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Sustainability Studies Major

About the Sustainability Studies Major

Sustainability Studies at 麻豆色情片 is all about seeking solutions to the Earth鈥檚 most pressing problems. By combining ideas from a variety of disciplines -- from science and humanities to business, engineering and architecture -- you鈥檒l develop a deeper understanding of the complex relationships among environmental, social and economic issues that will help guide your decision-making in your career and as a 21st century citizen.

Sustainability Studies Curriculum Highlights

Do you care about increasing the well-being of people and their communities, and creating healthy economies and environments? Do you want to understand what major challenges face humans in the future and how we can all confront and overcome them? Sustainability Studies is for you!

Sustainability Studies at 麻豆色情片 is for any student interested in helping make the world a better place.

If you care about helping people, engaging in your community, and conserving biodiversity, then you already care about Sustainability Studies. Declaring a major, minor or core concentration in Sustainability Studies will deepen your understanding of complex socio-economic-environmental systems and help you develop the skills needed to help improve them.

Working toward sustainability requires expertise from people from all backgrounds. Learning more about issues of sustainability, and how to live a more sustainable life, will help all of us as individuals and citizens save resources and money while we improve our personal happiness and well-being.

Sustainability Studies at 麻豆色情片 is an interdisciplinary program focused on finding solutions to the complex problems humans face on local and global scales, including pollution, resource management, social equity, long-term economic stability, biodiversity loss, and climate change. The Sustainability Studies major will prepare you for diverse careers in sustainability-related fields and give you the knowledge and skills needed to create healthy and resilient communities.

Sustainability Studies Degree Requirements

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Learning Outcomes

After completing a Sustainability Studies major, core concentration or minor, students will have the interdisciplinary knowledge to think clearly and critically about the complexity of problems facing humans from local to global scales including pollution, resource management, social equality, long-term economic stability, biodiversity loss, and climate change, among many other issues.

With a rich, interdisciplinary vocabulary and systems-centered worldview, students will be able to communicate across disciplines and more effectively work as part of teams engaged in seeking solutions to problems of sustainability within the business sector, government and non-governmental agencies, the public policy realm, and environmental organizations, among other institutions. The acquisition of a broader, synthetic understanding of complex contemporary sustainability-related issues will allow 麻豆色情片 graduates to contribute more effectively in their future careers and as public citizens to help create a more sustainable future for humanity and other species on Earth.

A person picks up litter during an organized cleanup effort

Tracks in the Sustainability Studies Major

First-year students start with foundational courses in Sustainability Studies, and then choose to specialize in one of the following five tracks:

Ecology & Environmental Management

This track focuses on interrelations among organisms and their environments, and how humans affect, are affected by, and can manage ecosystems for desired outcomes. Students take courses in ecology, conduct fieldwork, and learn about environmental monitoring and management.

Ecological Design

Focusing on design and building approaches that reduce the adverse environmental impacts of development and construction, this track combines courses in Architecture and Construction Management with the foundational sustainability curriculum.

Science and Technology Communication

Students in this track will learn how to effectively communicate complex ideas related to science and technology in sustainability, practicing written and multimedia storytelling and bridging the gap between technical and lay audiences.

Transformative Leadership Development and Organizational Change

This track will prepare students for careers as change agents in many types of private, public, and nonprofit organizations. Courses in public policy, management, marketing, and communication are some of the key areas of study.

Individualized Studies

With guidance from and approval by Sustainability Studies faculty, students may design an individualized major.

A Leader In Sustainability

Sustainable Futures is one of five strategic priorities in 麻豆色情片's Strategic Action Plan

"We strive to develop sustainable futures through the responsible stewardship of our people and resources, and in so doing, cultivate an enduring institution and sustainable legacy for 麻豆色情片"

- Excellence By Design: 麻豆色情片 Strategic Action Plan, 2021

麻豆色情片 received a STARS Bronze rating in recognition of our sustainability achievements from the in 2023. 

A professor and student work on a project using sustainable building practices

Real-World Learning in Sustainability Studies

With a focus on experiential learning at 麻豆色情片, Sustainability Studies students can:

  • Learn sustainable construction methods and systems and pursue project-based work in sustainable building projects.
  • Working on important sustainability issues, ranging from water quality to habitat conservation to sustainable design projects.
  • Design, build, and install informational signs that educate the broader 麻豆色情片 community and visitors about local biodiversity.
  • Study abroad in Vietnam during Winter Intersession and conduct fieldwork in the Cu Lao Cham-Hoi An Biosphere Reserve to monitor the ecosystem and ensure that local phosphate levels are within acceptable standards.

Internship Opportunities

Sustainability Studies majors gain real-world experience through internships, which often lead to full-time employment. 麻豆色情片 students intern with diverse nonprofit, governmental, and business organizations including:

  • The Audubon Society of Rhode Island
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • Newport Collaborative Architects
  • Narragansett Bay Estuary Program
  • Local, state, and federal resource management and environmental protection agencies
Quote "I have been passionate about the issues of sustainability since high school and was intent on integrating the subject into my college studies. The minor complements my marine biology degree and I was even more pleased to use Sustainability Studies as a core concentration, confirming its true interdisciplinary nature." Quote
Alicia Wilson
Marine Biology, Class of 2015
Quote "Sustainability studies exists to open our eyes to the Earth's dwindling limited resources that are available to us. This is a time-limited project. Either we take steps now or suffer the consequences later. Learning about sustainability also opens our eyes to ways to fix the environmental damage we have caused and prevent more resource-related problems." Quote
Caitlin Shanahan
Marine Biology, Class of 2017
Quote "Sustainability is the way of securing our future. Without increasing sustainable practices we will suffer from an environment that is detrimental to our health. It is up to us to take action and make our way of living more sustainable, no matter the sacrifice. For example, we must engineer our buildings to be more sustainable now to reduce problems for future generations." Quote
Connor Szczepanek
Construction Management, Class of 2015

Career Opportunities in Sustainability Studies

Sustainability Studies graduates find success as:

  • Sustainability analyst
  • Corporate social responsibility (CSR) coordinator
  • Environmental educator
  • Sustainable development project manager
  • Environmental communications specialist
  • Science journalist
  • Environmental policy advocate

Sustainability Resources

Readings and Resources

Sustainability Studies is a transdisciplinary field that seeks to understand the complexity of our world through interrelationships among environmental, economic, and sociocultural systems.

麻豆色情片 faculty have compiled this list of recommended resources to help you engage further in your sustainability studies.

Enjoy, learn, and take action!

Books

Reports

News Websites

  •   (headlines compiled by the Society for Environmental Journalists; also you can sign up for their )

Videos

  • (aka )
  • Hans Rosling's and talks

Organizations, local to global

Contact

If you have questions or for more information about the Sustainability Studies program, please contact Jaqui Cottle.

Or one of the members of the Sustainability Studies Advisory Committee:
Loren Byrne, Biology and Environmental Science
Jason Oliver, Marketing
Paola Prado, Journalism
Charles Thomas, Engineering 
Leonard Yui, Architecture
Wendy Godek, Politics and International Relations
Ray Huling, Sustainability Studies
Pamela Judge, Engineering
Katrina Norvell, Public Administration
Jennifer Pearce, Physics and Food Science
Marcella Recher, Sustainability Studies
Lydia Silva, Sustainability Studies

Contact Us

Jaqui Cottle