Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 58.26
Liaison Caitlin McLennan
Submission Date Oct. 10, 2022

STARS v2.2

Utah State University
AC-4: Graduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Alexi Lamm
Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities
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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:
Environment & Society

A brief description of the graduate-level degree program:

The degrees in Environment and Society (ENVS) were created in response to a growing demand in natural resource fields for more interdisciplinary professionals with diverse skills and broader intellectual capabilities. It is being recognized, for example, that social and managerial sciences are increasingly important in helping society better understand and solve environmental problems. The ENVS program will produce students who are problem solvers because they will be able to integrate human and biophysical aspects of ecosystems, and better analyze policies and decisions that encourage both community and ecosystem sustainability. The ENVS degrees will train students for professional positions with local, state, national, and international resource management agencies, private consulting and environmental analysis firms, and non-governmental environmental organizations.


Website URL for the graduate-level degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (2nd program):
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A brief description of the graduate degree program (2nd program):
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Website URL for the graduate degree program (2nd program):
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Name of the sustainability-focused, graduate-level degree program (3rd program):
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A brief description of the graduate degree program (3rd program):
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Website URL for the graduate degree program (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused graduate-level degree programs:
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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:
Horticulture: Water Efficient Landscaping Specialization

A brief description of the graduate minor, concentration or certificate:

The MPSH is an online, professional graduate degree program with a required internship or capstone project. The program consists of 33 semester credits, with 21 credits of required courses and 4 credits of internship experience or capstone project. The courses are designed to increase skills and expertise in all aspects of landscape water conservation. Although the program is no longer accepting new students, students were enrolled in 2020, within the reporting period

With an estimated 60% of drinking water in the western U.S. applied to urban landscapes, water conservation in the landscape is an important issue. Utah State University is the only university with a professional Master’s degree that focuses on urban landscape water conservation. Using landscape water efficiently is a multi-faceted issue involving an understanding of plant science, irrigation technologies, human behaviors, and landscape design, all set within the political and economic contexts of communities challenged to meet the water demands of growing populations. The purpose of this degree is to provide horticulturalists with knowledge and skills needed to effectively promote landscape water conservation. As water becomes more precious, the demand for these skills will continue to increase.


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:
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