Sustainability Degrees

Western offers many degrees focused on or related to the principles of sustainability.

Sustainability-Focused Degrees
Business and Sustainability Major (New! Starting Fall 2013)
"The major is going to give students the tools to apply business problem solving solutions to issues of sustainability, as well as giving them knowledge to bring into the business world of how to create sustainable practices."	A new business and sustainability major will be available at Western Washington University in the fall, combining business courses with environmental interests. The degree can be used in fields such as environmental advising or directing energy services. The sequence will be 104-106 credits, with only seven credits of electives. The major will require courses from both the College of Business and Economics and Huxley College of the Environment. The major can be declared at either college. Craig Dunn, associate dean for graduate programs in the College of Business and Economics, has been working with other faculty for four years to create this major to teach students about sustainability. The new major will teach students about sustainability within environmental studies and business, giving them a more in-depth education, he said. More Information
Energy Policy Minor
Educating the leaders for our clean and efficient energy future through interdisciplinary studies and research.	The minor in Energy Policy is an interdisciplinary program designed to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding green-energy economy. Graduates will be well prepared to enter the workforce as leaders, equipped with the knowledge, skills and applied expertise demanded by this dynamic and evolving sector of the global economy. The participating departments are recognized for their outstanding educational programs and demonstrated excellence. This program will support interdisciplinary learning while fostering an approach to problem solving that encourages cross-discipline thinking. Industry experts tell us there is a growing demand for an energy-related undergraduate program that produces both depth and breadth of knowledge. Scientists, researchers and business people need to understand policy. Policy makers and entrepreneurs need to understand the science and technology upon which the industry is based. And everyone needs to understand the principles of economics, business management, and environmental stewardship. This minor will be particularly valuable for individuals who seek leadership roles in business or government. More Information
Sustainable Design Minor
A multi-disciplinary, cooperative Degree Program in Sustainable Design.	Huxley College of the Environment and the Engineering Technology Department jointly offer a minor in Sustainable Design. The minor provides basic foundations in environmental studies and design, allows for individualized tailoring, and requires students to design products that promote long-term economic, social, and ecological values. Students in the program will obtain an understanding of the natural systems within which human institutions and technologies function, and of the social systems which mediate human interactions with ecosystems. More Information
Urban Planning and Sustainable Development Major
Do you love solving problems and implementing shared visions in both natural settings and urban communities? Are you interested in the laws and policies that govern environmental change?	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 program consists of a core, and specialization electives. The core incorporates the interdisciplinary foundation of Huxley College's approach to the study of the environment. Urban planning and sustainable development concentrate studies in public policy development, law, and methods and processes of planning and decision making. The specialization elective component of the program is flexible. It allows students to develop an area of special interest, concentrating on a minor in an academic discipline, or to select from a number of thematically oriented clusters of courses. More Information
Economics/Environmental Studies Major
A combined major in Economics/Environmental Studies is available to students having a strong interest in the economic aspects of environmental studies and natural resources.	Economics deals with how people living in a world of scarcity make choices. These choices inevitably involve costs. Questions examined in environmental economics include efficient resource use, preservation of wilderness and biological diversity, local and regional air pollution, global climate change, and treatment of toxic substances. Students learn how to use economic principles to help understand the causes of environmental problems and to identify potential remedies. Environmental Studies draws on basic knowledge of how natural systems work and is applied to solving problems largely created by human activities. Often these problems are represented by disturbances in the functioning of natural systems. In addition to the study of the natural environment, a study of laws and policy related to the environment provides a foundation for solving environmental problems. More Information

Sustainability-Related Degrees
Environmental Science Major/Minor
Are you excited by how natural systems work? Do you want to solve the problems of the natural environment caused by human activities? Do you love to work outdoors? Do you love the sciences and scientific inquiry?	Environmental Science draws on basic knowledge of the physical, chemical, biological and quantitative aspects of natural systems. The knowledge of how natural systems work is applied to solving problems largely created by human activities. Often these problems are represented by disturbances in the functioning of natural systems. Humans are altering their own life-support systems – the air, the water and soil. The scale of disturbance ranges from the molecular and cellular to individuals, populations, ecosystems, and regional and global levels. The Environmental Science major will acquire the scientific and problem solving skills needed to conserve and restore the natural environment. Students of Environmental Science will go directly into an environmental science career or on to graduate school to further their study. (Minor also available) More Information
Environmental Education Major/Minor
Are you excited about teaching people about the environment? Do you want to help people learn to make environmental choices in their lives? Do you love to work outdoors with children or adults?	The major consists of four distinct parts. First, students acquire an understanding of the content of environmental studies. Second, students examine the process of education for an environmental perspective. Third, students investigate ways of applying environmental education content and techniques in the professional roles they may pursue. Fourth, students participate in internships, a field practicum, or research. Graduates of this major have assumed positions as teachers in private schools, as interpreters with resource management agencies, as staff in programs for special populations such as at-risk youth and persons with disabilities, among others, and with wilderness education non-profits. (Minor also available) More Information
Environmental Policy Major/Minor
Are you interested in the laws and policies that govern environmental change?	Graduates of this major have assumed positions as teachers in private schools, as interpreters with resource management agencies, as staff in programs for special populations such as at-risk youth and persons with disabilities, among others, and with wilderness education non-profits. (Minor also available) More Information
Environmental Studies Major/Minor
Do you want to use your knowledge and skills to promote positive change in the environment?	Environmental Studies draws on basic knowledge of how natural systems work and is applied to solving problems largely created by human activities. Often these problems are represented by disturbances in the functioning of natural systems. In addition to the study of the natural environment, a study of laws and policy related to the environment provides a foundation for solving environmental problems. (Minor also available) More Information
Environmental Studies – Elementary Major
Do you like teaching children about the environment? Do you want to teach people to make environmental choices?	This program fulfills the academic major requirements for elementary education candidates who wish to have a solid background in studies related to the environment. Although environmental studies itself is not an endorsable area, some of the courses might be counted toward endorsement in other areas. Students should contact a faculty advisor for clarification of course work applications. This major must be accompanied by the professional preparation program in Elementary Education offered through Woodring College of Education. More Information