University of Pennsylvania
AC-3: Undergraduate 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

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

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. Courses include a focus on energy systems, policies, and technology and environmental management and economics.

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 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.

https://earth.sas.upenn.edu/undergraduate/minors

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 reducing emissions and energy use, as stated in the 2019 "Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0." This submission documents Penn's efforts during the FY20 year and compares them to the FY09 baseline year which corresponds with the University's "Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0." 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 Center has also been referenced 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.