Schools
School of Natural Sciences
Sustainability and Regeneration (Bachelor of Arts)
Program Description
The Brundtland Commission (formerly, the World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) envisioned the concept: sustainable development is development that “meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The logical components of a sustainable development strategy encompass environmental, economic, social, and political elements. This bachelor's curriculum is a truly multidisciplinary program, based on the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economic.
Students attracted to the sustainability degree are expected to work for governments, private businesses, and special interest organizations that seek to sustain and improve both current and future conditions for life on earth. The interdisciplinary degree seeks to provide them with skills and perspectives that will serve the development of their own rewarding careers in this field.
The strengths of the BA program are:
- Offers a holistic interdisciplinary approach.
- Engages students in relevant civic engagement opportunities in the Southern Indiana - Louisville metropolitan region.
- Provides an alternative program for students interested in environmental issues but less interested in scientific occupations.
- Enhances the liberal arts experience with courses in the social sciences,
humanities, natural sciences, and business.
Degree Requirements
- General
Complete 120 total credit hours, with at least 30 at the 300-400 (upper division) level, and a program cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
- General Education Requirements (30 credit hours)
Complete the University General Education requirements. Note: Some of the course options in some categories of the General Education curriculum also fulfill specific major requirements. Please see annotations in major grid below, identifying these double-duty courses, for maximizing your degree completion efficiency.
- Bachelor of Arts Distribution Requirements (27 credits hours)
Complete the additional BA Distribution requirements beyond General Education. Note: Some of the course options in some categories of the BA Distribution curriculum also fulfill specific major requirements. Please see annotations in major grid below, identifying these double-duty courses, for maximizing your degree completion efficiency.
- Major
- Breadth Requirements (9 credit hours)
| Dept. | Course Number | Title |
Credit Hours |
Minimum Grade | Pre-Requisites |
| Mathematics: | |||||
| MATH-A | 1181 | Finite Math for Social and Biological Sciences | 3 | C | MATH-M 101 |
| Social Sciences: Choose one | |||||
| SOC-S | 1632 | Social Problems | 3 | C | None |
| SOC-S | 2032 | Sociological Concepts & Perspectives | 3 | C | None |
| Research Writing: Choose one | |||||
| ENG-W | 2313 | Professional Writing Skills | 3 | C | ENG-W 131 |
| ENG-W | 2343 | Technical Report Writing | 3 | C | ENG-W 131 |
| ENG-W | 2703 | Argumentative Writing | ENG-W 131 | ||
1Fulfills General Education Quantitative Reasoning requirement too.
2Together fulfill both the General Education and BA Distribution Requirements in Social Sciences too.
3Fulfills General Education Second Level Writing requirement too.
- Primary Sustainability Courses (12 credit hours)
| Dept. | Course Number | Title | Credit Hours | Minimum Grade | Pre-Requisites |
| SUST-S | 211 | Sustainability and Regeneration: The Essentials | 3 | C | None |
| PHYS-P | 1201 | Energy and Technology | 3 | C | None |
| PHIL-P | 237 | Environmental Ethics | 3 | C | ENG-W 131 |
| SOC-S | 309 | The Community | 3 | C | 3 credits in Sociology. |
1Also fulfills BA Distribution requirement in Natural Sciences.
- Secondary Sustainability Courses (9 credits)
Complete one course from each discipline, Environmental, Social and Economic sustainability.
| Dept. | Course Number | Title | Credit Hours | Minimum Grade | Pre-Requisites |
| Environmental Sustainability: Choose one | |||||
| EDUC-Q | 450 | Science Technology and Society for a Changing World | 3 | C | None |
| BIOL-L | 200 | Environmental Biology and Conservation | 3 | C | None |
| Social Sustainability: Choose one | |||||
| SOC-S | 305 | Population | 3 | C | 3 credits in Sociology |
| SOC-S | 308 | Global Society | 3 | C | 3 credits in Sociology |
| Economic Sustainability: Choose One | |||||
| POLS-Y | 376 | International Political Economy | 3 | C | None |
| ECON-E | 363 | Environmental and Natural Resource Economics | 3 | C | ECON-E 201 and ECON-E 202 |
- Specialization Area Requirements (12-13)
Choose one specialization area and complete a minimum of 12-13 credit hours in that
area, beyond what was taken for Secondary Sustainability area above. Upper level (300-400 level) courses not used to fulfill the required secondary courses above may be used to fulfill this requirement. Course list is subject to change. Please consult with academic advisor for current offerings. Check schedule of classes for necessary pre-requisites.
Environmental Sustainability Options
| Dept. | Course Number | Title | Credit Hours | Minimum Grade |
| BIOL-L | 303 | Field Biology | 3 | C |
| BIOL-L | 343 | Applied Conservation Biology | 3 | C |
| BIOL-L | 473/474 | Ecology (lecture+ lab) | 5 | C |
| CHEM-C | 303 | Environmental Chemistry | 3 | C |
| CHEM-C | 305 | Environmental Chemistry Seminar | 1 | C |
| CHEM-C | 318 | Spectrochemistry and Separations | 3 | C |
| CHEM-C | 333 | Experimental Environmental Chemistry | 2 | C |
| EDUC-Q | 450 | Science, Technology, & Society for a Changing World | 3 | C |
| GEOG-G | 304 | Physical Climatology | 3 | C |
| GEOG-G | 307 | Biogeography | 3 | C |
| GEOG-G | 308 | Disasters: Natural and Human Induced | 3 | C |
| GEOG-G | 314 | Urban Geography | 3 | C |
| GEOG-G | 315 | Environmental Conservation | 3 | C |
| GEOG-G | 338 | Geographic Information Science | 3 |
C |
| GEOG-G | 369 | Geography of Food | 3 |
C |
| GEOG-G | 404 | Geography of Soils | 3 |
C |
| GEOL-G | 300 | Environmental and Urban Geology | 3 |
C |
| GEOL-G | 400 | Energy:Sources and Needs | 3 |
C |
| GEOL-G | 430 | Principles of Hydrology | 3 |
C |
| GEOG-G | 438 | Advanced Geographic Information Systems | 3 | C |
| GEOG-G | 439 | GIS and Environmental Analysis | 3 | C |
| MICR-M | 420 | Environmental Microbiology | 5 | C |
| PHYS-P | 310 | Environmental Physics | 3 | C |
Social Sustainability Options
| Dept. | Course Number | Title | Credit Hours | Minimum Grade |
| HIST-F | 350 | The Environment in Latin American History | 3 | C |
| HIST-F | 360 | Natural Disasters in Latin American History | 3 | C |
| HIST-H | 243 | Environmental History | 3 | C |
| HIST-H | 373 | History of Science and Technology | 3 | C |
| PSY-P | 488 | Environmental Psychology and Sustainable Living | 3 | C |
| POLS-Y | 303 | Policy Making in the U.S | 3 | C |
| REL-R | 371 | Religion, Ethics, and the Environment | 3 | C |
| SOC-R | 463 | Inequality and Society | 3 | C |
| SOC-S | 305 | Populations | 3 | C |
| SOC-S | 308 | Global Society | 3 | C |
| SUST-S | 361 | Sustainability Abroad | 3 | C |
Economic Sustainability Options
| Dept. | Course Number | Title | Credit Hours | Minimum Grade |
| ECON-E | 363 | Environmental and Natural Resource Economics | ||
| POLS-Y | 376 | International Political Economy | 3 | C |
| SOC-S | 360 | Topics in Social Policy | 3 | C |
| SOC-S | 419 | Social Movements and Collective Action | 3 | C |
| SOC-S | 403 | Industry, Labor, and Community | 3 | C |
Internship Option
Students may elect a COAS-S 399 Internship as part of the specialization area. A maximum of 2 credit hours of internship credit may be applied to the specialization area; and must be pre-approved by faculty member sponsoring the internship.
- Senior Experience Requirements (6 credit hours)
To begin work on Senior Experience, student must have completed all primary & secondary coursework as
well as a minimum of 5 credits of specialization courses. As part of the Senior Experience, all students must
complete one Experiential Learning Course and the Sustainability Capstone course.
| Dept. | Course Number | Title | Credit Hours | Minimum Grade | Pre-Requisite |
| Experiential Learning: Choose one | |||||
| SUST-S | 491 | Internship in Sustainability | 3 | C | Instructor Permission |
| SUST-S | 415 | Research in Sustainability and Regeneration | 3 | C | Instructor Permission |
| Capstone | |||||
| SUST-S | 410 | Readings in Sustainability and Regeneration | 3 | C | Completion of all primary and secondary courses as well as 5 credits toward specialization area. |