Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.89
Liaison Allie Schwartz
Submission Date Aug. 29, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Columbia University
AC-1: Academic Courses

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.49 / 14.00 Alison Miller
Deputy Executive Director
Earth Institute
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures required to calculate the percentage of courses offered by the institution that are sustainability course offerings:
Undergraduate Graduate
Total number of courses offered by the institution 5,084 9,649
Number of sustainability courses offered 118 363
Number of courses offered that include sustainability 72 121

Percentage of courses that are sustainability course offerings:
4.57

Total number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer courses (at any level):
157

Number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer at least one sustainability course and/or course that includes sustainability (at any level):
39

Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings:
24.84

A copy of the institution’s inventory of its sustainability course offerings and descriptions:
Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
One

A brief description of the methodology used to determine the total number of courses offered and to identify sustainability course offerings, including the definitions used and the process for reviewing and/or validating the course inventory :

In 2011, the University defined sustainability-related and -focused courses and determined which courses fell into this description by reaching out to the department administrators, program directors, other relevant faculty and staff, and by reviewing the course catalogs. The list was updated in November 2014 by reviewing the 2011 list and comparing to the current course catalogs for the University. For graduate courses, courses were checked in the Columbia University Directory of Classes - courses were either updated, added or deleted from our inventory. For undergraduate courses, the same process was followed, with the addition of checking the Columbia College Bulletin website for relevant sustainability courses.


How were courses with multiple offerings or sections counted for the figures reported above?:
Each offering or section of a course was counted as an individual course

A brief description of how courses with multiple offerings or sections were counted (if different from the options outlined above):

Each offering or section of a course was counted as an individual course. We made this decision to reflect the fact that different instructors teach different sections and can reflect significant differences in the course content and multiple sections indicate the actual larger interest in the course than counting it as one.


Are the following course types included in the inventory? :
Yes (included) or No (not included)
Internships No
Practicums Yes
Independent study Yes
Special topics Yes
Thesis / dissertation No
Clinical No
Physical education No
Performance arts No

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Earth Institute education programs: http://earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/50
Columbia course directory: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bulletin/uwb/


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.