University of Massachusetts Amherst
ER-9: Sustainability Learning Outcomes

Anthropology
Architecture
Building & Construction Technology
Building Materials and Construction Management
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Design in Historic Preservation
Earth Systems
Entomology
Environmental and Water Resources Engineering
Environmental Conservation
Environmental Design
Environmental Health Sciences
Environmental Health Sciences
Environmental Science
Fish Passage Engineering Ecohydrology
Geography
Geology
Geosciences
Green Building Professional Masters
Landscape Architecture
Microbiology
Natural Resources Conservation
Plant, Soil, and Insect Sciences
Public Health
Public Policy and Administration (environmental policy specialization)
Resource Economics
Sociology
Stockbridge School of Agriculture

Students who successfully complete the MS in Sustainability Science will graduate with the following knowledge and skills:

Knowledge: Students will…
o understand the theories and definitions of sustainability (i.e. historical and current theorizing about the interplay between "people, planet and profits")
o understand the key principles of assessing ecosystem services;
o grasp the broad historical contours of the industrial revolution, the scientific-technological revolution, and urbanization;
o be familiar with the thought of at least 4 seminal thinkers in the arena of sustainability
o recognize the ethical, social and environmental consequences of environmentally-relevant technologies.
o develop in-depth understanding of their particular concentration (Sustainable Food Systems and Agriculture; Water Sustainability; Urban Sustainability; and Environmental Quality)

Skills: Students will demonstrate competence in…
o systems analysis (the ability to identify the interrelated environmental, economic, social and policy dimensions of a given environmental challenge);
o explaining the linkages between ecosystem services, economic prosperity, and human/cultural flourishing;
o carrying out quantitative analyses of sustainability (data gathering, holistic life-cycle costing, energy/carbon accounting)
o applying course knowledge and theory to real-world problem-solving
o communicating both within and outside their field (writing, oral presentation, and internet-based communication)
o project management skills