Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.40
Liaison Austin Sutherland
Submission Date Feb. 21, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Pennsylvania
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00
"---" 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:
Penn School of Arts and Sciences: Earth and Environmental Science, Environmental Studies Major

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program:

The program in Environmental Studies is designed to provide students with the skills to understand and address contemporary environmental issues. The major integrates studies in the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, policy, and management in order to study complex issues of the environment and humans’ interaction with it. Core courses cover environmental and earth science, data analysis, economics and policy, and provide students with the skills and breadth of understanding they need for purposeful study in a concentration. Due to the interdisciplinary approach of the program, graduates go on to work in a variety of fields. Graduate go on to apply their skills to academic research and a broad range of careers, including environmental consulting, “green” finance, government, and education, among others.

Concentrations in: Environmental History and Regional Studies, Environmental Policy and Application, Global Environmental System, Sustainability and Environmental Management


The website URL for the undergraduate degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Penn School of Arts and Sciences: Earth and Environmental Science, Earth Sciences

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

This major gives students a broad understanding of Earth Science. At completion of the program, graduates know the basic physical and chemical processes that operate in and on the planet and understand how direct and indirect methods are used to examine and understand the structure, composition and dynamics of Earth. Graduates appreciate how humans and ecosystems interact with the dynamic Earth, and have an in-depth knowledge of the atmosphere and climate change, the rock cycle, natural hazards and the hydrologic and bio-geo-chemical cycles. Additionally, they understand how to measure and use the structure, sequence and properties of rocks, sediments, and fossils to reconstruct events in Earth's history and identify potential natural hazards or earth resources. Concentrations for the program are in: Environmental Science, Paleobiology, and Geology.


The website URL for the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
Wharton School of Business, BA in Economics with a Concentration in Environmental Policy and Management

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

The Economics Degree with a concentration in environmental policy and management examines the relationship between business and the natural environment, including human health and safety as well as addressing a range of policy issues. This concentration provides an in-depth foundation for those interested in pursuing careers in the growing environmental sector of the economy, whether in private business, government, or environmental consulting. It takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on faculty and courses from several Wharton departments.

Students are encouraged to pursue additional coursework on environmental and technological risks in parallel with the Wharton program through the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science.


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

The Department of Earth and Environmental Science offers a number of additional majors - see https://www.sas.upenn.edu/earth/undergraduate/majors


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:
Sustainability and Environmental Management Minor

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

The Minor in Sustainability and Environmental Management is open to undergraduate students in the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Applied Science, and the Wharton School of Business.


The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Environmental Science Minor

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

The Minor in Environmental Studies is designed to provide students with the skills to understand and address contemporary environmental issues. The minor integrates studies in the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, policy and management in order to study complex issues of human/environment interactions. Core courses cover environmental and earth science, data analysis, economics and policy, and provide students with the skills and breadth of understanding they need for purposeful study.


The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
Penn Engineering Minor in Energy & Sustainability

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

The Energy and Sustainability (ENSU) Minor offered by Penn Engineering provides students with a broad coverage of technical and societal issues confronting the world and in-depth treatment of selected topics in technical areas relevant to energy and sustainability.


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:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Penn Earth and Environmental Science website: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/earth/
Penn School of Engineering and Applied Science website: http://www.seas.upenn.edu/undergraduate/degrees/minors.php
The University of Pennsylvania is a major research institution, with over 3,000 degrees granted annually from twelve professional and academic schools at the Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate levels. Penn is committed to teaching environmental sustainability, with a goal to make climate change and sustainability part of the curriculum and educational experience available to all Penn students. (Penn's 2009 "Climate Action Plan".). This submission documents Penn's efforts during the FY17 year and compares them to the FY14 baseline year which corresponds with the University's "Climate Action Plan. 2.0". The submission relies on information related to the main, academic, West Philadelphia campus, but to more fully document efforts across the Penn system, information related to the Morris Arboretum and New Bolton has also been included and noted as outside the boundary in descriptions. The information is used to enrich examples of University efforts and is not intended to be the primary justification for credits. The responses for each of the questions and sub-questions are drawn from University materials, both internal and public documents. Each section notes the website where the information can be found.


Penn Earth and Environmental Science website: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/earth/
Penn School of Engineering and Applied Science website: http://www.seas.upenn.edu/undergraduate/degrees/minors.php
The University of Pennsylvania is a major research institution, with over 3,000 degrees granted annually from twelve professional and academic schools at the Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate levels. Penn is committed to teaching environmental sustainability, with a goal to make climate change and sustainability part of the curriculum and educational experience available to all Penn students. (Penn's 2009 "Climate Action Plan".). This submission documents Penn's efforts during the FY17 year and compares them to the FY14 baseline year which corresponds with the University's "Climate Action Plan. 2.0". The submission relies on information related to the main, academic, West Philadelphia campus, but to more fully document efforts across the Penn system, information related to the Morris Arboretum and New Bolton has also been included and noted as outside the boundary in descriptions. The information is used to enrich examples of University efforts and is not intended to be the primary justification for credits. The responses for each of the questions and sub-questions are drawn from University materials, both internal and public documents. Each section notes the website where the information can be found.

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.