Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.83
Liaison Andrew Porter
Submission Date March 10, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Cincinnati
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Daniel Hart
Sustainability Coordinator
Planning + Design + Construction
"---" 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

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program:

Creative and sustainable approaches to real-world issues of climate change, environmental justice, essential resource depletion, population growth, public health, and hunger, depend on our ability to understand the interactive components of natural, built, and social environments. The goal of our environmental studies curriculum is to produce professionals who can do just that. EVST graduates will have a strong foundation in key areas, but will also "speak the language" of the multiple disciplines involved in environmental problem solving.

In the Environmental Studies BS degree program, students are broadly prepared across disciplines, but are also required to focus and specialize through the selection of a minor. The curriculum incorporates experiential and service learning, collaborative problem solving, and meaningful interactions with environmental professionals. Academic credit is given for research, internships, and international travel experiences.

One of the popular misconceptions about Environmental Studies is that it is, essentially, a “science” program. While there are certainly many opportunities for students interested in the natural sciences to focus in that area, the substantial breadth of the program also allows majors to align with the humanities and social sciences.


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

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

UC’s environmental engineering program is a bachelor’s degree program designed to be completed in five years. Students are required to alternate semesters of practical, paid work assignments with semesters of on-campus academic study during their second, third and fourth years. All freshmen engineering students have a similar program of study consisting of courses in chemistry and physics, mathematics, and English.

In addition, the environmental engineering curriculum introduces students to the tools of green engineering design as they are being developed on the cutting edge of sustainability research, and students may choose to explore these strategies in more depth as one of the focus areas of the program. All students in their senior year participate in a capstone-design experience that fosters interaction and communication between different engineering disciplines while applying environmental engineering principles to a field problem.


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

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

Geography majors are encouraged to develop individualized programs within one of the three geography BA tracks in consultation with the geography undergraduate advisor. The Department of Geography offers the following tracks/specializations:

BA - Environmental and Physical Geography (15BA GEOG-E)
BA - Urban and Economic Geography (15BA GEOG-U)
BA - Human Geography (15BA GEOG-H)
The UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) offers flexible degree requirements allow, which highly encourage students to pursue multiple areas of study. Free electives allow for enough credits for students to pursue a minor, certificate program or even complete a second major. Some of the most common pairings are listed below.
Anthropology
Communication
History
International human rights
Journalism
Languages or area studies
Psychology
Security studies
Sociology


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

Archeology (Social Complexity)
Interdisciplinary
Liberal Arts
Organizational Leadership
Urban Planning
Urban Studies
Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies


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:
Education for Environmental Sustainability

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

The responsibility for making progress toward an ecologically sustainable future lies in the hands of today's students. As a forward thinking institution of higher education, UC offers this certificate to interested students so they can cultivate environmentally and civically responsible orientations. The certificate coursework will educate our students about environmental literacy and ecological sustainability, essential for 21st century global citizenship. It will foster critical and creative thinking skills within an eco-pedagogy that promotes learning and stimulates individual and collective action towards enhancing the human–earth relationship.


The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Electrical Energy and SmartGrid

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

Electric power generation, monitoring and control are important not only in large power plants and distribution systems, but also in fields such as aerospace and renewable electric energy. Skills can be applied to problems such as setting up remote power systems on temporary air bases or space stations and developing intelligent power distribution systems for the communities of today and tomorrow.


The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
Environmental Analysis and Policy

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

The goal of our environmental studies curriculum is to produce professionals with a strong foundation in the key sciences who also "speak the languages" of the multiple disciplines involved in environmental problem solving and who have learned to interact in interdisciplinary teams. The curriculum includes courses that examine the biological environment (e.g., biology and ecology), the physical environment (e.g., chemistry, geology and geography) and the social-human environment (e.g., policy, ethics and economics). The curriculum also emphasizes the acquisition of "tools of the trade," such as field and lab skills, data analysis, the identification of plants and animals, and computer-based approaches such as satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems.


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:

Environmental Studies
Green Roofs
International Human Rights
Minority Health
Non-Profit and Community Leadership
Urban Agriculture
Urban Landscapes


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.