Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 58.21
Liaison Julie Hopper
Submission Date July 29, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Southern California
AC-2: Learning Outcomes

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.14 / 8.00 Elias Platte-Bermeo
Sustainability Program Assistant
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution adopted one or more sustainability learning outcomes that apply to the entire student body or, at minimum, to the institution's predominant student body?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the sustainability learning outcomes?:
Sustainability-supportive

A list of the institution level sustainability learning outcomes:

USC’s general education requirements classified as “GE-C” and GE-G” courses prepare students to take on Global Perspectives that include the necessary skills to demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between individual and collective human action, organizations, institutions in social and culture settings, and their roles in worldwide problems and local challenges. This global lens is essential to address sustainability challenges because these courses support students in developing skills to address the ecological, economic, and social aspects of sustainability challenges by taking on a holistic worldview of sustainability challenges. All undergraduates are required to take these courses, or their transfer equivalents, to graduate from USC.

GE-C. Social Analysis
The social sciences seek to explain the causes and consequences of a range of complex phenomena, including how human action shapes and is shaped by economic organizations, political institutions, and social and cultural settings. These phenomena include the role of gender, sexuality, race, class and other aspects of identity across time in the United States and around the world. Courses in this area introduce students to the methods and analytical approaches of the social sciences and demonstrate how these tools help us understand our world. In the Social Analysis category students learn to apply the methods of at least one social science discipline to the study of human behavior in economic, political, cultural and/or social settings; to understand the nature of empirical evidence and assess the usefulness of qualitative and quantitative evidence in explaining specific social phenomena; and to demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between individual and collective human action, organizations, and institutions in social and cultural settings.

GE-G. Global Perspectives
The requirements in Global Perspectives prepare students to act as socially responsible members of the global community, respectful of the values and traditions of diverse cultures, aware of the structures of power that affect people differently by race, class, gender and other socially constructed categories, sensitive to the interplay between worldwide problems and specific, local challenges. The Global Perspectives requirement includes two courses, one in each area. The first examines the contemporary situation (GE-G), while the second explores some dimensions of the historical context that has given rise to the current global scene (GE-H). While no course can meet all of these objectives, these requirements help students appreciate the dynamics at work in complex global issues and their varying local forms.


Total number of graduates from degree programs:
16,241

Number of graduates from degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:
282

A brief description of how the figure above was determined:

USC examined programs that require a sustainability-focused course, as identified in the AC-1: Academic Courses inventory. Sustainability-focused courses were mapped onto all USC programs, and programs in which ALL graduates (not just graduates of certain concentrations/tracks) were required to take a sustainability-focused course were considered as having a program-level sustainability learning outcome.

Data on graduates from each of the identified programs with a sustainability learning outcome was obtained from the Office of Institutional Research.

Data on total number of graduates from degree programs was obtained from the IPEDS 2019-2020 Completions report, which covers the 2018-2019 Academic Year: https://oir.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IPEDS_Completions_Survey_2019-20.pdf


A list of degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:

MAJOR PROGRAMS:
Architecture (MArch)
Architecture (PhD)
Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Emphasis, (BS)
Chemical Engineering, Sustainable Energy Emphasis (BS)
Civil Engineering (Transportation Systems) (MS)
Civil Engineering (Water and Waste Management) (MS)
Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering Emphasis (BS)
Electrical Engineering (Electric Power) (MS)
Environmental Engineering (BS)
Environmental Risk Analysis (MS)
Environmental Science and Health (BA)
Environmental Science and Health (BS)
Environmental Studies (BA)
Environmental Studies (BS)
Environmental Studies (MA)
GeoDesign (BS)
Global Geodesign (BS)
Green Technologies (MS)
Health and Humanity (BA)
Heritage Conservation
Human Security and Geospatial Intelligence (MS)
Master of Heritage Conservation/Master of Planning
Mechanical Engineering (Energy Conversion) (MS)
Public Policy (BS)
Transportation Systems Management (MS)
Urban Studies and Planning (BS)

MINOR PROGRAMS:
Construction Planning and Management Minor
Cultural Competence in Medicine Minor
Environmental Chemistry and Sustainability Minor
Environmental Engineering Minor
Environmental Studies Minor
GIS and Sustainability Science Minor
Landscape Architecture Minor
Natural Science Minor


Documentation supporting the figure reported above (upload):
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Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
One

Percentage of students who graduate from programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability:
1.74

Website URL where information about the sustainability learning outcomes is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.