Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.66
Liaison Enid Cardinal
Submission Date March 30, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Rochester Institute of Technology
AC-4: Graduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Sarah Dobie
Student staff
Office of the president
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one sustainability-focused major, degree program, or the equivalent for graduate students (I.e. an interdisciplinary academic program that concentrates on sustainability as an integrated concept)?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program:
PhD Sustainability

A brief description of the graduate-level degree program:

This broadly defined multidisciplinary program is designed for students who are driven to become sustainability change agents within organizations worldwide, including industry (executive management, product development, manufacturing & remanufacturing, supply chain management, and service), executive and legislative branches of government, nongovernmental agencies, academic institutions, professional associations, financial and investment communities, the indemnification industry, and legal profession.

Graduates will have skills in such diverse areas as development of sustainable product and manufacturing systems, industrial ecology, economics of sustainability, risk analysis of sustainable systems, and multi-criteria decision making. They will study methodologies such as life cycle assessment, environmental risk and impact assessment, design for the environment, pollution prevention, closed loop supply chain management, and product life assessment, and apply these in their research. The development of the Ph.D. program was funded in part by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.

The Ph.D. program focuses on sustainable production systems — systems that create goods and services using processes that are: non-polluting; conserving of energy and natural resources; economically viable; and safe and healthful for workers, communities, and consumers. Coursework and research takes a systems level and interdisciplinary approach to solving seemingly intractable sustainability problems, as opposed to single disciplinary and locally optimized approaches destined to yield marginal positive impacts.


The website URL for the graduate-level degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (2nd program):
M.S. Sustainable Systems

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

Like the Ph.D. program, the M.S. degree program focuses on systems that create goods and services using processes that are: non-polluting; conserving of energy and natural resources; economically viable; and safe and healthful for workers, communities, and consumers. Coursework and research takes a systems level and interdisciplinary approach to solving seemingly intractable sustainability problems, as opposed to single disciplinary and locally optimized approaches destined to yield marginal positive impacts. Several tracks are available to students:

Sustainable Manufacturing – the development of processes and logistics that reduce the environmental footprint of products in the manufacturing stage and promote the recovery of materials and embodied energy in products at their end-of-life.

Sustainable Mobility – the creation of vehicle systems and fuels that reduce energy consumption and draw on renewable sources of energy.

Sustainable Energy Systems – the development and management of energy systems that rely heavily on renewable sources.

Sustainable Built Environments – specifying and monitoring high performance buildings.

Graduates of this program will be prepared to undertake or continue careers in their chosen fields with an understanding of basic sustainability principles and the expertise to analyze and solve complex sustainability issues.


The website URL for the graduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (3rd program):
M.S. of Architecture

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

At a time of significant transition for the architectural profession, the Master of Architecture degree allows for full incorporation of the skills and knowledge critical to the 21st century architect. The program’s purpose is to produce broad-thinking architects well-grounded in the principles and practices of sustainability who can apply their knowledge and talents to the architectural problems posed by the modern city.

The M.Arch. program is designed primarily for students with a broad range of interests and backgrounds who are interested in studying architecture at the graduate level, and whose undergraduate degrees were obtained in fields both inside and outside of architecture. The program’s curriculum has been shaped by the global emphasis of sustainability, factors that impact urbanism, and the hands-on application of the principles of design and technology on materials and construction.


The website URL for the graduate degree program (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused graduate-level degree programs:
Does the institution offer one or more graduate-level sustainability-focused minors, concentrations or certificates?:
Yes

Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate:
Science, Technology, and Public Policy (Energy or Environmental policy concentration)

A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:

The department offers an innovative, interdisciplinary master of science degree in science, technology and public policy, with an emphasis on engineering, science and technology policy. The program builds on RIT’s strengths as a technological university, enabling students to interact with faculty members and researchers who are working on scientific developments and technological innovations that drive new public policy considerations.

All students take a set of policy core courses that emphasize analysis, problem solving and interdisciplinary approaches. Students work with an adviser to choose electives that focus their policy studies in a particular area, such as environmental policy, telecommunications policy or energy policy.


The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
MS Business Administration (Environmentally Sustainable Management Concentration)

A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):

Saunders MBA program is recognized by many national and international rankings. US News & World Report 2017 Best Business School Rankings place Saunders #91 nationally among 470 MBA programs. Out of all nationally ranked schools, Saunders is tied for #6 for Full-time graduates employed three months after graduation, with a 96.4% placement rate.

The program includes Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics as one of its core courses, as well as an Environmentally Sustainable Management track. The Environmentally Sustainable Management track includes courses in economics, industrial engineering, sustainable systems, public policy, and community sustainable development.


The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
Mechanical Engineering

A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):

The Mechanical Engineering Master degree has four focus areas, one of which is Sustainability. For this focus area, students are required to take three of the following classes: Renewable Energy Systems, Sustainable Energy Management, Alternative Fuels and Energy, Fundamentals of Sustainability Engineering, Life Cycle Assessment, and Design for the Environment.


The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other graduate-level, sustainability-focused minors, concentrations and certificates:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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