Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 78.50
Liaison Marina Zdobnova
Submission Date Aug. 16, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of California, Berkeley
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Jack Chang
STARS Assessment Fellow (ERG)
Sustainability
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Majors and Degree Programs

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:
Conservation and Resource Studies

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program:
The Conservation and Resource Studies (CRS) major is an interdisciplinary program designed for students interested in environmental issues and areas of interaction among natural resources, population, energy, technology, social institutions and cultural values. The major’s orientation is toward flexibility and an individualized educational approach to understanding the structure and dynamic functions of complex environmental systems within our society and biosphere. Students draw on the course offerings of the entire campus and appropriate community resources in the development of individual programs of study.

The website URL for the undergraduate degree program:

Additional Degree Programs (optional) 

Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Society and Environment

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A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Social and environmental problems are deeply intertwined. The Society and Environment (SE) major introduces students to the main approaches and theory for environmental social sciences, including how social science tools can be applied to environmental problems, and how social science theories contribute to understanding environmental problems.

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

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A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
The Environmental Engineering Science (EES) major is an interdisciplinary program pairing engineering fundamentals with courses in the environmental and natural sciences. The EES curriculum provides a broader foundation in the sciences, allowing students to take classes in a variety of departments both inside and outside of the College of Engineering. At the same time, it allows students to focus their studies on environmental issues more than is possible in other engineering programs. EES provides a solid interdisciplinary foundation that is necessary for creating real-world solutions to global environmental challenges, such as providing a robust supply of safe drinking water, and meeting societal demands for energy without causing air pollution or interfering with the earth’s climate systems.

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The website URL for the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
None
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program(s):
Environmental Earth Science http://eps.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/environmental-earth-science Environmental Economics and Policy https://nature.berkeley.edu/advising/majors/environmental-economics-and-policy Environmental Sciences https://nature.berkeley.edu/advising/majors/environmental-sciences Forestry and Natural Resources https://nature.berkeley.edu/advising/majors/forestry-and-natural-resources Molecular Environmental Biology https://nature.berkeley.edu/advising/majors/molecular-environmental-biology Sustainable Environmental Design https://ced.berkeley.edu/academics/bachelor-of-arts-in-sustainable-environmental-design/ Society and Environment https://nature.berkeley.edu/advising/majors/society-and-environment Civil and Environmental Engineering https://www.ce.berkeley.edu/undergrad/curriculum Atmospheric Science http://eps.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/atmospheric-science Marine Science http://eps.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/marine-science Conservation and Resource Studies https://nature.berkeley.edu/advising/majors/conservation-and-resource-studies Demography http://www.site.demog.berkeley.edu/program Development Studies http://iastp.berkeley.edu/degree-programs/major-programs/development-studies/ Geography https://geography.berkeley.edu/geography-studies/undergraduate-studies/major-and-minor-program-details

Minors, Concentrations and Certificates

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 Sustainable Design

A brief description of the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Sustainable design implies making decisions at various scales of the built environment (buildings, communities, land use patterns, urban support systems) in ways that support environmental quality, social equity, and economic vitality. The undergraduate minor in sustainable design is jointly offered by the Department of Architecture and the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, but also includes interdisciplinary courses across campus. The minor is open to all majors at UC Berkeley.

The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:

Additional Minors, Concentrations and Certificates (optional) 

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Global Poverty and Practice Minor

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A brief description of the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Established in fall 2007, the Global Poverty & Practice (GPP) Minor gives students an opportunity to examine contemporary forms of poverty, wealth and inequality through academic coursework and practical experience. The GPP Minor is one of the largest minors on the UC Berkeley campus. It trains students to critically and historically engage with complex issues of poverty and inequality, equipping them with methodologies and skills of engagement, and encouraging the reflexivity necessary for meaningful practice. Central to the minor is a fieldwork opportunity (minimally six weeks) in which students connect theories and practices of poverty action through partnering with nongovernmental or community organizations, government agencies or other poverty or development programs in California and around the world. Students from all disciplines are encouraged to undertake the minor and to investigate the ways in which it can supplement their major field of study. The Blum Center offers funding support for students’ practice experiences through a competitive fellowship.

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

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A brief description of the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
The Minor in Energy and Resources offers under­grad­u­ates the oppor­tu­nity to develop basic knowl­edge and skills to help them address the com­plex and inter­de­pen­dent issues asso­ci­ated with the inter­ac­tion of social, eco­nomic, polit­i­cal, tech­ni­cal and envi­ron­men­tal fac­tors. Though it is designed pri­mar­ily to com­ple­ment majors in the nat­ural sci­ences and engi­neer­ing, stu­dents in any major with the appro­pri­ate pre­req­ui­sites may pur­sue the ERG Minor. Based on a six-course set of prerequisites in mathematics and natural sciences, the minor is satisfied by completing five upper division courses, including two core courses and three electives.

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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:
Food systems minor: https://food.berkeley.edu/programs/community-engagement-edu/food-systems-minor/ Environmental Earth Science http://eps.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/declaring-major Environmental Economics and Policy https://nature.berkeley.edu/advising/minors/environmental-economics-policy Environmental Engineering https://www.ce.berkeley.edu/undergrad/curriculum/minors Forestry and Natural Resources https://nature.berkeley.edu/advising/minors/forestry-natural-resources

Optional Fields  

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.