Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 71.55
Liaison Kelsey Beal
Submission Date Jan. 18, 2024

STARS v2.2

Indiana University Bloomington
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Kelsey Beal
Sustainbility Analyst
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one ​sustainability-focused​ major, degree, or certificate program for undergraduate students?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program:
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science (BSES)

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program:

The BSES is science-focused undergraduate degree that provides training for students interested in studying the environment and solving environmental problems. The BSES is a joint degree program between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), which means that students have access to a large selection of courses on a wide range of environmental topics. More than 40 faculty and instructors across IU are involved in delivering the environmental science courses taken by BSES students.

The BSES curriculum provides an interdisciplinary approach to environmental problems, using knowledge and tools from many of the traditional sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, geology, hydrology, mathematics, meteorology, or physics). At the same time, students are encouraged to think broadly about environmental problems, including the relationships between science, policy, and management. Students often pursue minors, certificates, or second degrees in disciplinary fields related to environmental science.


Website URL for the undergraduate degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Geography - Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

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

The B.A. major in geography provides a strong liberal arts degree focusing on the major subject areas of geography while maintaining a great deal of flexibility. In an era of rapid environmental change and globalization, with issues like climate change driving us to understand how to function more sustainably, geography is an important and useful degree. Geography courses form a central component of liberal arts and science education, but also provide the skills and knowledge necessary for careers in environmental science and management and related fields.


Website URL for the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
Geography - Bachelor of Science in Geography (B.S.)

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

The B.S. degree in geography provides additional science and quantitative requirements that prepare science-oriented students for graduate school and science-related jobs at the bachelor’s degree level. In an era of rapid environmental change and globalization, with issues like climate change driving us to understand how to function more sustainably, geography is an important and useful degree. Geography courses form a central component of liberal arts and science education, but also provide the skills and knowledge necessary for careers in environmental science and management and related fields.


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?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration:
Minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies

A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration:

Understanding human-environment interactions and their connection with ecological, societal, and economic processes at local, regional, and global scales is a core competency in today’s world. The study of sustainability bridges the arts and humanities, social sciences, and the physical and life sciences. It complements traditional disciplines by offering an opportunity for education in the area of coupled natural and human systems that encompasses study of the environment, society, and economy. The minor, awarded jointly by the College of Arts and Science and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, is administered by the Integrated Program in the Environment. The curriculum of the Environmental and Sustainability Studies minor is designed to provide students a broad introduction to the complex system-scale challenges of sustainability as well as the tools needed to address problems that transcend solely social or environmental domains. It combines introductory coursework with classes on human-environment systems.


Website URL for the undergraduate minor or concentration:
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration (2nd program):
Minor in Environmental Health

A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration (2nd program):

"Foundational Environmental Health Courses (6 cr.):

Complete the following course:

SPH-V 241 Foundations of Environmental Health (3 cr.) +N&M

Complete one of the following courses:

SPH-V 201 Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health (3 cr.)
SPH-V 214 Environmental Regulations and Code Compliance (3 cr.)
SPH-V 215 Food Safety and Sanitation (3 cr.)
SPH-V 235 Introduction to Health Biology (3 cr.)

Environmental Health Elective Courses (9 cr.):

Complete three courses from the following:

SPH-V 341 Environmental Health Management and Policy (3 cr.)
SPH-V 350 Current Topics in Environmental and Occupational Health (3 cr.)
SPH-V 360 Environmental Justice (3 cr.)
SPH-V 422 Issues in Global Health Environmental Health (3 cr.)
SPH-V 442 Introduction to Toxicology (3 cr.)
SPH-V 443 Environmental Sampling and Analysis (3 cr.)"


Website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):
Minor in Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Human Ecology

A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):

"Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Human Ecology Core Courses (6 cr.):
Complete each of the following courses:

SPH-O 210 Introduction to Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Human Ecology (3 cr.)
SPH-O 244 Natural History and Field Ecology (3 cr.) or SPH-O 279 Outdoor Adventure Education (3 cr.)

Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Human Ecology Elective Courses (9 cr.):
Complete three of the following courses:

SPH-O 305 Integrated Resource Management (3 cr.)
SPH-O 313 Wilderness and Protected Lands (3 cr.)
SPH-O 318 Outdoor Recreation Consortium (3 cr.)
SPH-O 324 Outdoor Experiential Education: Instructional Techniques (3 cr.)
SPH-O 340 Interpretation and Tour Guiding (3 cr.)
SPH-O 341 Field Techniques in Environmental Education (3 cr.)
SPH-O 360 Human Health and Natural Environments (3 cr.)
SPH-O 413 Applications in Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Human Ecology (3 cr.)"


Website URL for the undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused undergraduate minors and concentrations:

Public Health Certificates, including Certificate in Environmental Studies: https://bulletins.iu.edu/iu/spea-ugrad/2021-2022/programs/bloomington/certificates.shtml

Minors of note within the College of Arts & Sciences:
• Minor in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: https://bulletin.college.indiana.edu/programs/4215/EASMIN/
• Minor in Environmental Science: https://bulletin.college.indiana.edu/programs/4215/ENVSCIMIN/
• Minor in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing: https://bulletin.college.indiana.edu/programs/4215/GISRSMIN/

Minors of note within the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs: https://bulletins.iu.edu/iu/spea-ugrad/2020-2021/programs/bloomington/minors.shtml
• Environmental and Sustainability Studies
• Environmental Management
• Environmental Science
• Environmental Science and Health
• Urban Planning and Community Development
• Water Resources Science, Policy, and Management


Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Schools List
https://www.indiana.edu/academics/schools.html

IU Academic Bulletins
https://bulletins.iu.edu/iub/index.html

Integrated Program in the Environment
https://environment.indiana.edu/index.html

College of Arts and Sciences Department/Program List
https://bulletin.college.indiana.edu/departments/index.html

School of Public and Environmental Affairs Degree List
https://spea.indiana.edu/undergraduate/degrees-majors/index.html


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.