Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 73.38
Liaison Brandon Trelstad
Submission Date Dec. 9, 2022

STARS v2.2

Oregon State University
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Leticia Cavazos
Sustainability Program Specialist
Sustainability Office
"---" 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:
Sustainability Double Degree

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program:

Students working toward any major at Oregon State can earn a double degree in Sustainability concurrently with their first degree. As a result, students from majors as diverse as Business Administration, Public Health, Civil Engineering, and Art come together to learn and imagine a better world in the Sustainability program. Unlike students working toward a double major, double degree students actually receive a second Bachelor's degree (B.S.) at graduation. Individuals who have already graduated with a Bachelor's degree can enroll in the Sustainability program as post-baccalaureate students.

Students who graduate with the double degree will be able to integrate knowledge from their major with concepts and practices of sustainability. They will communicate effectively with multiple audiences, work collaboratively with multiple and conflicting interests, and apply content-level knowledge of economic, business, scientific, and sociological principles of sustainability to an ongoing practice of sustainable thinking and action.


Website URL for the undergraduate degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Environmental Sciences

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

Environmental sciences are central to the mission of Oregon State University - a university with extensive programs related to the environment and wide use of natural resources. OSU is only one of two U.S. universities recognized as a land-, sea-, space- and sun-grant institution. OSU has exceptional strength in many of the disciplines that are required to provide a high-quality interdisciplinary education for future environmental scientists and to provide continuing post-graduate education to scientists who are already active in the field.

The Environmental Sciences Program builds on these institutional strengths offering a BS degree, a MS degree, and a Ph.D.

Strong academic units closely related to environmental science span the university and can provide resources to students. OSU offers comprehensive instructional programs in agriculture, engineering, public health, forestry, biology and the oceanic, atmospheric and earth sciences, and social sciences. Research centers provide focal points for those faculty and students interested in interdisciplinary topics. The presence of state and federal agencies, such as the Corvallis Environmental Protection Agency Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Forest Service provide unique opportunities for developing undergraduate and graduate research partnerships benefiting Environmental Sciences students.


Website URL for the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
Natural Resources

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

The Natural Resources (NR) Bachelor of Science degree program provides students with a detailed working knowledge of natural resources, their diversity and interdependence, and the critical relationships between humans and their environment. The program of study is interdisciplinary in nature, encompassing a broad spectrum of coursework, while mixing natural resources disciplines from colleges across campus, to include the Colleges of Agricultural Science, Forestry, Liberal Arts, and Science. Because of its flexibility, this program provides students the opportunity to combine areas of particular personal and/or professional interest, maximizing exposure to key natural resources issues and challenges.


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:
Natural Resource and Environmental Law and Policy Minor

A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration:

The student pursuing this option will be able to communicate the process and results of economic analysis of environmental and natural resource issues through a variety of written and oral methods; and demonstrate the powers and constraints of US legal structures and policy tools to address environmental and natural resource issues.


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

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

The renewable materials minor exposes students to the world of renewable materials science and technology, and enables them to enhance their education by gaining a specialization that makes them more competitive for careers associated with green materials and allied industries.


Website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):
Bioproducts and Bioenergy Option

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

The Bioproducts and Bioenergy option is concerned with the innovative discovery and production of biomaterials (e.g. biodegradable plastics and composites), bioenergy (e.g. fuel ethanol, hydrogen and biodiesel), or biochemicals (e.g. antibiotics, pharmaceuticals and herbicides) from plant, animal, or microbial biomass. Switching to an economy where the basic building blocks for materials, chemicals, and energy are derived from renewable biological resources could improve health, transform manufacturing practices, increase agricultural productivity, boost rural economies, and mitigate climate change. Students in this option will be prepared for interesting careers in industry and bioinnovation, as well as graduate programs.


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

Students may earn a Sustainability Minor after completing 27 credits of required and elective courses. The minor is administered in concert with the Sustainability Double Degree program at OSU: http://agsci.oregonstate.edu/sustainabilitydd

Environmental and Natural Resource option for Sociology
https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/spp/sociology/programs/undergraduate-programs/environmental-and-natural-resource

Sustainable Ecosystems option for Agricultural Sciences
https://catalog.oregonstate.edu/college-departments/agricultural-sciences/bioresource-research-bs-hbs/sustainable-ecosystems-option/


Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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