Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.46
Liaison Paul Mathisen
Submission Date May 22, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
AC-1: Academic Courses

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 11.77 / 14.00 Paul Mathisen
Dir. of Sustainability & Assoc. Prof
Civil & Environmental Engineering
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1

Figures required to calculate the percentage of courses offered by the institution that are sustainability course offerings:
Undergraduate Graduate
Total number of courses offered by the institution 949 381
Number of sustainability courses offered 44 12
Number of courses offered that include sustainability 64 72

Percentage of courses that are sustainability course offerings:
14.44

Part 2 

Total number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer courses (at any level):
15

None
Number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer at least one sustainability course and/or course that includes sustainability (at any level):
14

Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings:
93.33

Course Inventory

A copy of the institution’s inventory of its sustainability course offerings and descriptions:
Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
One

A brief description of the methodology used to determine the total number of courses offered and to identify sustainability course offerings, including the definitions used and the process for reviewing and/or validating the course inventory :
Sustainability courses and courses that include sustainability were identified in several ways. We searched course catalogs for courses with relevant words (e.g. sustainability, environmental, renewable, justice) and pulled out those that fit the definitions. We also reviewed the title of every class offered and reviewed the full course descriptions for those that to fit. We also examined the list of courses associated with WPI's Environmental & Sustainability Studies academic programs. Finally, we surveyed the faculty and asked them to identify any courses they had taught in the past year that addressed sustainability and/or related topics.

How were courses with multiple offerings or sections counted for the figures reported above?:
Each course was counted as a single course regardless of the number of offerings or sections

A brief description of how courses with multiple offerings or sections were counted (if different from the options outlined above):
as stated above

Are the following course types included in the inventory? :
Yes (included) or No (not included)
Internships No
Practicums No
Independent study No
Special topics Yes
Thesis / dissertation No
Clinical No
Physical education No
Performance arts Yes

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.