Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.58
Liaison Derek Nichols
Submission Date Dec. 14, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University at Buffalo
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Ann Bisantz
Dean of Undergraduate Education
Undergraduate Education
"---" 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 undergraduate students (I.e. an interdisciplinary academic program that concentrates on sustainability as an integrated concept)?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program:
Environmental Studies Major, BA in Social Sciences Interdisciplinary

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program:

The Environmental Studies major is intended for those interested in the environment and concerned with loss of habitat, global warming, and the impact that human beings have on the natural world. This major prepares students for careers in environmental science, field ecology, conservation education, resource management, and environmental advocation. Students in this major study environmental issues through an interdisciplinary lens. Specialized tracks are available in Environmental Policy and Education and Environmental Resources and Management. A capstone experience in the form of an internship is required. Students may pursue a BA (16 courses) or BS (19 courses) in this major. A minor in Environmental Studies is also offered.

http://sscidp.buffalo.edu/students/environmental-studies/


The website URL for the undergraduate degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Environmental Design, BA

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

The Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design program offers a pre-professional course of study grounded in the multidisciplinary traditions of the liberal arts and active intervention in community and regional environments through classroom activity, fieldwork, workshops, and internships.

We live in times in which our urban and built environments are undergoing unprecedented change. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Environmental Design degree provides students with the skills to understand, analyze, and solve problems associated with such change, with a view toward community vitality, social fairness, and the design of sustainable environments. Environmental design, offered by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, applies knowledge of social and behavioral science to plan and design community environments that affect, and are affected by, human behavior.

While concerned about humanity's use, misuse, and abuse of the natural environment, environmental design is also concerned with the planned environment which humans build - the "artificial" or designed physical environment - and its ability to meet community needs. More subtly, environmental design includes issues from our cultural, economic, physical, political, and social environments.

Environmental design practitioners develop long- and short-term plans and designs to use land for the growth and revitalization of urban, suburban, and rural communities, while helping local officials make decisions concerning social, cultural, economic, physical, and environmental issues.

https://catalog.buffalo.edu/academicprograms/environmental_design_ba.html


The website URL for the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
Environmental Engineering, BS

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

Among the top priorities of the profession are the delivery of safe water to drink and clean air to breathe, and the restoration of water quality in the Great Lakes, the Hudson River and natural water systems throughout the nation. Today, environmental engineers face issues that are changing the world. With their unique combination of environmental science and engineering, environmental engineers are the linchpins in defending the global public health, water supplies and ecosystem viability.

https://catalog.buffalo.edu/academicprograms/environmental_engineering.html


The website URL for the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program(s):

Environmental Geosciences, BS: https://catalog.buffalo.edu/academicprograms/env_geosciences_bs.html

The B.S. in Environmental Geosciences is an interdisciplinary degree program offered by the College of Arts and Sciences. This curriculum is specially designed to prepare students for leadership positions across a broad range of environmental fields. The degree program is based on courses offered by the departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Geography, Geology and Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering and it currently has three specialization tracks: Ecology & the Environment, Water & the Environment, and Environmental Monitoring & Analysis. Environmental Geoscience graduates will have a solid foundation in biological, physical, and natural sciences, mathematics and statistics, and analytic and geospatial techniques, as well as the specialized training necessary for integrated analysis of environmental systems


Does the institution offer one or more sustainability-focused minors, concentrations or certificates for undergraduate students?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Minor in Environmental Studies

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

The Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Degree Program also offers a minor in Environmental Studies. The description for the major and minor are the same: The Environmental Studies major is intended for those interested in the environment and concerned with loss of habitat, global warming, and the impact that human beings have on the natural world. This major prepares students for careers in environmental science, field ecology, conservation education, resource management, and environmental advocation. Students in this major study environmental issues through an interdisciplinary lens. Specialized tracks are available in Environmental Policy and Education and Environmental Resources and Management. A capstone experience in the form of an internship is required. Students may pursue a BA (16 courses) or BS (19 courses) in this major. A minor in Environmental Studies is also offered.


The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Global Gender Studies

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

Global Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary degree-granting program that offers courses in three areas: Cultures and Identities, Women and Global Citizenship, and Gender and Public Policy. The courses within each area recognize developing trends in studies of gender in many countries. Our objectives include challenging our students to integrate local and global knowledge and to link theory and practice across a wide range of issues. Our courses analyze the many ways in which gender is affected by the intersectionality of race, class, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, geography, history, and religion.


The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
Social Justice Minor

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

The Minor in Social Justice focuses on the causes and consequences of social injustices and gives students the knowledge to analyze social injustices, including those involved with climate change, and to work to combat them. Career fields such as legislative advocacy, politics, government service, human services, human rights, community organization, social work and law are areas for post-graduation employment. It is also an appropriate area of concentrated study for students whose plans include graduate training in sociology, social work, or law or who are interested in pursuing advanced training in any of the wide range of public policy, law, or justice professions.


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