Northland College
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Whether you aspire to be an activist, planner, or advocate, the sustainable community development (SCD) program presents you with the toolbox to create effective community change.

Our SCD major is one of the first of its kind in the nation. Through an interdisciplinary approach we examine the three pillars of sustainability—environmental, social, and economic—in a comprehensive and holistic manner, melding the concepts of community organizing, urban/rural/regional planning, local and international economic development, and ecological restoration.

Innovative interdisciplinary courses introduce you to the theory and practice of sustainable community development. Outside of the classroom you have the opportunity to apply theory, acquire additional skills, and gain work and research experience through volunteering, internships, study-abroad opportunities, and employment in the Center for Rural Communities.

The SCD major’s disciplinary range makes it attractive to employers in a variety of sectors. Past graduates have found immediate employment in governmental services, environmental consulting, urban and rural land-use planning, economic development, community development, business, and sustainability director positions. Coursework and applied research experience prepares students for graduate programs in sustainable development, public policy, agriculture, land use and transportation planning, and business as well as other more traditional programs in the social sciences and humanities.

Sustainable business explores consumer ecological and social concerns, ethical business practices, and the challenges and rewards of socially responsible business models. Through coursework and case studies, you will learn to recognize change by understanding that the consuming public is becoming increasingly concerned about these challenges to a sustainable world and to recognize market opportunities for sustainability-focused businesses. You will leave college prepared to enter the world of business and nonprofits.

With ecological restoration you get a rock-solid foundation in the synthesis of geology and biology and the importance of understanding the natural history of ecosystems. We will teach you the practical nuts-and-bolts of designing and implementing restoration plans—and give you a client to work with. This project integrates theory and practice in plant communities, design concepts, assessment techniques, and prescribed fire. You will graduate ready to apply your education to real-world challenges and to make a difference by working to restore the habitat, species diversity, and ecological integrity to degraded ecosystems. course list

In this major, you will build on the basics of entrepreneurship and ecological and social concerns through the creation of new enterprises and innovation in existing enterprises. Through coursework and case studies, you will learn to recognize change by understanding that the consuming public is becoming increasingly concerned about these challenges to a sustainable world and to recognize market opportunities for sustainability-focused businesses. You will leave college prepared to enter the world of socially responsible startups.

The field and practice of environmental education refers to both formal and non-formal efforts to teach about how natural environments function, how human behaviors shape and influence those natural functions, and how we can change our behaviors in order to sustain a healthy environment for the future of all living things.

Students with an environmental education minor are prepared to effectively teach participants of all ages and abilities, in outdoor as well as indoor settings.

The Climate Science minor helps students become informed citizens as they understand and articulate why climate change is happening. Students will study the interactions between Earth's atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere and learn how these interactions drive climate. They will also learn how climate is modeled and better understand policy and economics associated with climate change. Finally, students will consider what citizens can do to minimize and mitigate climate change.

orthland has made a huge—huge!—commitment to food sustainability by using the Real Food Standards with a goal spending twenty percent of our dining food budget on local foods by 2020. We have a state-of-the-art food processing facility and thriving on-campus gardens. We compost campus wide and take in food waste, leaves, wood shavings, and other organic material from community households and businesses to feed our commercial composter. Through all of this we’ve established lasting friendships with local farmers to form a network of opportunities for you.
With this minor, you will learn about sustainable agriculture from humanities, social science, and natural science perspectives; explore the production and distribution of food on field trips, in the campus gardens, and in the classroom; and will put that knowledge into practice during a field-based practicum course with local farmers and community partners. The environmental impacts of both conventional and sustainable agriculture is a recurrent theme throughout the minor.