Oregon State University
AC-3: Undergraduate 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.

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 one of the only 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, social sciences, and the oceanic, atmospheric and earth 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.

The Natural Resources (NR) Bachelor of Science degree program provides students with a detailed working knowledge of natural resources, their diversity, 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.

Climate Science
https://catalog.oregonstate.edu/college-departments/earth-ocean-atmospheric-sciences/climate-science-bs-hbs/

Ecological Engineering
https://bee.oregonstate.edu/biological-and-ecological-engineering/ecological-engineering-undergraduate-program

Environmental Economics and Policy
https://appliedecon.oregonstate.edu/appliedecon/environmental-economics-and-policy-major

Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences
https://fwcs.oregonstate.edu/fisheries-and-wildlife/bachelor-science-fisheries-and-wildlife-sciences-corvallis

Tourism, Recreation + Adventure Leadership
https://www.forestry.oregonstate.edu/undergraduate-programs/tral

Food Science and Sustainable Technologies
https://foodsci.oregonstate.edu/foodsci/academics/undergraduate-program

Environmental Engineering
https://cbee.oregonstate.edu/node/92

Forestry
https://www.forestry.oregonstate.edu/undergraduate-programs/forestry

Forest Engineering
https://www.forestry.oregonstate.edu/undergraduate-programs/forest-engineering-degree

Marine Studies
https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/MAST

Wood Innovation for Sustainability
https://wse.forestry.oregonstate.edu/undergraduate-programs/wins

Energy Systems Engineering only at Cascades campus
https://osucascades.edu/academics/energy-systems-engineering

Outdoor Products only at Cascades campus
https://osucascades.edu/academics/outdoor-products

The student pursuing this minor 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.

The Conservation, Resources, and Sustainability concentration in the Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Major helps students obtain a solid science base from which to examine environmental issues in terms of conservation approaches, resource management, and sustainability as science and policy.

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.

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

Alternative Energy option for Environmental Sciences
https://catalog.oregonstate.edu/college-departments/earth-ocean-atmospheric-sciences/environmental-sciences-bs-hbs/alternative-energy-option/

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

Social Justice minor
https://catalog.oregonstate.edu/college-departments/liberal-arts/school-language-culture-society/social-justice-minor/

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