Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Denice Koljonen
Submission Date March 2, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Boston College
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Tara Pisani
Assistant Professor
Earth and Envronment
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total number of graduates from degree programs (i.e. majors, minors, concentrations, certificates, and other academic designations):
4,627

Number of students that graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome:
73

Percentage of students who graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome:
1.58

Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
One

Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the institution level (e.g. covering all students)?:
No

Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the division level (e.g. covering particular schools or colleges within the institution)?:
No

A list or brief description of the institution level or division level sustainability learning outcomes:
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Does the institution specify sustainability learning outcomes at the program level (i.e. majors, minors, concentrations, degrees, diplomas, certificates, and other academic designations)?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the program level sustainability learning outcomes (or a list of sustainability-focused programs):

Goals of the Environmental Studies Major are to provide students with:
- the knowledge and perspective to cultivate rewarding lives as responsible citizens of the planet;
- a deep understanding of the scientific, political, and cultural aspects of the world's environmental challenges; the tools and creativity necessary to envision and implement paths to sustainable solutions; and a solid background for environmentally related graduate programs and/or careers in business, education, law, policy, planning, government, or research.

Goals of the Environmental Studies Minor are to provide students with:
- an awareness of the scientific, political, and cultural aspects of the world’s environmental problems and paths toward sustainable solutions;
- a background for environmentally related careers in business, education, law, policy or research; and
- preparation for graduate study.

Description of the Environmental Geosciences Major:
The field of Environmental Geoscience is interdisciplinary and evolving. This bachelor of science program serves as an excellent major for students who wish to concentrate in the scientific aspects of sustainability, including those who might not be looking toward professional careers as scientists. Many Environmental Geoscience students go on to graduate work in environmental law, environmental policy, or sustainability studies. Students majoring in Environmental Geoscience should work out their programs closely with a departmental advisor to insure both breadth and depth in this subject area.

Description of the Geological Sciences Major:
This major combines elements of traditional earth and environmental sciences programs and is considered excellent preparation for those working toward graduate school in the geosciences or employment in industry following graduation with a B.S. degree.

Description of the Geological Sciences Minor:
A student may choose to minor in Geological Sciences. The minor is designed to be flexible and to allow the interested student to explore an area of interest in the earth sciences without the formal commitment of a major.

Goals for the Managing for Social Impact Minor and the Public Good Minor:
- Develop a theoretical and practical understanding of the extended social impacts of local and global organizations and why responsible enterprise values and the public good are relevant for all organizational stakeholders
- Learn to apply research and critical thinking to understand the challenges, benefits and current best practices in responsible social impact management
- Explore the philosophical, ethical, legal, economic and ecological implications of the decisions made by corporate, non-profit and public sector global leaders
- Analyze the available tools and innovative models for measuring social impacts and balancing stakeholder value in a variety of corporate, nonprofit and public sector organizations
- Develop and articulate a personal vision for integrating moral decision-making, social justice, citizenship and responsible management in their future professional lives.

The Goals of the Faith, Peace, and Justice Minor are to help undergraduate students acquire and develop skills in
- empirical, social scientific analysis of concrete issues for justice and peace
- gaining a solid intellectual and moral grasp of the ethical and justice principles which arise from these issues
- learning how to formulate public policy or to initiate social change which would help solve these problems and
- implementing creative methods for conflict resolution, appropriate for the level of problem solving their particular issues require.

Description of the Sustainability Certificate (Woods College):
With a six-course curriculum offered entirely online, this program comprises courses such as Sustainability Science, Energy in the 21st Century, Water Resources, and Building Green Buildings. Students are exposed to both science and policy as they explore such pressing concerns as climate change, population growth, and the limits of natural resources.


Do course level sustainability learning outcomes contribute to the figure reported above (i.e. in the absence of program, division, or institution level learning outcomes)?:
No

A list or brief description of the course level sustainability learning outcomes and the programs for which the courses are required:
---

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

These data only represent BS, BA, and Minor degrees

Total Undergraduate BS and BA degrees conferred in 2017: 2304
Total Minors conferred in 2017: 2323

2017 Degrees Conferred from the following majors, minors, and certificates:
Environmental Studies Major: 14
Environmental Geosciences Major: 14
Geological Sciences Major: 5
Environmental Studies Minor: 19
Geological Sciences Minor: 1
Faith, Peace, and Justice Minor: 20
Total: 73

Note: The Managing for Social Impact Minor will have their first minors conferred in 2018. Likewise, The Woods College's Sustainability Certificate Program (1.5 year program) will have their first group of graduates in 2018. These two programs are not included in the numbers.


These data only represent BS, BA, and Minor degrees

Total Undergraduate BS and BA degrees conferred in 2017: 2304
Total Minors conferred in 2017: 2323

2017 Degrees Conferred from the following majors, minors, and certificates:
Environmental Studies Major: 14
Environmental Geosciences Major: 14
Geological Sciences Major: 5
Environmental Studies Minor: 19
Geological Sciences Minor: 1
Faith, Peace, and Justice Minor: 20
Total: 73

Note: The Managing for Social Impact Minor will have their first minors conferred in 2018. Likewise, The Woods College's Sustainability Certificate Program (1.5 year program) will have their first group of graduates in 2018. These two programs are not included in the numbers.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.