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

STARS v2.1

Boston College
AC-4: Graduate Program

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

Majors and Degree Programs 

Does the institution offer at least one sustainability-focused major, degree program, or the equivalent for graduate students (I.e. an interdisciplinary academic program that concentrates on sustainability as an integrated concept)?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program:
MS Geology or Geophysics

A brief description of the graduate-level degree program:
The Masters of Science programs in Geology and Geophysics prepares students for successful careers as geoscientists in the environmental and engineering industries, government service, or for continued studies toward a Ph.D. A particularly beneficial aspect of the M.S. program is the opportunity for students to integrate studies in geology, geophysics, and environmental subjects. Graduates from the Masters programs have been employed by government agencies including US Geological Services, The Environmental Protection Agency, and The National Park Service. Graduates have also gone on to work in environmental consulting and sustainability positions and for non-profit organizations like Earth Watch.

The website URL for the graduate-level degree program:
https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/mcas/departments/eesc/graduate.html

Additional Degree Programs (optional) 

Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (2nd program):
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None
A brief description of the graduate degree program (2nd program):
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None
The website URL for the graduate degree program (2nd program):
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Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (3rd program):
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None
A brief description of the graduate degree program (3rd program):
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None
The website URL for the graduate degree program (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused graduate-level degree programs:
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Minors, Concentrations and Certificates 

Does the institution offer one or more graduate-level sustainability-focused minors, concentrations or certificates?:
Yes

Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate:
Environmental Sociology

A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Boston College's Sociology PhD program is nationally known for its strong environmental sociology cluster of faculty that provides approximately 25% of the department's students with a specialization in environmental sociology. Andrew Jorgenson, current Chair of the Department, just published an article in Nature, entitled: "How social scientists can help to shape climate policy" . Professor Juliet Schor, MacArthur Foundation grantee and receiver of the ASA Public Understanding of Sociology Award (2014), is a highly acclaimed scholar for her work on consumption, . Boston College has a very competitive environmental sociology concentration that attracts PhD students from around the world.

The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/mcas/departments/sociology/people/faculty-clusters.html

Additional Minors, Concentrations and Certificate Programs (optional) 

Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Sustainability Professional Certificate

None
A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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. The program will graduate its first cohort in 2018.

None
The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
https://www.bc.edu/schools/advstudies/undergraduate/certificate/Sustainability.html

Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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None
A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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None
The name and website URLs of all other graduate-level, sustainability-focused minors, concentrations and certificates:
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Optional Fields 

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.