Overall Rating Platinum - expired
Overall Score 88.14
Liaison Tonie Miyamoto
Submission Date Dec. 6, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Colorado State University
AC-4: Graduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Tonie Miyamoto
Director of Communications and Sustainability
Housing and Dining Services
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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:
Impact MBA; College of Business

A brief description of the graduate-level degree program:

In a world facing increasing pressures to meet social, economic and environmental needs, business skills are required to influence and create real change. CSU’s College of Business Impact MBA provides the critical business skills needed to drive organizational change and create ventures that incorporate the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit.

Implementing a triple bottom line in business plans can increase competitive advantages in reputation, efficiency and resiliency, and produce long-term financial returns. As organizations look to create sustainable solutions across every aspect of their business, the demand for professionals with the knowledge, skills and mindset to solve complex problems using a social, economic and environmental framework will continue to grow.

Impact MBA is the degree for those seeking to use business to create a better world.


The website URL for the graduate-level degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (2nd program):
PhD and MS in Ecosystem Sustainability; Warner College of Natural Resources

A brief description of the graduate degree program (2nd program):

CSU’s innovative new graduate program in Ecosystem Sustainability enables students to develop core competencies in ecosystem science—the study of organisms and the environment—and apply that knowledge to address real-world issues. We help develop leaders in sustainability science: a new generation of practitioners able to address complex, integrated social and ecological problems, in collaborative partnerships with researchers, resource users and decision-makers.

Graduates have the tools to understand complex scientific questions in sustainability, and the leadership and collaborative skills required to address current and future issues in sustainability. The program serves as a foundation for a wide range of careers, including academic and scholarly professions, and work in government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and corporate and entrepreneurial environments.


The website URL for the graduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (3rd program):
M.S. and Ph.D in Construction Engineering and Management

A brief description of the graduate degree program (3rd program):

This program is designed to provide an interdisciplinary curriculum that combines courses in estimating and scheduling with the basics of civil engineering, business, management, communication skills, and the humanities. The focus is on integrating innovative management systems, computers and other technologies into the construction process.

Faculty members in both departments pursue applied research opportunities by maintaining a close association with the needs of the regional, national, and global Architecture/Engineering/Construction industry. In pursuing this applied research, the faculty has identified three core research alliance areas that span research, teaching, and outreach activities and provide a common ground for interaction between faculty and students. As the demands of the industry change over time, these research alliance areas may evolve and additional areas may be established.

Current research alliance areas are:

Sustainability (e.g., energy-efficient buildings, sustainable development and construction, social sustainability, life cycle assessment)
Transportation Infrastructure (e.g., asset management, traffic, and work-zone safety, transportation project management, asphalt and concrete paving)
Productivity and Workforce Development (e.g., construction safety, construction leadership, construction pedagogy and training, construction productivity improvement)


The website URL for the graduate degree program (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused graduate-level degree programs:
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:
MA/PhD in Political Science, concentration in Environmental Politics and Policy; College of Liberal Arts

A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:

The Political Science Graduate Program is unique in its emphasis on the study of environmental politics and policy. Our Doctoral Program is now part of the Western Regional Graduate Program consortium. This is a program of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education and includes unique programs of high quality. As a result of membership students from the 14 member states (not including California) can pay in-state tuition while attending our program. We hope that this will make it easier for some of your students to attend our program. For more information please visit https://www.wiche.edu/state-highlights/colorado. Due to the unique focus on environmental politics and policy, the program welcomes and attracts M.A. and Ph.D. candidates from diverse academic backgrounds and careers who all share an interest in the political dimensions of environmental protection.

Graduate level courses include:
POLS 670 Politics of Environment and Sustainability
POLS 692 Seminar in Environmental Policy
POLS 709 Environmental Politics in the US
POLS 729 Political Theory and the Environment
POLS 739 International Environmental Politics
POLS 749 Comparative Environmental Politics
POLS 759 Environmental Policy and Administration


The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
MS/PhD in Ecology, specialization in Human-Environment Interactions; Warner College of Natural Resources

A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):

Increasing rates of poverty, landlessness, and declining health are co-occurring with rapid shifts in land use, land cover, loss of biodiversity, and global warming. These interconnected human/environmental changes represent a clear risk to the well being of individuals, communities, and societies now and in the future. Students learn about the human aspects of environmental issues such as human drivers of environmental change and the feedbacks on individuals and social systems and their institutions, past, present, and future. This is accomplished through material presented in classes, in research projects, theses and dissertation research, and joint work with faculty on professional papers.


The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
MS in Construction Management, Concentration in Sustainability and Resilience; College of Health and Human Sciences

A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):

Sustainability research focuses on the environmental, economic, and social impacts of construction projects during their life cycle. This research area also aims to understand better how current and future community’s infrastructure adapt and evolve into configurations that more resilient. (e.g., energy-efficient buildings, sustainable design and construction, LCA, renewable energy sources, historic preservation, social sustainability, net-zero and -positive buildings/communities).


The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other graduate-level, sustainability-focused minors, concentrations and certificates:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Document titled, Program List contains a complete inventory of sustainability-focused majors, minors, specializations, and certificates at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Total of 27 undergraduate majors, 60 graduate programs, 18 minors and 11 certificates that are sustainability-focused programs.


Document titled, Program List contains a complete inventory of sustainability-focused majors, minors, specializations, and certificates at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Total of 27 undergraduate majors, 60 graduate programs, 18 minors and 11 certificates that are sustainability-focused programs.

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.