University of Pittsburgh
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

The University-wide Undergraduate Sustainability learning outcomes: Students will develop the basic competencies needed by science, engineering, and humanities graduates to contribute quickly and effectively to the development and ultimate use of sustainable technologies, science, and practices in the U.S. and abroad, Students will develop analytical skills and to learn to think critically about sustainability, Students will be able to seamlessly incorporate sustainability into knowledge from their core course of study

University-wide Undergraduate Sustainability Certificate: Established in 2016 the Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability aims to provide undergraduates the opportunity to enhance their education by including sustainability in their course of study. This certificate program in “Sustainability” transcends existing Schools and Departments at the University of Pittsburgh, capitalizes on ongoing Sustainability-growth opportunities in teaching and research at the University of Pittsburgh, and utilizes the framework of the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) to execute the certificate. The objectives of the Undergraduate Sustainability Certificate are: • To develop the basic competencies needed by science, engineering, and humanities graduates to contribute quickly and effectively to the development and ultimate use of sustainable technologies, science, and practices in the U.S. and abroad, • To create opportunities for undergraduates to develop analytical skills and to learn to think critically about sustainability, • To provide undergraduates the opportunity to seamlessly incorporate sustainability into their course of study, and Swanson School of Engineering – The Engineering for Humanity certificate is open to all undergraduate students and both guides and formalizes student participation in engineering projects in which social and/or environmental sustainability is a core thrust. Moreover, the certificate program addresses the significance of cultural, political, and business forces in rapid and effective penetration of new technologies. This certificate will allow students to earn credit for service learning projects. Students have the option of pursuing either a U.S. or international track. The certificate embodies significant flexibility, with only 2 of 5 courses being explicitly defined, so participating students may tailor course work to their region and topic of interest. It is expected that with appropriate planning at least two of the courses will align with departmental BS graduation requirements. Master's Sustainable Engineering- • identify and solve sustainability issues using systems approaches in the context of the triple bottom line of environmental, societal, and economic problems. • Create regional and nationally scalable sustainability solutions via service learning projects • communicate sustainability issues and solutions to multiple audiences. Graduate School of Public and International Affairs – Master of International Development Major in Planning and Environmental Sustainability: Students in the development planning & environmental sustainability major learn to become informed, responsible leaders whose decisions will affect future generations. The program builds a sound knowledge base in the fundamentals of the discipline: economics, project planning and the balance of environmental preservation and financial feasibility. Students learn how to understand the political and economic context of markets; the role of foreign aid, policy and international environmental law; as well as strategic thinking for developing countries. (http://www.gspia.pitt.edu/Academics/DegreePrograms/MasterofInternationalDevelopment/MajorinDevelopmentPlanningEnvironmental/tabid/97/Default.aspx)

Current Issues in Sustainability 1905 At the end of this course, students should be knowledgeable about: • a number of current energy and environmental challenges • several policy tools to incentivize players to take into account the impact of their actions on sustainability • Perceptions of sustainability in the computer engineering and science domain • Holistic sustainability methods for computing • Current computing challenges and their relationship to sustainability Sustainability Capstone 1907 By the end of the course the students will have a deeper understanding of: 1) the multi-faceted nature of Sustainability solutions, 2) approaches to problem solving across fields, and 3) how to communicate sustainable solutions and concepts in an interdisciplinary team environment. This course serves as a capstone course for the Sustainability certificate and M.S. in a Sustainable Engineering degree and is a required course for these two programs.

Additional URLs where publicly available sustainability course inventory that includes a list of degree programs that have specified learning outcomes are available: http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/MCSI/Sustainability-Certificate/ http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/MCSI/Sustainability-Courses/ http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/sites/default/files/2174%20courselistBklt.docx.pdf http://www.gspia.pitt.edu/Academics/DegreePrograms/MasterofInternationalDevelopment/tabid/96/Default.aspx