Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 73.66
Liaison Amber Saxton
Submission Date Feb. 22, 2024

STARS v2.2

George Mason University
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 6.48 / 8.00 Greg Farley
Director of Sustainability
University Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution adopted one or more sustainability learning outcomes that apply to the entire student body or, at minimum, to the institution's predominant student body?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the sustainability learning outcomes?:
Sustainability-focused

A list of the institution level sustainability learning outcomes:

<p>Mason Core is Mason&rsquo;s general education program that builds the foundation for the Mason Graduate &ndash; an engaged citizen and well-rounded scholar who is prepared to act. Mason Core is a set of required courses that create the foundation of a student&rsquo;s undergraduate degree. It provides a breadth of liberal education courses, complementing the depth of knowledge and skills students build in their majors and minors. All undergraduates seeking a baccalaureate degree must complete Mason Core requirements. Mason Core prepares students for work in their majors and minors, for their careers, and for life-long learning. Foundation courses build key knowledge and skills needed for academic success. Exploration courses provide a breadth of learning across the university. Integration courses include upper-division courses that are designed to integrate knowledge and skills learned from Foundation and Exploration courses into the major. Courses are designed around learning outcomes that help develop the qualities we expect of all students graduating with a Bachelor&rsquo;s degree from George Mason University. Mason Core includes the following sustainability-focused science learning outcome: "Recognize and articulate the relationship between the natural sciences and society and the application of science to societal challenges (e.g., health, conservation, sustainability, energy, natural disasters, etc.)." All undergraduates seeking a baccalaureate degree must complete this Mason Core requirement. https://catalog.gmu.edu/mason-core/</p>


Total number of graduates from degree programs:
10,647

Number of graduates from degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:
633

A brief description of how the figure above was determined:

<p>In accordance with STARS' requirement 3 for Part 2, 'Students majoring in programs have adopted one or more sustainability-FOCUSED learning outcomes that reference the interdependence of ecological systems AND social/economic systems.' The figure above includes the total number of graduates from degree programs includes all undergraduate and graduate students who completed their degrees and graduated, in the 2022-2023 academic year. The number of graduates from degree programs and concentrations that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability includes all undergraduate students as well as all graduate students who have completed the programs and courses designated as Greenleaf which either focus on sustainability or require one sustainability-focused course. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning supplied the degree-awarded data.</p>


A list of degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:

<p>Atmospheric Sciences, BS Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, BS Community Health BS (Global Health conc) Conflict Analysis and Resolution BA, Environmental Conflict and Collaboration conc Earth Science (all degrees &amp; concentrations) Electrical Engineering BS (Power and Energy Systems conc) Electrical Engineering BS (Power Systems &amp; Smart Grid conc) Environmental and Sustainability Studies BA (all concs) Environmental Science, BS (all concentrations) Geology, BA Geology, BS Global Affairs, BA (all concentrations) Integrative Studies, BA, Social Justice and Human Rights Integrative Studies, BA, Women and Gender Studies Integrative Studies, BS, Applied Global Conservation Sociology BA Tourism and Events Management, BS Environmental GIS and Biodiversity Conservation CERG Environmental &amp; Sustainability Management CERG Atmospheric Science Minor Conservation Studies Minor (CHSS) Earth Science Minor Environmental Policy Minor Geology Minor Global Affairs Minor Paleontology Minor Sustainable Enterprise Minor Sustainability Studies Minor Bachelor's Degree (any)/Global Affairs, Accelerated MA Climate Science, MS Curriculum and Instruction MED, Secondary Ed - Earth Science conc Earth Systems Science MS Environmental Science and Policy, MS Global Affairs, MA Interdisciplinary Studies, MAIS, Energy and Sustainability concentration Public Administration, MPA, Environmental Science and Public Policy concentration Public Health, MS/MPH, Global Health conc Climate Dynamics, PhD Earth Systems and Geoinformation Sciences PhD Environmental Science and Public Policy, PhD</p>


Documentation supporting the figure reported above (upload):
Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
One

Percentage of students who graduate from programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:
5.95

Website URL where information about the sustainability learning outcomes is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

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.