Overall Rating Reporter - expired
Overall Score
Liaison Carolyn Shafer
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Pratt Institute
AC-1: Academic Courses

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Reporter Carl Zimring
Professor of Sustainability Studies
Social Science and Cultural Studies
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures required to calculate the percentage of courses offered by the institution that are sustainability course offerings:
Undergraduate Graduate
Total number of courses offered by the institution 3,424 1,550
Number of sustainability courses offered 136 22
Number of courses offered that include sustainability 188 75

Percentage of courses that are sustainability course offerings:
8.46

Total number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer courses (at any level):
28

Number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer at least one sustainability course and/or course that includes sustainability (at any level):
11

Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings:
39.29

A copy of the institution’s inventory of its sustainability course offerings and descriptions:
Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
One

A brief description of the methodology used to determine the total number of courses offered and to identify sustainability course offerings, including the definitions used and the process for reviewing and/or validating the course inventory :

During the 2016/17 academic year, The Provost’s office and the Center for Sustainable Design Strategies (CSDS) launched a new initiative called the Departmental Sustainability Coordinator (DSC). Each DSCs role is to promote sustainability in their home department, focusing on enhancing the curriculum and promoting the achievements of students and faculty. The DSCs have worked with their chairs to identify opportunities as well as directly with faculty and students to provide resources and support. They have coordinated the department’s participation in Green Week in the spring.

As a group, the DSCs meet regularly to share resources and best practices. The DSCs represent departments in the Schools of Architecture, Art, Design, and Liberal Arts and Studies (the four largest schools). They have met monthly to determine which courses in each department are sustainability courses (having learning objectives specifically concerning social and environmental sustainability) and which courses have at least some sustainability content (this may include individual assignments, meetings, studio projects, or lectures within a course). In 2018, the DSC collected course data across participating departments for the 2017-18 academic year, counting each section offered as an individual course. The numbers for "Sustainability Courses" and "Courses Containing Sustainability" in the attached Excel inventory reflect the initial effort of this process, and we intend to use this as the baseline for future efforts. We post these numbers recognizing we may not have included sustainability-related courses in departments that did not submit inventories. The overall course numbers reflect the total number of sections offered across the Institute at the Undergraduate and Graduate levels.

The enclosed Excel file provides a breakdown of each reporting department's totals.


How were courses with multiple offerings or sections counted for the figures reported above?:
Each offering or section of a course was counted as an individual course

A brief description of how courses with multiple offerings or sections were counted (if different from the options outlined above):
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Are the following course types included in the inventory? :
Yes (included) or No (not included)
Internships Yes
Practicums No
Independent study Yes
Special topics Yes
Thesis / dissertation Yes
Clinical No
Physical education Yes
Performance arts Yes

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Data on courses collected by the individual departments through the Department Sustainability Coordinator initiative. The totals on the first page reflect those nine reports for sustainability courses and courses that contain sustainability. (It is likely that more such courses exist across the Institute, and one of our tasks for the future is accounting for them all.)

The data for total courses was generated by the Registrar's office for every single course offered (including physical education, internships, special topics, senior theses, and related courses); 1741 undergraduate courses in the fall semester; 1683 undergraduate courses in the spring semester; 777 graduate courses in the fall semester; 773graduate courses in the spring semester.


Data on courses collected by the individual departments through the Department Sustainability Coordinator initiative. The totals on the first page reflect those nine reports for sustainability courses and courses that contain sustainability. (It is likely that more such courses exist across the Institute, and one of our tasks for the future is accounting for them all.)

The data for total courses was generated by the Registrar's office for every single course offered (including physical education, internships, special topics, senior theses, and related courses); 1741 undergraduate courses in the fall semester; 1683 undergraduate courses in the spring semester; 777 graduate courses in the fall semester; 773graduate courses in the spring semester.

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.