Curriculum
Introduction
One of the primary functions of colleges and universities is to educate students. By training and educating future leaders, scholars, workers, and professionals; higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to understand and address sustainability challenges. Institutions that offer courses covering sustainability issues help equip their students to lead society to a sustainable future.
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Teaching Climate Change in the Humanities
Climate change is an enormous and increasingly urgent issue. This important book highlights how humanities disciplines can mobilize the creative and critical power of students, teachers, and communities to confront …
- Posted Oct. 20, 2016
- Publications
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Global Studies BA
- University of South Carolina (SC)
The Global Studies major is a flexible, interdisciplinary degree that familiarizes students with the complex historical and contemporary relationships and processes that link together people and places. By focusing on …
- Posted Oct. 20, 2016
- Academic Programs
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The Master of Sustainability Leadership Program at ASU
- Arizona State University (AZ)
The Master of Sustainability Leadership (MSL) degree at Arizona State University will prepare professionals to advance social and environmental responsibility. The program teaches organizational leadership skills through the lens of …
- Posted Oct. 13, 2016
- Academic Programs
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Sustainability and Built Environment: The role of Higher Education in Architecture and Building Engineering
The sustainability paradigm implies a cultural shift in order to really change the world and society. Education, and specifically higher education, plays the crucial role of preparing students to be …
- Posted Oct. 13, 2016
- Publications
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A Guide for Applied Sustainability Learning Projects: Advancing sustainability outcomes on campus and in the community
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Portland State University (OR)
- AASHE (MA)
This guide provides a step-by-step framework for how a new or existing applied learning for sustainability program can be systematically designed, built and scaled around two interconnected goals:
- Providing students …
- Posted Oct. 8, 2016
- Publications
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Learning and Skills for Sustainable Development: Developing a sustainability literate society
The purpose of this publication is to help higher education institutions to integrate sustainability literacy into the curriculum of their learning programmes.The approach and tools suggested in this guide have …
- Posted Oct. 6, 2016
- Publications
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Employer attitudes towards, and skills for, sustainable development
- National Union of Students
- Higher Education Academy (York)
This report describes the results of an online survey of employers in the U.K. about sustainable development. Overall, employers believed the range of skills for sustainability to be important when …
- Posted Oct. 6, 2016
- Publications
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Leadership Skills for a Sustainable Economy
Based on a survey of sustainability staff at member companies of The Prince of Wales’s Mayday Network on Climate Change and also member companies of Business in the Community, this …
- Posted Oct. 6, 2016
- Publications
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Cultivating an Academy We Can Live With: The Humanities and Education for Sustainability
- Wake Forest University (NC)
Many facets of the university system in North America are fundamentally unsustainable, developing and perpetuating knowledge practices that not only do not sustain the biospheric conditions in which our species …
- Posted Oct. 6, 2016
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Dissonance in students' perceptions of sustainable development and sustainability: Implications for curriculum change
- University of Plymouth (Devon)
Purpose – An online questionnaire survey was conducted to explore University of Plymouth students' perceptions and understandings of, and attitudes towards, sustainable development and related concepts and issues. In general, …
- Posted Oct. 3, 2016
- Publications
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Student Perceptions of Sustainability Education in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
For sustainable engineering to contribute to sustainability, curricular reforms are needed to train sustainability-conscious engineers. Examining student perceptions of sustainability education can provide insights for benchmarking the current quality of …
- Posted Oct. 3, 2016
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Sustainability Studies BA in Liberal Arts
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
The Sustainability Studies B.A. in Liberal Arts is designed to provide a rigorous and focused study of sustainability methods and content and simultaneously allow a student to complete all degree …
- Posted Sept. 29, 2016
- Academic Programs
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Hands-On LEED: Guiding College Student Engagement
- U.S. Green Building Council (DC)
As college and university leaders from across the United States work to green their campuses, students can and should play a critical role. Hands-On LEED: Guiding College Student Engagement explains …
- Posted Sept. 26, 2016
- Publications
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Professional Master’s Degree in Energy & Environment
- Boston University (MA)
The professional master’s degree in Energy & Environment provides a professional training degree for the student with an undergraduate degree in the natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, or …
- Posted Sept. 26, 2016
- Academic Programs
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MSc in Environmental Psychology
- University of Surrey
The MSc in Environmental Psychology programme helps students gain advanced knowledge and understanding of theory and practice in environmental psychology. Students will also acquire a range of research skills to …
- Posted Sept. 26, 2016
- Academic Programs
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Paul Quinn College Transforms Football Field to Organic Farm, Shifting Value to Students
- Paul Quinn College (TX)
At Paul Quinn College, where 83 percent of students are Pell Grant eligible (2016), students obtain both a liberal arts education and real-world work experience. This video showcases the historically …
- Posted Sept. 20, 2016
- Videos & Webinars
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Study Abroad Initiatives at Oregon State University
- Oregon State University (OR)
Grace Burleson teaches a group of people in Uganda during her internship. Kendra Sharp uses some locally made tools in Chennai, India.
- Posted Sept. 16, 2016
- Photographs
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The Ohio State University
- The Ohio State University (OH)
The Ohio State University selected three Discovery Theme programs that are working to promote the research, teaching and engagement surrounding sustainability issues and focus on critical societal needs. The three …
- Posted Sept. 15, 2016
- Photographs
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UConn Reserach Gathers Critical Information Needed in Fight to Save Wildlife
- University of Connecticut (CT)
An international group of top biologists led by UConn ecologist Mark Urban is calling for a coordinated effort to gather important species information that is urgently needed to improve predictions …
- Posted Sept. 14, 2016
- Photographs
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Furnace Brook Center Smart Home Laboratory
- Onondaga Community College (NY)
Onondaga Community College has created a smart home laboratory at the College's Furnace Brook Center with the help of a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Energy. The building …
- Posted Sept. 14, 2016
- Photographs
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Environmental Science
- Stetson University (FL)
Students graduating from Stetson University with a B.S. degree in Environmental Science will work within solid ethical and scientific frameworks to make well-supported decisions to protect natural resources, develop innovative …
- Posted Sept. 13, 2016
- Academic Programs
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Environmental Studies
- Stetson University (FL)
Students graduating from Stetson University with a B.A. degree in Environmental Studies will work within solid ethical and scientific frameworks to make well-supported decisions to protect natural resources, develop innovative …
- Posted Sept. 13, 2016
- Academic Programs
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Boreas Leadership Program - University of Minnesota
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Boreas offers University of Minnesota graduate and professional students and post-doctoral fellows free co-curricular leadership development opportunities that build on the strengths of graduate education to create effective change agents. …
- Posted Sept. 13, 2016
- Photographs
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Columbia University: Tree-Ring Extraction
- Columbia University (NY)
Williams and the others set to work extracting tree rings, by which they can gauge how various species have reacted to past swings in precipitation and temperature. The basic tool …
- Posted Sept. 12, 2016
- Photographs
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Timber Frame Bike Shelter
- Green Mountain College (VT)
Renewable Energy & Ecological Design Major (REED) Adam Zais '16 building a Timber Frame bike shelter on campus.
- Posted Sept. 12, 2016
- Photographs
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Classroom as Cinema: Using Film to Teach Sustainability
- Furman University (SC)
- Western New England University (MA)
While the advent of movies in the classroom does not quite date to the invention of the motion-picture camera itself in 1889, given its near-universal power to draw students' attention, …
- Posted Sept. 12, 2016
- Publications
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A collaborative programme in sustainability and social responsibility
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to collect methodological strategies used in the training of future teachers to develop competences in sustainability and social responsibility (SSR). The proposal in …
- Posted Sept. 12, 2016
- Publications
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Assessing sustainability teaching and learning in geography education
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- University of Oklahoma (OK)
Purpose
This study aims to understand if geographers, who teach in a new sustainability program, are conveying new knowledge, understanding, skills and competence about the integrated and holistic concept of …
- Posted Sept. 12, 2016
- Publications
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Integrating sustainability across the university curriculum
- University of Pennsylvania (PA)
Purpose
Colleges and universities increasingly have the mandate and motivation to integrate sustainability into their curricula. The purpose of this paper is to share the strategy used at the University …
- Posted Sept. 12, 2016
- Publications
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Appalachian State University students have a hands-on sustainability experience
- Appalachian State University (NC)
Appalachian State University’s leadership in sustainability education can be traced back to more than 25 years. The university houses the nation’s longest running Sustainable Development Program (est. 1991) and has …
- Posted Sept. 12, 2016
- Photographs
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Event organized by Institut EDDEC
- Polytechnique Montréal (QC)
This photo was taken during the "Transition towards a circular economy: opportunities and challenges for Quebec and Canada" event organized by the EDDEC Institute in May 2016 in Montreal.
- Posted Sept. 9, 2016
- Photographs
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Good Business Friday Discussion
- Babson College (MA)
Weekly discussion of sustainability in business hosted by the Lewis Institute at Babson.
- Posted Sept. 9, 2016
- Photographs
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Tapping campus maple trees
- Babson College (MA)
Students, faculty, and staff working together to tap campus maple trees to make maple syrup.
- Posted Sept. 9, 2016
- Photographs
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Learning our campus trees
- Babson College (MA)
Ecology course studying trees on campus
- Posted Sept. 9, 2016
- Photographs
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Engaged Learning in Costa Rica course
- Babson College (MA)
Faculty and students on sustainability course in Costa Rica
- Posted Sept. 9, 2016
- Photographs
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Ecoroof Management Plan
- Portland State University (OR)
The Broadway Residence Hall at Portland State University received LEED Silver certification in 2004,with a combination of sustainable construction practices and green building features, including a 18,000 square foot ecoroof, …
- Posted Sept. 9, 2016
- Photographs
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A Practical Guide to the United Nations Global Compact for Higher Education Institutions
This publication offers guidelines for higher education institutions in implementing the ten principles of the UN Global Compact within the organization and then leading their global adoption.
- Posted Sept. 6, 2016
- Publications
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A Mixed Methods Assessment of the Development, Use, and Educational Effectiveness of University Campus Sustainability Tours
- Western Kentucky University (KY)
Campus sustainability tours are available at dozens of colleges and universities across the United States. These tours are considered a vital tool in interpreting the environmental and sustainable aspects of …
- Posted Sept. 6, 2016
- Publications
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Gaps in sustainability education: The impact of higher education coursework on perceptions of sustainability
- College of Charleston (SC)
- Presbyterian College (SC)
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how both the amount and type of coursework impact students’ conceptualizations of sustainability. Previous research demonstrates that academic coursework influences students’ environmental attitudes, yet …
- Posted Sept. 6, 2016
- Publications
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PhD in Organizational Systems: Leadership of Sustainable Systems
- Saybrook University (CA)
This program is designed to help students lead in a way that empowers people within the communities they serve. Guided by faculty with years of experience in the field, students …
- Posted Aug. 31, 2016
- Academic Programs
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Online Certificate in Sustainable Resource Management
- Kankakee Community College (IL)
This 2-course certificate certificate program is designed to prepare students for careers in sustainable resource management. Those who complete the courses are eligible to take the Illinois Recycling Association's Sustainable …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2016
- Academic Programs
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Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Integrated Water Management
- The University of British Columbia (BC)
The Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Integrated Water Management is an intensive one-year degree program that will enable you to spearhead initiatives focused on water use, treatment, research and …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2016
- Academic Programs
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Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Green Bio-Products
- The University of British Columbia (BC)
The Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Green Bio-Products is an intensive one-year degree program that equips students with the technical and leadership skills required to contribute to the growing …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2016
- Academic Programs
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Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Clean Energy Engineering
- The University of British Columbia (BC)
The Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Clean Energy Engineering is an intensive one-year degree program for engineers and environmental science graduates who want to advance their careers in the …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2016
- Academic Programs
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BSc in Natural Resources Conservation
- The University of British Columbia (BC)
This interdisciplinary program prepares students for careers in conservation and management. Encompassing the natural and social sciences, students will learn how to use the technologically advanced tools and quantitative techniques …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2016
- Academic Programs
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Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Transitions to Sustainability
- University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork (Co. Cork)
Demonstrating how a university can, in a very practical and pragmatic way, be re-envisioned through a transdisciplinary informed frame, this book shows how through an open and collegiate spirit of …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2016
- Publications
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How Much do U.S. University Students Know, and Want to Know About Sustainability and Green Building? The Findings of a Survey, and Possible Implications for General Elective Curriculum
- Weber State University (UT)
- Purdue University (IN)
Using the survey approach, this investigation examined the attitudes and interest of college students at two universities in different geographic locations within the United States. Approximately 24,000 students from all …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2016
- Publications
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Raising environmental awareness through education
This paper presents a method for involving learners in awareness-raising and real changes in consumption. The described method is a teaching assignment comprising a self-audit of household chemicals' consumption, system …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2016
- Publications
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Sustainability teaching in higher education institutions of Kazakhstan
Sustainability teaching is challenging due to problems of the economic development, as well as of overcoming a post-communist mentality in countries with economies in transition. This is particularly relevant for …
- Posted Aug. 29, 2016
- Publications
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
AC 1: Academic Courses
- Percentage of courses that are sustainability course offerings
- Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings
- Inventory of sustainability course offerings (upload)
- Website URL - Sustainability course offerings
AC 2: Learning Outcomes
- Description of institution level sustainability learning outcomes
- List of degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability
- Percentage of students who graduate from programs that require an understanding of sustainability
- Website URL - Sustainability learning outcomes
AC 3: Undergraduate Program
- First sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- Second sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- Third sustainability-focused undergraduate degree program
- First sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
- Second sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
- Third sustainability-focused undergraduate minor or concentration
AC 4: Graduate Program
- First sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- First sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level minor or concentration
AC 5: Immersive Experience
- Description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s)
- Second sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
- Third sustainability-focused graduate-level degree program
AC 6: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
- Copy of the sustainability literacy assessment (upload)
- Copy of the sustainability literacy assessment (description)
- Website URL - Assessment of sustainability literacy
AC 7: Incentives for Developing Courses
- Description of the course development incentives
- Website URL - Incentives for developing sustainability courses
AC 8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.