University of Florida
AC-4: Graduate Program

The College's Masters of Science in Sustainable Design degree (MSD) is taught by faculty from all six of our college's programs, namely Architecture, Building Construction, Historic Preservation, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning. We use the latest e-Learning tools to enhance collaborative learning between faculty, students and visiting experts along with weekly video conferences and three intensive workshops delivered on the UF campus, and international locations to create a dynamic and highly charged learning environment.

As our world addresses the depletion of natural resources and the need to protect our environment, sustainability has become a major component of all development plans. The Sustainability specialization will help you extend the positive impact you can have as a planner and diversify your skill set through classes in environmental land use planning, international development, sustainable communities, and more. The specialization in Sustainability is one of two tracks within the Master of Urban and Regional Planning. Sustainability is an integral part of the graduate curriculum for this degree, and as such, we have included it as a separate degree program rather than as a concentration.

Florida’s sensitive, varied and beautiful natural environment makes the University of Florida a natural choice for students who want to focus on the national and global issues of land use and environmental law. Florida provides a perfect setting to study first-hand the efforts to reconcile growth and conservation. The Environmental and Land Use Law Program educates future lawyers through an innovative approach that combines the study of land use law with environmental law. Many environmental problems result from inappropriate uses of land. Air and water pollution, toxic and hazardous waste, endangered species protection and balancing public health and environmental values against the protection of private property interests are challenges that face every community.

Interdisciplinary Ecology Graduate Program - School of Natural Resources and the Environment - http://snre.ufl.edu/graduate/ - The Interdisciplinary Ecology graduate degree program considers the Social-Ecological System the proper conceptual framework for understanding the full scope of complex, adaptive systems comprising humans in the natural world. The degree program challenges students to understand both natural and human dynamics to obtain a holistic view and to foster integration of human activities with natural resources and the environment. The master's and doctoral degrees in Interdisciplinary Ecology promote interdisciplinary thinking in natural resources and the environment by combining (1) coursework in the basic and applied science of ecology, related social sciences, and sustainability with (2) competence in an approved program in a traditional field of study. Masters and PhD Programs - Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and the Environment - http://www.essie.ufl.edu/student_resources/admissions/graduate/ - The Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment (ESSIE) is comprised of two departments - the Department of Civil, Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering and Environmental Engineering Sciences. Research areas include air resources, coastal and oceanographic engineering, construction engineering, environmental nanotechnology, geosystems engineering, materials and pavements, public works, structural engineering, systems ecology and ecological engineering, transportation engineering, and water systems. Master’s in Sustainable Development Practice - Center for Latin American Studies, Center for African Studies - http://mdp.africa.ufl.edu/ - Although tropical and sub-tropical countries contain some of the most diverse and resource rich environments, they also face the most significant development challenges. Achieving sustainable development in these countries will require major advances against hunger, poverty and disease while ensuring the protection of natural resources. Increasingly, making these advances will depend on practitioners who are able to address development challenges holistically. The University of Florida MDP program is part of the Global MDP Association, which consists of 26 MDP programs in 19 countries around the world. Initiated with the generous support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the MDP degree is focused on training development practitioners who are able to address development challenges facing poor, resource rich communities in innovative ways. The UF MDP bridges the Natural, Social and Health sciences and Management skills.

The Interdisciplinary Concentration and Certificate in Sustainable Design (ICCSD) was created to integrate existing sustainable design resources across the College of Design, Construction and Planning in response to broadening interest in sustainable design. The ICCSD is offered to students seeking graduate degrees in DCP. The ICCSD allows masters students in architecture, building construction, historic preservation, interior design, landscape architecture, and urban and regional planning, to extend their educational experience and become more proficient in one or more of the following areas: sustainable architecture, sustainable construction, sustainable interior design, sustainable landscape architecture or sustainable urban planning.

By achieving a Certificate in Sustainable Construction, students will earn a credential that indicates that they have accomplished specialized, high quality study in the field of International Construction Management. Courses include: Principles of International Sustainable Construction, Construction Ecology and Metabolism, and High Performance Green Building. Applicants for the certificate program are required to have a bachelor’s degree and construction experience.

G|SoA is one of the first accredited architecture programs in the US to formalize this initiative in the form a Concentration and Certificate in Sustainable Architecture. This program runs parallel with the Master of Architecture with addition of 12 credits from 34 pre-selected courses within and outside the GSoA that engage current sustainable issues. Students will also work with their faculty advisor to synthesize these issues within their Masters Thesis projects. Students may petition to add any relevant 3000 level or above course from any department in the University. A physical Certificate is awarded and the achievement is recorded on student’s official University of Florida transcripts.

Certificate in Environmental and Land Use Law - http://www.law.ufl.edu/academics/concentration/elul/elul-certificate - In today’s complex legal practice, lawyers increasingly must specialize. Through the Environmental and Land Use Law Certificate Program, students can graduate from law school with a valuable credential that indicates both concentration and accomplishment in these two fields. Certificate requirements were developed by faculty in consultation with an advisory board comprised of leading practitioners from private firms, government agencies and non-profit organizations. It is a focused and rigorous program designed to prepare new lawyers to work in these specialized fields and assume responsibility quickly. Certificate Program students receive tailored academic advisement and career development guidance from Environmental & Land Use Law Program Faculty.