SUNY Buffalo State
AC-2: Undergraduate Programs

One General Education Learning Outcome (Buffalo State/SUNY) has a sustainability focus:   https://generaleducation.buffalostate.edu/gen-ed-2023-narrative-forms

All undergraduate students must complete a course that satisfies this student learning outcome to graduate

Students will:

demonstrate an understanding of the structures, systems, and interrelationships among civilizations and cultures within historical and/or contemporary contexts, and their impact on wellbeing and sustainability.

Three Buffalo State Institutional Learning Outcomes support sustainability:

I. Cultural fluency - Graduates will be aware of how ideas are shaped by cultures and social norms and be able to engage with ideas different from or in conflict with their own; students will be aware of cultural, societal, and institutional factors influencing assumptions, prejudices, and privileges. 
II. Urban engagement - Graduates, leveraging their experiences in Buffalo State’s distinctive urban setting, will understand how to interact meaningfully in their communities and possess the skills to be wise, productive, and responsible citizens.
IV. Ethical reasoning - Graduates will deliberate ethical values and principles and apply them in ambiguous, complex, and controversial contexts. They will be conscientious persons, students, and professionals.

Four General Education Learning Outcomes (Buffalo State/SUNY) support sustainability:  https://generaleducation.buffalostate.edu/gen-ed-2023-narrative-forms

Students will:
1. describe the historical and contemporary societal factors that shape the development of individual and group identity involving race, class, and gender, sexual orientation, disability, and other factors;
2. analyze the role that complex networks of social structures and systems play in the creation and perpetuation of the dynamics of power, privilege, oppression, and opportunity; and
3. apply the principles of rights, access, equity, and autonomous participation to past, current, or future social justice action.
4. demonstrate an understanding of the methods scientists use to explore natural phenomena, including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of data analysis or mathematical modeling

1. Environmental Geography BS

Catalog Description

Environmental Geography is a subfield in geography that explores human-environment interactions. The B.S. in Environmental Geography provides students with the opportunity to study how humans impact, manage, and conserve the natural environment, including landforms, water and soil resources, climate, and plant and animal communities. Courses in the program focus on understanding processes and patterns in the natural environment, as well as quantitative analysis and applied, hands-on experiences in the classroom and in the field.  The program emphasizes the use of geographic tools, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing, to prepare students with the skills to identify, explain, and find meaning in human-environment interactions.

2. Urban and Regional Planning BS

Urban Planning specifically addresses the sustainability challenges articulated in UN SDG 11 "Sustainable Cities and Communities." 

Urban Planning is a discipline that emphasizes the interdependence of ecologic and social/cultural/economic systems.  The following courses are included in the curriculum:

Sustainability Focused:

PLN 215 Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning
PLN 341 Housing and Equitable Urbanism
PLN 350 Planning for Sustainable Communities

Sustainability Inclusive:

PLN 310 Urban Geography
GEG 305 Principles of Economic Geography

3. Health and Wellness BS

Health and Wellness uses a systems approach to address the challenges articulated in UN SDG 3 "Good Health and Well-being." It includes program-level SLOs and requires sustainability-focused courses for all students.

1. Environment and Society Minor

Catalog description:

The Minor in Environment and Society offers students an opportunity for comprehensive interdisciplinary study of "human-environment" interactions, providing the skills to think holistically about environmental problems and solutions. The "core" courses are particularly geared toward developing an understanding of the environment as socially constructed and interactive rather than as an objective reality.

2. Environmental Science Minor

Catalog description:

The environmental science minor is designed to provide a broad base of knowledge in the various natural science disciplines that compose environmental science. The minor gives students the background necessary to understand and evaluate complex environmental issues. The program also provides a basic understanding of the interrelationships of the physical, biological, and human dimensions of the environment.

3. Social Welfare Minor

Catalog description:

The academic portion examines the historical socio-cultural significance of citizenship, poverty, social welfare, diversity, and market economies and develops skills to solve local and global problems. The minor curriculum serves to enhance the student’s preparation for careers in the government, non-profits, law, politics, health, and social planning.  Social Welfare minors will not be able to practice as social workers.

4. Environmental Science and Society Certificate 

Catalog description:

The Environmental Science and Society certificate will enhance the preparation of students for careers in the environmental field. Students will learn to use problem-oriented, interdisciplinary approaches to recognize, comprehend and resolve complex environmental issues. Coursework will address the ethical, social, and historical context for environmental issues and the associations between human and natural systems.

5. Health Promotions Science Certificate (addresses UN SDG 3)

Catalog description:

Health Promotion Sciences is founded on a social-ecological framework that utilizes a strategic combination of health promotion approaches (environmental, universal, selected, and indicated) specifically designed to improve health outcomes for an entire population. The health promotion sciences curriculum expands on traditional health education to identify and change policies, sociocultural norms, and systemic biases that contribute to poor health in populations. All coursework utilizes applied learning experiences through faculty-directed research, community-based learning, internships, and cooperative education. Graduates are prepared for careers in regional and local health promotion programs in business, industry, nonprofit agencies, government, health-care organizations, as well as health planning and improvement agencies.

The following undergraduate majors require sustainability-focused courses for all graduates or have a program-level learning outcome.

1. Biology BA

The Biology BA at Buffalo State requires numerous courses focusing on ecology. It includes an Aquatic Biology Track that includes several courses that are sustainability- focused or -inclusive, such as:

BIO 213 Introduction to Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
BIO 315 Ecology 
BIO 375 Global Change Biology
BIO 418 Limnology
BIO 429 Fisheries Biology

2. Biology B.S.

BIO 213 Introduction to Ecology, Evolution and Behavior

3. Anthropology BA

ANT 101 Understanding Culture

4. Dietetics BS

Program level learning outcome and numerous sustainability-inclusive courses required

5. Earth Sciences BS

GES 428 Geological Hazards
Most students take other sustainability-focused courses (oceanography, environmental Earth science, Natural Hazards, Meteorology)

6. Geography BA

Program level learning outcome and numerous sustainability-inclusive courses required and several optional sustainability-focused course options.

SLO:
Students will:

demonstrate the ability to answer questions by synthesizing geographic knowledge (i.e., Six Elements of Geography: A spatial world view; place and regions; physical systems; human systems; environment and society; and the uses of geography)

7. Geology BS

GES 428 Geological Hazards

The following minor programs require a sustainability-focused course:

1. Biology minor

BIO 213 Introduction to Ecology, Evolution and Behavior

2. Urban and Regional Planning Minor

PLN 215-Introduction to Urban & Regional Planning

3. Urban Civic Education Minor

SPF 366 Cultural Proficiency and Public Achievement

4. Meteorology and Climate Minor

GEG 478 Global Change

5. Indigenous Studies Minor (discontinued in 2024)

ANT 101 Understanding Culture

6. Anthropology Minor

ANT 101 Understanding Culture

Student numbers are the average of academic years Fall 2021- Spring 2023. AY 2023-2024 data not available at time of submission.