Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 70.93
Liaison Ezra Small
Submission Date Jan. 31, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

University of Massachusetts Amherst
ER-9: Sustainability Learning Outcomes

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.45 / 10.00 Craig Nicolson
Director of Sustainability Programs
Environmental Conservation
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

The number of graduates covered by the sustainability learning outcomes:
2,340

Total number of graduates :
5,264

A list of degree programs that have sustainability learning outcomes:

Anthropology
Arboriculture & Community Forest Management (Associate's Degree)
Architecture
Art History
Bachelor's Degree with Individual Concentration (BDIC) (B.A., B.S.)
Biology (B.A., B.S.)
Building & Construction Technology
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Communication
Earth Systems
Economics
Environmental Design
Environmental Science
Food Science
Geography (B.A., B.S.)
Geology (B.A., B.S.)
History
Hospitality & Tourism Management
Landscape Architecture
Landscape Contracting (Associate's Degree)
Management
Marketing
Mechanical Engineering
Microbiology (B.A., B.S.)
Natural Resources Conservation
Nutrition
Physics (B.A., B.S.)
Plant, Soil & Insect Sciences
Political Science
Public Health Sciences
Resource Economics
Social Thought and Political Economy
Sociology
Sustainable Food and Farming (Associate's Degree and B.S.)
Sustainable Horticulture (Associate's Degree and B.S.)
University Without Walls (B.A., B.S.)

Environmental Conservation (*grad prog, not counted in total)
Fish Passage Engineering Ecohydrology (*grad prog, not counted in total)
Geosciences (*grad prog, not counted in total)
Green Building Professional Masters (*grad prog, not counted in total)
Public Policy and Administration (*grad, environmental policy specialization, not counted)
Sustainability Science (*grad prog, not counted in total)


The website URL where the publicly available sustainability course inventory that includes a list of degree programs that have specified sustainability learning outcomes is available:
A copy of the sustainability course inventory :
A list or sample of the sustainability learning outcomes associated with the degree programs:

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


Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

In this 2014 Data Collector submission, we're counting all students who received a Bachelors or Associates degree from a program that included required courses which have at least one of the listed sustainability learning outcomes (or has them for the program as a whole, for those with publicly listed Learning Outcomes).

Data are taken from the OIR Dept Profiles | Campus Detail | Degrees Awarded for 2011/12 (most recent year of data available).

and other data taken from the OIR Factsheet:
http://www.umass.edu/oapa/publications/factsheets/degrees/FS_de_02b.pdf

The file uploaded doesn't duplicate listing all the courses (see lists in ER-6 and ER-7), but instead lists the undergrad degree programs with sustainability focus.


In this 2014 Data Collector submission, we're counting all students who received a Bachelors or Associates degree from a program that included required courses which have at least one of the listed sustainability learning outcomes (or has them for the program as a whole, for those with publicly listed Learning Outcomes).

Data are taken from the OIR Dept Profiles | Campus Detail | Degrees Awarded for 2011/12 (most recent year of data available).

and other data taken from the OIR Factsheet:
http://www.umass.edu/oapa/publications/factsheets/degrees/FS_de_02b.pdf

The file uploaded doesn't duplicate listing all the courses (see lists in ER-6 and ER-7), but instead lists the undergrad degree programs with sustainability focus.

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.