Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.90
Liaison Paul Mathisen
Submission Date April 16, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 John Orr
Professor
Liberal Arts & Computer Engineering
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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

The name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (1st program):
BA in Environmental & Sustainability Studies

A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (1st program):

The Environmental & Sustainability Studies (ESS) program at WPI is designed to focus on diverse aspects of environmental issues and provide hands-on education in the methods of scientific, social science, and humanistic analysis. With growing public demand for greater attention on human consumption and production, and their implications on environmental sustainability, there is an increased need for professionals educated across all aspects of human-environment interactions, from the sciences to sociology to humanities. Through core courses, seminars, and projects focused on integrated approaches to environmental issues, the ESS curriculum helps students address contemporary environmental problems in creative ways that transcend disciplinary boundaries. This interdisciplinary approach also enables students to gain breadth and depth of knowledge in core disciplines such as biology, chemistry, philosophy, history, and environmental law and policy.


The website URL for the undergraduate degree program (1st program):
The name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
BS in Environmental Engineering

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

With demands for humanity's needs increasing globally and exponentially, WPI's Environmental Engineering program prepares graduates for rewarding, groundbreaking careers in consulting, industry, research, policy-making, and business areas, such as: helping keep water supplies safe, designing processes to reduce chemical toxicity, developing new capabilities for energy production and restoring ecosystems for future generations. Students work closely with pioneers in the field to develop solutions to environmental imperatives and gain experience applicable in a wide range of careers that will improve quality of life.


The website URL for the undergraduate degree program (2nd program):
The name of the sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
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A brief description of the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
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The website URL for the undergraduate degree program (3rd program):
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The name and website URLs of all other sustainability-focused, undergraduate degree program(s):
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Does the institution offer one or more sustainability-focused minors, concentrations or certificates for undergraduate students?:
Yes

The name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (1st program):
Minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies

A brief description of the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (1st program):

Students may earn the minor by completing 2 courses from the environmental studies core, 3 electives in the social sciences and humanities with an environmental focus, and an environmental studies capstone.


The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (1st program):
The name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
Economic Science Concentration in Sustainable Economic Development

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

Economic Science majors may focus their studies by choosing a Concentration in Sustainable Economic Development. The sustainable development concentration examines the economic, psychological, social, political, legal, and technical issues surrounding the creation of policies aimed at establishing sustainable economics systems at the local, national, and international levels.


The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (2nd program):
The name of the sustainability-focused undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
Civil Engineering with an Environmental Concentration

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

Civil Engineering majors may choose to focus their studies by obtaining an Environmental concentration. An Environmental concentration in the CEE Department focuses on the planning, design, construction, operation, and regulation of water quality control systems related to water supply and waste treatment. Additional areas of focus include hydrology, hydraulics, water resources, solid and hazardous waste management, waste minimization, public health and air pollution control.


The website URL for the undergraduate minor, concentration or certificate (3rd program):
The name, brief description and URL of all other undergraduate-level sustainability-focused minors, concentrations and certificates:

Humanities and Arts with a Concentration in Environmental Studies
Humanities & Arts students who pursue the interdisciplinary Environmental Studies concentration take coursework in the social sciences, humanities, and other disciplines to explore environmental issues such as air quality management and urban planning, as well as humanistic issues as they relate to the planet we call home. It's science-meets-nature, giving students the tools they need to develop globally beneficial solutions.
http://www.wpi.edu/academics/hua/environmental-studies.html

Chemical Engineering with an Environmental Concentration
Chemical engineering majors may choose to focus their studies by obtaining an Environmental Concentration
http://www.wpi.edu/academics/che/undergradprogram-overview.html


Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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