Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 55.86
Liaison Allie McAllister
Submission Date Sept. 16, 2021

STARS v2.2

Villanova University
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one ​sustainability-focused​ major, degree, or certificate program for undergraduate students?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program:
BA, Environmental Studies

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program:

This multidisciplinary program focuses on the interface between environmental science and social sciences, including public policy, political science, law, economics, sociology, geography, and planning. Toward this end, our graduates will have a fundamental understanding of the scientific processes (i.e. biological, chemical, geomorphic, and geologic) that underlie the composition of the natural landscape, coupled with a foundation in the social sciences that underlie the diversity and composition of human landscape. The program is founded on the principle that the social sciences - both as a body of knowledge and as the basis for structuring human societal norms - must be applied to assess the direct and indirect influences of human activities on the integrity of Earth's Systems.


Website URL for the undergraduate degree program:
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
BS, Environmental Science

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):

This science program provides the technical background for understanding biological, chemical, and physical aspects of the environment. It focuses on the application of biological, chemical, and physical principles to understand natural and physical environments. Toward this end, the program's graduates will gain an understanding of, and appreciation for the processes and the interactions that occur both within and between the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere. The program is founded on the principle that science - both as a body of knowledge and as a process that is grounded in the intellectual inquiry - must be applied to assess and address the direct and indirect influences of human activities on the integrity of the Earth's systems.


Website URL for the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
BS, Civil and Environmental Engineering

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):

Graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Villanova University are prepared to:
1) Use their broad-based civil engineering backgrounds to perform as entry-level engineers in general civil engineering or in environmental, geotechnical, structural, transportation, or water resources engineering.
2) Enter graduate schools in the disciplines listed above or closely related disciplines, as well as other areas such as business and law.
3) Continue the process of life-long learning as required for long-term personal and professional growth.
4) Recognize their professional and ethical responsibilities to society as members of the engineering professional community.
5) Use communication, technical, and teamwork skills to help themselves and their employers succeed.
6) Relate their personal and professional lives to the Judaeo-Christian, humanistic tradition.


Website URL for the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program(s):
Does the institution offer one or more sustainability-focused minors or concentrations for undergraduate students?:
Yes

Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration:
Minor, Sustainability Studies

A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration:

An interdisciplinary minor that examines ways to limit actions that adversely affect the environment. Topics include improved utilization of natural resources; options for social, economic, and cultural development; role of science; role of engineering; role of business; role of government; and role of people.
Program Learning Objectives:
-Describe the technical and social aspects of a commitment to sustainability.
-Describe the ethical and philosophical underpinnings of a commitment to sustainability.
-Evaluate environmental processes and their nexus with human activity to examine sustainable (or un-sustainable) practices.
-Examine and describe the human dimension of global environmental change.
-Describe the links between the global economic environment, resource availability and distribution, and their effects on sustainable practices.
-Define the linkages between non-sustainable practices, resource shortages, and regional conflict.


Website URL for the undergraduate minor or concentration:
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration (2nd program):
Certificate, Sustainable Engineering, Dept of Engineering

A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration (2nd program):

Learning Outcome: Students in this certificate program demonstrate knowledge of the whole systems thinking approach to problem-solving through a life-cycle lens.


Website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):
Minor, Geography

A brief description of the undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):

How do you see the future? More of everything: food, personal electronic devices, energy, and peace between nations? Or do you foresee more population growth, new diseases, conflict, urban sprawl, pollution, ethnic violence, and starvation? Will there still be enough energy and clean water for your children? The world is changing at unprecedented rates, primarily because of human activity. We live in an integrated global environmental; and, more than ever before, we need people who understand how things are linked. THAT'S WHAT GEOGRAPHERS DO!
Geography focuses on the relationships between people and the natural world, the choices people make, the effects of past actions on people today, and the effects of today’s choices on future generations. For example, changes in tropical forests in response to human population growth is leading to the loss of biodiversity and an increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases that contribute to warming and extreme climate events.


Website URL for the undergraduate minor or concentration (3rd program):
The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused undergraduate minors and concentrations:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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