Western Washington University
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

This interdisciplinary program prepares students to enter professional fields concerned with the sustainability of the human and natural environment. The Urban Planning and Sustainable Development major consists of foundation, urban planning core, and specialization courses. The foundation and planning core requirement incorporates the interdisciplinary foundation of College of the Environment's approach to the study of the environment, with an emphasis on public policy development, law, and the methods, theory, and processes of planning and decision-making. The specialization courses allow students to develop an area of specialized interest in a defined planning sub-discipline, to concentrate on a minor in an academic discipline, or to select from a number of thematically oriented clusters of courses.

College of the Environment's Urban Planning and Sustainable Development major emphasizes innovative approaches to solving complex problems facing communities from the local to the global level. The program stresses progressive change leading towards equitable, healthful, livable, and sustainable communities with the emphasis on social and environmental justice, multiculturalism, diversity, and under-served communities. The curriculum combines urban planning, urban and sustainable design, environmental policy, and environmental sciences to provide students with an understanding of the linkages between urban and natural systems and the multidimensional problems in urban development.

Graduates are prepared for entry-level careers in planning agencies, consulting firms, and nonprofit organizations in various fields locally, nationally, and internationally, as well as advanced graduate studies.

The Urban Sustainability major examines the human and environmental dimensions of cities in the United States and around the world. The curriculum incorporates approaches from a range of disciplines including urban planning, environmental policy, economics, political science, and history. The program emphasizes analytic and communication skills, which are valued by a range of employers. The program provides an excellent foundation for students pursuing graduate studies in a range of social science disciplines.

Environmental Studies takes an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to understanding human-environment systems and environmental challenges. The Environmental Studies major includes core classes in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities to prepare our students to integrate knowledge from multiple fields of study. Our students learn to analyze and interpret complex environmental data and communicate environmental information for diverse stakeholders. The Environmental Studies major equips students to succeed as environmental professionals through experiential learning and advanced coursework in each student’s choice of an emphasis.

Created by the Sustainability Academy and approved by the Sustainability Curriculum Committee, this Sustainability Studies Minor draws across all the colleges at WWU, and is administered by an academic program director and advisers within the student’s major. The Minor is appropriate for students who wish to complement their undergraduate curricula and to further gain knowledge about the social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainability in both their academic and professional growth. The minor is highly cross-disciplinary in an effort to provide a diverse foundation for becoming engaged citizens.

Huxley College of the Environment and the Department of Engineering Technology jointly offer a minor in Sustainable Design. The goal of the program is to enable students with strengths in design or in environmental studies to gain complementary skills in the other area so as to pursue sustainable design careers more effectively. The program is also open to students from any area that would benefit by the set of concepts and skills offered.

Now, more than ever, we need leaders for sustainability and climate justice. This certificate builds an empowered community of leaders to address this urgent need. It is designed to integrate sustainability and climate change content knowledge with the leadership competencies to make real change for a more sustainable and just world.

Environmental Education Minor
https://catalog.wwu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=18&poid=8490&returnto=4807

Environmental Justice Minor
https://catalog.wwu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=18&poid=8753&returnto=4807

Environmental Policy Minor
https://catalog.wwu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=18&poid=8495&returnto=4807