University of Vermont
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Founded in 1972 by UVM presidential mandate, the campus-wide Environmental Program was established to meet the need for greater understanding of the ecological and cultural systems supporting all life on earth. Through the Environmental Studies (ENVS) we encourage community engagement through internships and service learning and we actively support student advocacy and political awareness. We promote environmental education at all levels as well as artistic expression of environmental values. Our community takes up local and global issues with passion and rigor. We believe in collaborative problem-solving and the power of human imagination to create a more sustainable future. The ENVS Program is a beacon of hope amidst the very challenging environmental dilemmas that face humanity. It covers sustainable ecological and social processes that inform human choices in relation to energy, transportation, climate, waste, and food systems, with a focus on applying sustainability principles to environmental problem-solving. It also includes interdisciplinary grounding in systems thinking and ecological processes.

The ENVS Program has been designated as a sustainability curricula, meaning all students taking the core courses will learn the following sustainability learning outcomes:

- Learning outcome 1: Students can have an informed conversation about the multiple dimensions and complexity of sustainability. (knowledge category)

- Learning outcome 2: Students can evaluate sustainability using an evidence-based disciplinary approach and integrate economic, ecological, and social perspectives. (skills category)

- Learning outcome 3: Students think critically about sustainability across a diversity of cultural values and across multiple scales of relevance from local to global. (values category)

- Learning outcome 4: Students, as members of society, can recognize and assess how sustainability impacts their lives and how their actions impact sustainability. (personal domain)

The 21st century has brought great advances in science, engineering and technology, but with it also significant challenges — environmental concerns, energy sustainability, aging infrastructure, accessibility to clean water, and adaptation to climate change, among others. All create unique challenges and opportunities for civil engineers of every specialty. Civil engineers will be in great demand in the coming decades to solve these problems and doing so will reap significant professional rewards.

Our faculty places an emphasis on rigorous technical education and social awareness, preparing students to become engineering leaders and innovators who are empowered to make the world a better place for all. We educate our students to develop sustainable systemic solutions that consider short and long-term environmental, social, political, regulatory and economic issues while identifying, defining and solving engineering problems. We instill in our students essential skills such as critical thinking, data analysis and modeling, use of information and advanced engineering technology, and interpersonal communication (e.g. teamwork, technical writing, presentation and deliberation skills, and communicating with stakeholders, including people with non-technical backgrounds) through project-based service learning. The civil engineering curriculum has a sustainability designation, meaning the program curriculum has committed to teaching UVM’s Sustainability Learning Outcomes.

The Environmental Engineering program addresses environmental concerns, energy sustainability, aging infrastructure, accessibility to clean water, and adaptation to climate change, among other issues facing our modern built environment. All of these issues create unique challenges and opportunities for civil engineers of every specialty. Environmental engineers will be in great demand in the coming decades to solve these problems and doing so will reap significant professional rewards.

Our faculty places an emphasis on rigorous technical education and social awareness, preparing students to become engineering leaders and innovators who are empowered to make the world a better place for all. We educate our students to develop sustainable systemic solutions that consider short and long-term environmental, social, political, regulatory and economic issues while identifying, defining and solving engineering problems. We instill in our students essential skills such as critical thinking, data analysis and modeling, use of information and advanced engineering technology, and interpersonal communication (e.g. teamwork, technical writing, presentation and deliberation skills, and communicating with stakeholders, including people with non-technical backgrounds) through project-based service learning. The environmental engineering curriculum has a sustainability designation, meaning the program curriculum has committed to teaching UVM’s Sustainability Learning Outcomes.

This theme provides knowledge, competencies and experiences for students interested in sustainable business, including but not limited to social and environmental sustainability. Sustainable businesses maximize shareholder value over the long run with leaders who are innovative, and who manage interactions with stakeholders across the economic, social, environmental and political spheres. Students involved in the Sustainable Business theme are challenged to recognize business opportunities and points of tension between the needs of the natural environment, social justice, and the demands of business and economic growth, all of which affect a variety of stakeholders, such as employees, investors, and local and global communities.

Required business electives and participation in a capstone course will give students the opportunity to synthesize and validate their evolving perspectives in both academic and applied settings. Students may enhance their understanding of sustainable business by taking courses spanning a number of different disciplines outside of business such as ecology, economics, environmental studies, political science, history and sociology.

The Ecological Agriculture minor focuses on applying ecological concepts to environmentally friendly food production. This minor is designed to give students a knowledge-based concentration in diversified agricultural production that is based on ecological principles and is economically viable, socially acceptable, and minimizes impacts to the environment. The minor is a minimum of 15 credits and two of the courses required are sustainability designated courses (they teach UVM’s sustainability learning outcomes). Learn how to produce food in a sustainable and ecologically-sound manner. Gain a solid foundation in the natural sciences and practical experience through our organic farm practicum, internships, and field trips.

This minor is designed to provide students with a knowledge-based concentration in horticulture based on the application of ecological principles in landscape design and plant sciences. Endorse a healthier environment with the beauty and utility of plants. Gain professional training in landscape design and plant sciences along with courses in business and liberal arts. Choose trees, shrubs, and lawn grasses that match conditions of the local environment. Design landscapes that provide environmental services of soil conservation, water purification, and nutrient management. These are among the skills and areas of knowledge you’ll develop as a Sustainable Landscape Horticulture student.