Sustainability

Sustainability is a broad, new concept that has become pre-eminent within twenty-first century global society. It concerns the attempt to understand how the growth of human society threatens the future health and well-being of humans and the natural world in which we live. Most critically, it seeks effective solutions that advance not only human well-being but also the health of the planet. This major exposes the student to the broad diversity of academic disciplines that are critical to understanding and creating solutions for this social and environmental challenge, including life and earth sciences, the social sciences, business and the humanities. It seeks to couple the knowledge, skills, and values of these disciplines with practical, hands-on experiences outside the classroom so that the successful graduate is able to effectively understand, live, and work in a world that will be significantly different from the past. Each student selects an upper level course track according to one’s personal and professional interests and aspirations. A mandatory internship or field experience provides “real life” exposure to sustainability challenges. A final capstone course weaves together interdisciplinary knowledge and practical problem-solving experiences.