Offered in: Chicago

Roosevelt University’s Sustainability Studies (SUST) program is an interdisciplinary and environmentally-focused undergraduate degree, with major and minor options. Founded in 2010, it was the first sustainability bachelor’s degree program in the Chicago area. Its overall goals include:

• Engaging students in the pressing ecological, economic, political, and social concerns surrounding climate change, energy production, food systems, resource consumption, transportation, urban development, water supply and quality, waste and recycling, and other topics.
• Fostering students’ environmental literacy using classroom, online, and field-based instruction in the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities.
• Exploring social justice issues on a range of fronts, including environmental justice, resource allocation, urban development, and social equity.
• Establishing Roosevelt University as a leader in sustainability education, particularly in relation to social justice and sustainable urban development.

Students graduating with a major in Sustainability Studies will have an interdisciplinary understanding of the varied dimensions of sustainability, both from a local and global perspective; be fluent in articulating how sustainability issues relate to matters of the environment, the economy, and social equity; and demonstrate proficiency in critical thinking, reading, writing, and research. More specifically, students will learn how to:

• Identify and explain key sustainability challenges of the 21st century, including climate change, energy, transportation, food production, water and waste management, species and ecosystem conservation, urbanization, and human consumption.
• Apply scientific, environmental, and quantitative literacy to understand and evaluate major sustainability problems.
• Understand the relationships among social justice, environmental justice, and corporate social responsibility; and analyze sustainability issues in light of this ethical framework.
• Recognize the importance of activism and leadership, both personal and political, to creating more sustainable and resilient communities.
• Apply knowledge about sustainability to areas of personal, educational, and/or professional interest through applied research, community service, environmental activism, project management, or related activities.

Requirements

The overall requirements for the BA in Sustainability Studies include eight core Sustainability courses, two Sustainability electives, selected general education courses, and general electives. Grades of C- or higher and a minimum GPA of 2.0 are required in all SUST core and elective courses. SUST majors are strongly encouraged to pursue a minor and/or double major in a related field of interest after consulting with an academic advisor.

Core requirements: ENG 101 COMPOSITION I: CRITICAL READING & WRITING is a pre-requisite for all SUST courses; the university writing requirement is a pre-requisite for all 300-level SUST courses.

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 SUST majors and minors are encouraged to take SUST 101 Humans & Nature as their CORE Ideas of Social Justice course requirement (see CORE Requirements below).

CORE Requirements (General Education)

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Higher level of Math may be required by major

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Coursework must come from outside of students' major discipline

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A maximum of 9 credits can be applied from a single discipline towards humanities and social science requirements

These quantitative requirements also apply to degrees.

• Students must earn a minimum of 120 semester hours.
• Students may apply no more than 60 credit hours of 100-level courses toward the degree.
• Students must apply no fewer than 60 credit hours of 200- and 300-level courses toward the degree.
• Students must have at least 18 credit hours (of the 60 credit hours above) at the 300 level.
• Students may transfer in no more than 70 credit hours from community colleges.
• Students earning less than 60 total hours in residence must take their final 30 hours at Roosevelt University. Note that some majors have additional requirements for RU hours.
• Students must have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher to graduate. Note that some majors have additional GPA requirements.
• Students may apply no more than 51 hours in the major (BA) or 57 hours in the major (BS)

Your degree map is a general guide suggesting courses to complete each term on the academic pathway to your degree. It is based on the most current scheduling information from your academic program. Your program’s degree map is reviewed annually and updated as schedules change (although you retain the same course requirements as long as you are continuously enrolled in your degree program).

Always work closely with your academic advisor to understand curriculum requirements and scheduling, as each student’s academic plan can look slightly different.

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One Natural Science course must have a lab.

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SUST majors and minors are encouraged to take SUST 101 Humans & Nature to satisfy the Ideas of Social Justice CORE requirement. Alternatively, another Ideas course may fulfill this requirement.

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Experiential Learning class must be 200/300 level and can be a SUST course or taken outside the major. SUST options vary each semester and include EXL-designated sections of SUST 210, 220, 230, 250, 330 (at the Field Museum of Natural History), 350, 360, 361, and 395.

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Or course toward an optional Minor and/or Double Major.

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ECON, POS, and SOC are recommended social sciences.