Michigan State University
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

The Department of Community Sustainability offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Parks, Recreation and Tourism (SPRT). By combining a body of specialized professional knowledge with the study of natural, social, management and behavioral sciences, the program provides an opportunity for students to obtain a broad, interdisciplinary education that emphasizes a professional area of knowledge integrated with the tenets of sustainability. The SPRT major is designed to prepare students for professional positions related to the management and enjoyment of the outdoors. Such positions include management of public parks, forests and protected areas, non-profit organizational land and facilities such as camps and commercial enterprises that provide goods and services to outdoor enthusiasts. Meeting people’s outdoor leisure needs, enhancing the quality of life and providing sustainable economic and social development are hallmarks of the SPRT major. Students in the SPRT major will acquire an understanding of natural resource recreation and tourism that integrates sustainability and effectively links theory with practice while engaging the community. This includes concepts of leisure, tourism, recreation and sustainability, as well as the operation of recreation delivery systems, policy, administration, management, planning and evaluation.

The ESS program of study is concerned with who uses natural resources, how they use them, and how positive outcomes of use can be enhanced and negative impacts can be mitigated. It examines resource use and allocation through the lenses of community engagement, sustainability and environmental justice. Students benefit from a broad range of interdisciplinary courses, as well as disciplinary and methods courses carefully selected to enhance students’ technical knowledge.

Students in the AFNRE program who wish to become secondary school teachers must also apply for the Secondary Education Teacher Preparation Program in the Department of Teacher Education, College of Education. Graduates of the AFNRE program who have also completed the Secondary Education Teacher Preparation program will be prepared to enter a fifth-year professional teaching internship. After completing the internship and additional courses in the Secondary Education Teacher Preparation program they will be eligible to apply for provisional teacher certification. Those majors who are not admitted into the Secondary Education Teacher Preparation program will have a broad technical background grounded with a social science foundation preparing them for a variety of careers within government, private industry, non-profit organizations, public relations and communications, or to enter a professional or graduate school program upon completion of the bachelor’s degree.

Residential Initiative on the Study of the Environment (RISE) - http://naturalscience.msu.edu/students/rise/ Knight Center for Environmental Journalism - http://j-school.jrn.msu.edu/kc/ Biosystems Engineering (BE) - http://www.egr.msu.edu/bae/ Chemical Engineering and Materials Science- http://www.chems.msu.edu/ Fisheries and Wildlife - http://www.fw.msu.edu/ Forestry - http://www.for.msu.edu/ Environmental Geography - http://geo.msu.edu/undergraduate-information/undergraduate-degrees-2/ Sustainable and Organic Horticulture - http://www.hrt.msu.edu/degree-requirements/ Crop and Soil Sciences - http://www.psm.msu.edu/ Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities - http://globalstudies.msu.edu/ Packaging -http://www.packaging.msu.edu/

The Minor in Science, Technology, Environment and Public Policy (STEPPS) is available as an elective to students who are enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs at Michigan State University. The minor will expose students to policy-making processes at the local, state ,national and international levels; examine historical trends and analyze social relationships; build a strong understanding of scientific principles used to formulate sound policy initiatives; and facilitate a linkage between policy-making and science, technology and the environment.

The minor offers students the opportunity to integrate knowledge of social, biological and physical sciences, natural resources and eco systems to sustainably manage for outcomes that include outdoor recreation.

The minor in environmental and sustainability studies is available as an elective to all students who are enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs at Michigan State University. Students completing the minor will gain knowledge and skills essential for understanding the biological and physical environment that is inhabited and influenced by humans; managing complex interactions between humans and natural systems; and understanding how policy making impacts and shapes environmental and sustainability outcomes.

Specialization in Connected Learning: Bailey Scholars Program https://www.canr.msu.edu/bsp/; Specialization in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems; Specialization in Envrionmental Economics;specialization in agribusiness management

https://sustainability.msu.edu/campus-information/sustainability-academics/index.html