University of Massachusetts Amherst
ER-8: Sustainability Courses by Department

Institution’s academic departments (or equivalent) offer sustainability-related and/or sustainability- focused courses. 

This credit applies to all institutions that have academic departments or their equivalent. 

Institutions earn the maximum of 7 points for this credit when 90 percent or more of academic departments or their equivalent offer at least one sustainability-related or -focused course.  Incremental points are available based on the percentage of academic departments that offer sustainability courses.  For example, if 45 percent of the departments at an institution offered a sustainability-related or focused course, that institution would earn 3.5 points (half of the points available for this credit).

Timeframe

Report the most recent data available. 

Institutions may choose to count course offerings from one, two, or three academic years, as long as the count of departments that offer sustainability courses and the total number of departments are from the same time period. 

Sampling and Data Standards

Courses that are cross-listed in multiple departments may count for each department under which the course is listed.  In other words, if a course is cross-listed in two departments, both departments would be able to count that course.