Focus in Sustainable Energy/Biofuels
| SUS 320 | Biotechnology of Food and Fuels | 3.0 |
| SUS 410 | Bioengineering for Sustainability | 4.0 |
Focus in Sustainable Food Systems
Focus in Sustainable Watershed Management
Capstone Experience (minimum 3 credits)
| SUS 375 | Independent Study in Sustainability | 1.0 - 3.0 |
| SUS 399 | Internship in Sustainability | 3.0 - 15.0 |
| SUS 499 | Departmental Honors in Sustainability | 6.0 |
Required Courses
| ENSP 101 | Environmental Problems | 3.0 |
| ENSP 102 | Environmental Science Laboratory | 1.0 |
| ENSP 110 | Environmental Science II | 3.0 |
| BIOL 201 | Evolution and Ecology | 4.0 |
| SUS 101 | Introduction to Sustainability | 3.0 |
| MATH 112 | Applied Statistics | 3.0 |
| SUS 201 | Sophomore Sustainability Seminar | 3.0 |
| SUS 301 | Sustainable Energy Systems | 3.0 |
| SUS 302 | Sustainable Watershed Management | 4.0 |
| SUS 303 | Sustainable Food Systems | 3.0 |
| SUS 310 | Experiential Rotation in Sustainability | 4.0 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 34.0 |