Sustainability Studies Minor

One of the greatest challenges facing the 21st-century world is jointly sustaining the environment, as well as human health and well-being. The sustainability studies minor provides students from across the University with a unique opportunity to address this sustainability challenge. Students will explore the fundamental ecological, social, ethical, political, and economic forces that influence the long-term quality and viability of human society and the natural environment. The introductory core course provides a conceptual overview of various models for understanding sustainability, and uses case studies to demonstrate the challenges of putting sustainability into practice. Additional electives are chosen from courses that explore multiple disciplinary perspectives related to sustainability. Finally, the capstone experience allows students to synthesize and apply their knowledge to real sustainability problems.

For this minor, students must complete 6 credits of required courses for the core and the capstone, and 9-12 restricted electives, for a total of 15-18 credits. Study abroad courses may count for up to 6 credits. One course may be taken at the 1000 or 2000 level. One course may be taken online.