Schools
School of Natural Sciences
Sustainability and Regeneration (Bachelor of Science)
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 BS 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 practical experience with courses in the social sciences, humanities, natural
- sciences, and business.
- Requires application of knowledge with independent research in a project.
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 theUniversity 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.
- Major
- Breadth Requirements (15 credit hours)
Mathematics and Statistics
- MATH-A 1181 Finite Math for Social and Biological Sciences
AND
- MATH-K 300 Statistical Techniques for Health Professions
OR
- PSY-P 341 Research in Psychology I
OR
- SOC-S 380 Methods of Social Research
OR
- ECON-E 280 Applied Statistics for Business and Economics
Social and Natural Sciences
- GEOG-G 338 Geographic Information Science
OR
- ECON-E 338 Business and Economic Applications of Geographical Information Systems
AND
- SOC-S 1632 Social Problems
OR
- SOC-S 203 Sociological Concepts and Perspectives
Research Writing: Choose one
- ENG-W 2313 Professional Writing Skills
- ENG-W 2343 Technical Report Writing
- ENG-W 2703 Argumentative Writing
1 Fulfills General Education Quantitative Reasoning requirement too.
2Fulfills General Education Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement too.
3 Fulfills General Education Second Level Written Communications Requirements too.
- Primary Sustainability Courses (12 credit hours)
- SUST-S 211 Sustainability and Regeneration: The Essentials
- PHYS-P 120 Energy and Technology
- PHIL-P 237 Environmental Ethics
- SOC-S 309 The Community
- Secondary Sustainability Courses (9 credit hours)
Complete one course from each discipline, Environmental, Social, and Economic Sustainability
Environmental Sustainability: Choose one
- EDUC-Q 450/550 Science Technology and Society for a Changing World
- BIOL-L 200 Environmental Biology and Conservation
Social Sustainability: Choose one
- SOC-S 305 Population
- SOC-S 308 Global Society
Economic Sustainability: Choose one
- POLS-Y 376 International Political Economy
- ECON-E 363 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
- Specialization Area (12-13 credit hours)
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 Track Options
- BIOL-L 303 Field Biology
- BIOL-L 343 Applied Conservation Biology
- BIOL-L 473/474 Ecology (lecture+ lab)
- CHEM-C 303 Environmental Chemistry
- CHEM-C 305 Environmental Chemistry Seminar
- CHEM-C 318 Spectrochemistry and Separations
- CHEM-C 333 Experimental Environmental Chemistry
- EDUC-Q 450 Science, Technology, & Society for a Changing World
- GEOG-G 304 Physical Climatology
- GEOG-G 307 Biogeography
- GEOG-G 308 Disasters: Natural and Human Induced
- GEOG-G 314 Urban Geography
- GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
- GEOG-G 338 Geographic Information Science
- GEOG-G 369 Geography of Food
- GEOG-G 404 Geography of Soils
- GEOL-G 300 Environmental and Urban Geology
- GEOL-G 400 Energy:Sources and Needs
- GEOL-G 430 Principles of Hydrology
- GEOG-G 438 Advanced Geographic Information Systems
- GEOG-G 439 GIS and Environmental Analysis
- MICR-M 420 Environmental Microbiology
- PHYS-P 310 Environmental Physics
Social Sustainability Track Options
- HIST-F 350 The Environment in Latin American History
- HIST-F 360 Natural Disasters in Latin American History
- HIST-H 243 Environmental History
- HIST-H 373 History of Science and Technology
- PSY-P 488 Environmental Psychology and Sustainable Living
- POLS-Y 303 Policy Making in the U.S
- REL-R 371 Religion, Ethics, and the Environment
- SOC-R 463 Inequality and Society
- SOC-S 305 Populations
- SOC-S 308 Global Society
- SUST-S 361 Substantiality Abroad
Economic Sustainability Track Options
- ECON-E 363 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
- POLS-Y 376 International Political Economy
- SOC-S 360 Topics in Social Policy
- SOC-S 419 Social Movements and Collective Action
- SOC-S 403 Industry, Labor, and Community
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.
- Required Associated Discipline Minor (15-20)
Bachelor's of Science students choose and complete a minor related to their area of specialization. Courses taken elsewhere in the degree may count toward the minor requirements.
Environmental Sustainability
Social Sustainability
Economic Sustainability:
- Senior Experience Requirements (6 credit hours)
To begin work on the Senior Experience, students must have completed all primary and 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.
- SUST-S 491 Internship in Sustainability
- SUST-S 415 Research in Sustainability and Regeneration
Capstone Course
- SUST-S 410 Readings in Sustainability and Regeneration