Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 39.47
Liaison Kirk Hemphill
Submission Date March 1, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Florida Institute of Technology
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Ken Lindeman
Professor, Sustainability Studies
Ocean Engineering & Marine Sciences
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Majors and Degree Programs

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

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program:
Sustainability Studies, B.S.

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program:
Sustainability professionals use combinations of interdisciplinary skills to create and manage complex social, environmental, and economic systems within a wide array of occupations. The program curricula expands on Florida Tech’s well-known science and technology strengths and adds a unique combination of business and social science courses to produce unusually well rounded graduates that can operate across multiple disciplines in the 21st century workforce. Four concentrations are offered: Technology & Engineering, Business & Economics, Environmental Sciences, and Social Sciences. The program emphasizes advanced educational experiences, hands-on projects (individually and in teams), opportunities for research on campus or internships in the community, and the training of graduates who will excel either in the changing job market or interdisciplinary graduate schools. Final capstone projects use a campus classroom model: students address real-world sustainability challenges to generate explicit products and build applied skills.

The website URL for the undergraduate degree program:

Additional Degree Programs (optional) 

Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Conservation Biology and Ecology, B.S.

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A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Conservation biology and ecology is an interdisciplinary field of study that examines how living organisms interact with each other and with their environment, as well as how to mitigate the pressures that development and climate change impose on natural systems. Whether you want to explore the migratory behaviors of endangered species, work in ecosystem conservation and restoration or become a manager of natural resources, an ecology degree from Florida Tech gives you hands-on experience in environmental analysis and experimentation and prepares you for a career. Students in the conservation and ecology degree program build a strong foundation in biology and a well-rounded background in conservation science, with an emphasis on ecological principles.

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The website URL for the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
Business and Environmental Studies, B.S.

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A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
In this novel program, we combine a traditional business core with 40-plus hours of environmental studies electives ensuring students understand the triple bottom line of people – planet – profits. The business and environmental studies degree is suited for students who want a well-rounded business experience complemented with rigorous environmental thought. Graduates seek business careers that sustain the natural environment and value social, environmental and cultural diversity. In this novel program, we combine a traditional business core with 40-plus hours of environmental studies electives ensuring students understand the triple bottom line of people – planet – profits. The business and environmental studies degree is suited for students who want a well-rounded business experience complemented with rigorous environmental thought. Graduates seek business careers that sustain the natural environment and value social, environmental and cultural diversity.

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The website URL for the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
None
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program(s):
Biological Science (General): http://www.fit.edu/programs/7022/bs-biological-sciences-general#.WCosPk3ru70 Biological Science (Aquaculture): http://www.fit.edu/programs/7026/bs-biological-sciences-aquaculture#.WCosRk3ru70 Biological Science (Marine Biology): http://www.fit.edu/programs/7023/bs-biological-sciences-marine#.WCosPE3ru70 Biological Science (Biomedical Sciences): http://www.fit.edu/programs/7091/bs-biological-sciences-biomedical-science#.WCouhU3ru70 Environmental Science: http://www.fit.edu/programs/7222/bs-environmental-science#.WCosBE3ru70 Interdisciplinary Science: http://www.fit.edu/programs/7035/bs-interdisciplinary-science#.WCor2U3ru70 Oceanography: http://www.fit.edu/programs/7080/bs-oceanography#.WCorzE3ru70 Ocean Engineering: http://www.fit.edu/programs/7084/bs-ocean-engineering#.WCoryk3ru70 STEM Education: http://www.fit.edu/programs/7155/bs-stem-education/classes#.WCosa03ru70 Biomathematics: http://www.fit.edu/programs/7078/bs-biomathematics#.WCouo03ru70

Minors, Concentrations and Certificates

Does the institution offer one or more sustainability-focused minors, concentrations or certificates for undergraduate students?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Sustainability, Minor

A brief description of the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Florida Tech’s Minor in Sustainability is available to undergraduates from any of the colleges on campus. Since 2010, students from 25 majors from all five colleges have completed this program. The minor consists of 7 courses (3 required, 4 elective) that total 19 credits. The required courses are: Introduction to Sustainability (ISC 1500, 3 credits), Sustainability Project Design (ISC 3999, 1 credit), Applied Sustainability (ISC 4000, 3 credits) For the remaining 4 elective courses, students take 1 course within each of these 4 topic areas: Environmental Sciences, Business, Technology, and Social Sciences/Humanities. FIT has over 80 eligible courses among these four sustainability topic areas.

The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:

Additional Minors, Concentrations and Certificates (optional) 

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Aviation Environmental Science, Minor

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A brief description of the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
College of Aviation students have a new Aviation Environmental Science Minor option. The four required courses are: AVM 1000 Introduction to Aviation or AVT 1001 Aeronautics 1, AVM 3201 Aviation Planning, AVS 2402 Introduction to Aviation Environmental Science, AVS 4402 Aviation Sustainability. Electives involve taking two courses of these options: AVM 3202 Airport Design, AVS 1201 Aviation Meteorology, ENS 3101 Atmospheric Environments, ENS 4300 Renewable Energy and the Environment.

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The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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A brief description of the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused undergraduate 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:
Data from Melbourne campus only, not Online or Extended Studies. Data sourced from the Florida Institute of Technology website

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.