University of St. Thomas
AC-1: Academic Courses

The total number of sustainability-focused courses offered was determined by whether the course (or a section of the course integrating sustainability) was offered at least once over a two-year period (fall 2016 - spring 2018), and multiple offerings were not included in the count (e.g., the same course offered in multiple semesters or multiple sections of the same course were counted as only one course). Courses were identified as sustainability courses through a combination of a SUST designation application form administered by the Office of Sustainability Initiatives (OSI), conversations with faculty and the OSI director about their courses, and a separate survey OSI sent to Engineering faculty to determine the scope of sustainability within their curriculum. Any course designated as a SUST course (whether it is the primary focus or includes sustainability) must do the following: 1) Course introduces students to sustainability concepts (ecological, social, and/or economic dimensions); 2) Students apply knowledge and methods of the course to engage with sustainability issues; 3) Course learning goals are linked to or support one or more of the following competencies: thinking critically about environmental problems and solutions, solving problems by applying concepts and principles, communicating effectively about sustainability; and 4) Grading gives weight to sustainability related reflection or integrated assignments. Courses in which sustainability is the primary focus are courses in which the course content itself addresses sustainability throughout the semester, regardless of who teaches the course. Courses in which sustainability is integrated into the course are courses in which a portion of the course integrates sustainability and may be dependent on whether the faculty instructor chooses to integrate sustainability into their section of the course.