| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.90 |
| Liaison | Deborah Steinberg |
| Submission Date | Dec. 6, 2021 |
Carnegie Mellon University
AC-3: Undergraduate Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Abigail
Owen Assistant Teaching Professor History Dept & Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research |
Does the institution offer at least one sustainability-focused major, degree, or certificate program for undergraduate students?:
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program:
A brief description of the undergraduate degree program:
The Major in Environmental & Sustainability Studies (which is only offered as an additional major, not as a primary major) combines natural science, social science, and humanistic studies. These are co-equal. How Earth functions as a system is fundamental: key topics include climate, ecosystems, environmental chemistry (the behavior of molecules within the environment) and energy systems. Human interactions with the environment, and so the details of how cultural, political, and social systems function, are critical to understand, with an emphasis on sustainability and the environment. Issues of ethics, equity, and justice, situated in historical context, are vital to a full and complex understanding with a goal of equitable and appropriate solutions to environmental crises.
The three pillars are:
Earth and Environmental Science. Majors should understand how the Earth works as a system, with more advanced understanding of selected scientific topics associated with Environment and Sustainability.
Political Economy. Majors should understand the consequences and options of economics and policy at the local, regional, and global level.
Humanities for Environment and Sustainability. Additional Majors should understand cultural, social, historical, ethical, and political aspects of environment and sustainability, including environmental, climate, and social justice.
Website URL for the undergraduate degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Website URL for the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
Website URL for the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program(s):
Does the institution offer one or more sustainability-focused minors or concentrations for undergraduate students?:
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration:
A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration:
By creating a single program with clear learning goals and a flexible curriculum, the Minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies improves intellectual cohesiveness and supports a cohort experience for students from all six undergraduate colleges of Carnegie Mellon. With a shared introductory course dedicated to social and scientific approaches for thinking about the environment, students in the minor can meet each other early in their undergraduate careers, and begin important conversations across disciplines during their time at CMU.
Students who pursue the minor will be able to:
Identify humanistic, social, and scientific perspectives for problems of environment and sustainability
Distinguish among scientific methods for evaluating problems of environment and sustainability
Connect how aspects of history, culture, ethics, language, and arts relate to environment and sustainability, including goals for environmental justice and global climate justice
Discuss sources of data about environment and sustainability
Website URL for the undergraduate minor or concentration:
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration (2nd program):
A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration (2nd program):
Website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):
A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):
Website URL for the undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused undergraduate minors and concentrations:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.