| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.67 |
| Liaison | Julie Newman |
| Submission Date | Sept. 30, 2021 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
AC-3: Undergraduate Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
MIT
Office of Sustainability Director Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution offer at least one sustainability-focused major, degree, or certificate program for undergraduate students?:
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program:
A brief description of the undergraduate degree program:
Those students who choose to major in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning earn a Bachelor of Science in Planning (SB), an interdisciplinary pre-professional major designed to prepare students for careers in both the public and private sectors. It also provides a sound foundation for students intending to do graduate work in law, public policy, economic development, urban design, management, and planning. Majors take a set of common core courses, complemented by further course work in one of three streams: urban and environmental policy and planning; urban society, history and politics or urban and regional public policy. The courses in the major teach students how the tools of economics, policy analysis, political science, and urban design can be used to solve social and environmental problems in the United States and abroad. In addition, students learn the skills and responsibilities of planners who seek to promote effective and equitable social change.
The Department of Urban Studies and Planning offers many possibilities for creating a concentration tailored to a student's needs and interests in the following categories.
Designing the Urban Environment
Environmental Policy
Urban History & Society
Policy Analysis and Urban Problems
International Development
Education
Website URL for the undergraduate degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
The Civil and Environmental Engineering degree is designed to prepare students to make an impact in solving the world’s greatest challenges. The program offers possibilities to select tracks of study for in-depth exploration of particular areas, or to focus on cross-cutting, multidisciplinary studies within and outside the department in emerging areas of civil and environmental engineering, broadly defined. The undergraduate program provides significant flexibility through a track structure that is consistent with the diverse nature of our disciplinary groups and responsive to students' interests in new educational offerings. The program is built around a solid foundation in mathematics, big data, sensing, and computing, and is complemented by laboratory subjects on data analysis. It includes a capstone subject that provides ample opportunities for students to solve complex problems. The program enables students to design individualized programs to meet particular educational objectives. For example, students interested in careers in fields such as sustainability, environmental science and engineering, microbiology, sustainable materials, geochemistry, energy resources, structural/architectural engineering, oceanography, or environmental law can design programs that provide both depth and breadth.
Website URL for the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
The Course 2 Mechanical Engineering program provides a broad intellectual foundation in the field of mechanical engineering. It develops the relevant engineering fundamentals, provides several experiences in their application, and introduces the important methods and techniques of engineering practice. Course 2-A is a twist on the traditional Course 2 degree, allowing a customizable curriculum in which students can hone in on their personal interests, such as robotics, entrepreneurship, energy, or sustainability.
Two tracks are possible in the Sustainable and Global Development program. One track, in Engineering for Sustainability, is intended for students interested in work on sustainability in the context of U.S. industry or in other industrialized settings. The other track, in Engineering for International Development, is intended for students interested in applications of technology for the developing world.
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?:
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration:
A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration:
MIT's Environment and Sustainability minor launched in the fall of 2017.
The design of the Minor encompasses four focus areas—Earth System and Climate Science, Environmental Governance, Engineering for Sustainability, and Environmental History and Culture. Together with existing foundational subjects in ecological science and social perspectives on environment and sustainability, the four areas comprise a flexible multidisciplinary architecture in which students will be able to build both breadth and depth to complement their major area of study. Students must complete two core classes and can choose from 3 electives, either from one focus area described below or from across multiple focus areas.
Earth System and Environmental Science involves ecology, earth, and climate science, providing students with knowledge and understanding of the physical processes that govern our Earth and climate as well as the quantitative tools needed to analyze them.
Environmental Governance imparts knowledge of and expertise in laws and regulation, economics, policy and politics, and business and organizational strategies for environmental management, including the tools we have at our disposal to address environmental concerns.
Engineering for Sustainability addresses the critical importance of incorporating the principles of sustainability and industrial ecology in engineering teaching and practice, as well as forward-looking analysis of emerging technologies.
Environmental History and Culture leverages diverse humanities, arts, and social sciences to explore anthropogenic transformation of the environment through history and across geographies, demonstrate how the environment shapes society, and wrestle with how to re-position humankind within the global ecosystem.
Website URL for the undergraduate minor or concentration:
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration (2nd program):
A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration (2nd program):
The Energy Studies Minor grounds students in the triple challenge of energy—producing more energy for more people while removing carbon emissions from the energy system. You will gain an integrative understanding of energy and develop the skills required of tomorrow’s energy professionals, leaders, and innovators in research, industry, policy, management, and governance.
As an Energy Studies Minor student, you will engage directly with the complex reality of energy through a core of foundational subjects in the domains of energy science, technology, economics, and social science. Research interests and career paths of minors have encompassed thin-film solar panels, smart grids, conservation and efficiency, policy and economics, electricity transmission and storage, hydrogen fuel cells, traditional oil and gas, and more.
Website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):
A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):
The Civil and Environmental Systems minor is brand new for 2016-2017 and is unique because it combines principles and knowledge from across civil, environmental and systems engineering into a hyper-concentrated study focused on both the built and natural worlds.
The Minor in Civil and Environmental Systems consists of the following subjects:
1.020 Engineering Sustainability: Analysis and Design
1.022 Introduction to Network Models
1.041 Transportation Systems Modeling
1.075 Water Resource Systems
1.101 Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering Design I
1.102 Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering Design II
Website URL for the undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused undergraduate minors and concentrations:
Undergraduate minor in Environmental Engineering Science
https://cee.mit.edu/education/undergraduate/undergraduate-minors/
Environmental Concentration in Chemical Engineering
https://cheme.mit.edu/10-eng-environmental/
Environmental and Toxicological Studies Concentration in Biological Engineering
https://be.mit.edu/academic-programs/current-undergraduate/concentrations
Environment core focus in Civil and Environmental Engineering
https://cee.mit.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-degrees/
Environmental Policy Concentration in Urban Studies and Planning
http://dusp.mit.edu/degrees/undergraduate
Environmental Systems Concentration in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
https://eapsweb.mit.edu/majors/new-degree-chart
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.