Overall Rating Bronze
Overall Score 25.45
Liaison Joseph Kantenbacher
Submission Date Jan. 30, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of South Dakota
AC-4: Graduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Holly Black
Sustainability
Sustainability & Environment
"---" 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 graduate students?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program:
Sustainability (M.S., Ph.D.)

A brief description of the graduate-level degree program:
Sustainability is an interdisciplinary field of study, and the disciplines provide resources for sustainability pedagogy and research. Our rural location presents amazing hands-on research opportunities through the Missouri River Institute and their projects supported through the National Science Foundation. Sustainability is often described as having three pillars: environmental sustainability, social sustainability, and economic sustainability. USD’s faculty has expertise in all three areas including environmental sustainability expertise through departments of biology and chemistry; social sustainability expertise through departments of political science, sociology, anthropology and philosophy; and economic sustainability through the Beacom School of Business. USD is the second university in the U.S. to offer sustainability degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. levels. Prepares you for careers in the areas of sustainable practices, natural resource management, renewable energy, community planning, non-governmental organizations focused on sustainable development and education.

Website URL for the graduate-level degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (2nd program):
Biology (M.S)

A brief description of the graduate degree program (2nd program):
The M.S. degree is intended for students choosing to gain experience in scientific research with professional goals in biology, such as graduate education; working for a federal or state agency or non-governmental organization; securing employment in industry; or teaching in secondary and higher education. Students can choose to specialize in conservation and biodiversity. Research areas include aquatic and terrestrial ecology, conservation biology, sustainability, ecotoxicology, plant and animal physiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics and evolution.

Website URL for the graduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (3rd program):
Masters of Public Health (M.P.H)

A brief description of the graduate degree program (3rd program):
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Website URL for the graduate degree program (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused graduate-level degree programs:
M.S Sustainability/J.D dual degree program
https://www.usd.edu/law/joint-degree-sustainability

Does the institution offer one or more graduate-level sustainability-focused minors, concentrations or certificates?:
Yes

Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate:
Geospatial Analysis Certificate

A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Earn your credentials to work in a wider range of fields including environmental sciences, community planning, and archeology. Geospatial analysis is the collection, analysis and visualization of spatial data. Doing geospatial analysis requires the ability to use software including (GIS) and remote sensing programs and may require the ability to use equipment and hardware that integrate with the software including sensors and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:
Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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Website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
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Name of the graduate-level sustainability-focused minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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Website URL for the graduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other graduate-level, sustainability-focused minors, concentrations and certificates:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
I found this information in the USD course catalog and on the Sustainability and Biology Departments' websites. Descriptions were taken from those pages as well.

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.