| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.66 |
| Liaison | Eric Boles |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Arkansas
AC-4: Graduate Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Marty
Matlock Executive Director Office for Sustainability |
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)?:
Name of the sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program:
A brief description of the graduate-level degree program:
The doctoral program in Environmental Dynamics at the University of Arkansas is the study of complex interactions between natural systems and human activity. It requires an interdisciplinary research approach and integration with the power, efficiency, and economy of advanced geospatial computing technologies.
This program is unique because of its focus on interdisciplinary environmental-sociocultural study integrating state-of-the-art technologies to chart interactions of human and natural systems over time and space, emphasizing socially relevant research. These studies include natural and social impacts of global climatic change, impacts of rapid economic development on environmental quality, landscape evolution and degradation, natural hazards, watershed sciences, soil erosion, and nutrient depletion.
The program is an outgrowth of many years of successful research in human adaptations to past and present environments by faculty of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and collaborations among departments across the University of Arkansas. The program is staffed by faculty from the departments of Anthropology, Geosciences, Biological Sciences, Biological, and Agricultural Engineering, Crops, Soils and Environmental Sciences, and Rural Sociology. Faculty from other departments and colleges sharing an interest in human and natural ecology or paleoenvironmental studies also participate in the program.
Associated research institutes and laboratories include the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST), the Arkansas Water Resources Center (AWRC), the Tree-Ring Laboratory, the Bioarchaeology Laboratory, the Archaeology, and Archaeogeophysics Laboratories, the Earth Visualization Laboratory, and the Arkansas Archaeological Survey.
The website URL for the graduate-level degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (2nd program):
A brief description of the graduate degree program (2nd program):
The Master of Science in Environmental Engineering at the University of Arkansas is a multidisciplinary degree program designed for students from a multitude of academic areas. The objectives of the M.S.En.E. program are to prepare graduates for careers in environmental engineering practice with government agencies, engineering firms, or industries and to provide a foundation for continued study at the post-masters level.
Research for the program revolves around water treatment and distribution; wastewater collection and treatment; soil and groundwater remediation; surface and groundwater quality; environmental and hydrologic modeling; animal waste management; non-point source pollution prevention; watershed management; reactor design and biomass energy; energy systems including heat transfer; thermodynamics and liquid-vapor phase change; bacterial tracers for evaluating movement through fractured subsurface strata.
The website URL for the graduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (3rd program):
A brief description of the graduate degree program (3rd program):
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?:
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate:
A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
The Graduate Certificate in Sustainability is a 15-credit, interdisciplinary program, drawing from faculty and course work across all colleges of the University of Arkansas. The graduate certificate is accessible to all students admitted to the Graduate School, both degree-seeking and non-degree seeking, to participate in advanced study in Sustainability. The purpose of the Graduate Certificate in Sustainability is to provide functional graduate-level knowledge and skills related to the emerging discipline of Sustainability organized around the four interdisciplinary systems areas.
The website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
The UA's Bioenergy and Sustainable Technology Graduate Certificate program is designed for working professionals who hold an undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree who want to expand their knowledge in their discipline and for students who are planning to work in this field when they graduate.
It is also intended to benefit traditional graduate programs through additional course availability. Students may take courses without pursuing the B.S.T. certificate to strengthen their plan of study in conventional graduate degree programs.
The program serves the needs of emerging “green” energy industries and provides post-baccalaureate educational opportunities for industry practitioners who do not require a full graduate degree program. Private industry actively recruits individuals with specific training in sustainability, biomass supply chain management, and sustainable energy conversion technologies.
Faculty from four institutions within the Sustainability Consortium, who have expertise in this discipline, teach the courses.
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):
A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.