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Studying Sustainability Studies: A Comparative Analysis of 42 U.S. Degree Programs

Presentation to:

AASHE

October 28, 2014

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM

Room: B111

Home

Presenters:

Alice Gerhart. MPA

Joshua Lee, MArch, MSSD


Intro• Context: Review of comparable programs to

inform the new B.A. in Sustainability Studies at UT

• Purpose: To answer key questions posed by the co-chairs of the BASS proposalo General Characteristics:

oWhen were the programs founded? oHow many students are enrolled in each program?o Are there restrictions on acceptance into the program? oHow were these programs formed?

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IntrooCurriculum:

oAre incoming students familiar with the concept of sustainability or is a gateway course required?

o What is the focus and balance of these programs, and why?

oHow is the capstone course conceived and what are the deliverables?

oAre internships required? o Is double majoring required or encouraged?

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Introo Academic Governance and Support:

oHow are the programs administered? oHow many faculty and staff positions support the

program? o Is there a formal review process for evolving the

curriculum over time?oHow are external partners utilized—advisory board

members, financial supporters, and/or internship sponsors?

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Introo Student career and employment prospects

oWhat do programs say students will do after graduation?

oWhat do graduates of these programs actually do?

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Methodology• Mixed-method

oCollection of General Characteristics via web and email

o Semi-structured Interviewso Program Description Word Frequency AnalysisoCurriculum Analysis

• Data collected June to December 2013

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Methodology42 Programs evaluated:• “UT comparables”:

(UT Office of Information Management and Analysis)

• “Other exemplary”:

(co-chair recs, interviewee recs, AASHE directory)

• 28 Public, 14 Private• 11 B.A. or B.S., 17 B.A. only, 11

B.S. only, 1 B.B.A, 1 B.S.P.A, & 1 only as a double-major

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Arizona State SustainabilityBaylor University Environmental StudiesCollege of the Atlantic Human EcologyColorado College Environmental PolicyColorado Mountain College Sustainability StudiesColumbia University Sustainable DevelopmentEvergreen State College Environmental Studies Hampshire College Environmental Studies/SustainabilityIndiana University -Bloomington Public Affaris, Environmental ManagementJacksonville University SustainabilityJacksonville University SustainabilityJohns Hopkins University Global Environmental Change and SustainabilityMichigan State University -Lansing Environmental Studies and AgriscienceMichigan State University -Lansing Environmental Economics and Policy New School Environmental StudiesOberlin College Environmental StudiesOhio State University -Main Campus Environment, Economy, Development and SustainabilityPhiladelphia University Environmental SustainabilityPortland State University Environmental StudiesRensselaer Polytechnic Institute STS Sustainability StudiesRoosevelt University Sustainability StudiesStony Brook University Sustainability StudiesTexas A&M Environmental StudiesUniversity of California -Berkeley Environmental Economics and PolicyUniversity of California -Berkeley Conservation and Resource StudiesUniversity of California -Berkeley Society and Environment University of California -Berkeley Environmental SciencesUniversity of California -Los Angeles Geography/Environmental Studies University of Florida Environmental ScienceUniversity of Florida Sustainability StudiesUniversity of Florida Sustainability and the Built EnvironmentUniversity of Illinois -Champaign/Urbana Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability University of Michigan -Ann Arbor Program in the EnvironmentUniversity of Minnesota -Twin Cities Biology, Society, & the EnvironmentUniversity of North Carolina -Chapel Hill Environmental Studies University of South Dakota SustainabilityUniversity of Texas at Austin Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of Texas at Austin Sustainability Studies (Proposed)University of Texas at Austin Environmental ScienceUniversity of Washington -Seattle Environmental Studies University of Wisconsin -Madison Environmental StudiesYale University Environmental Studies


Geographic Distribution• NE-8• S-12• W-11• MW-11

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Program Inception

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

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Program Inception• Institutional Context• Bottom-up or Top-Down?• Entrepreneurial

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0 50 100 150 200 2500

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

Students/Yr, Comparable Programs

Annu

al U

nive

rsity

/Col

lege

Enr

ollm

ent

UT, BASS

Ohio State

UWash

Berkeley,Conserv, & Resource Studies

UCLA

ASU

College of the Atlantic

Berkeley,Society & Environ.

Michigan State

UNC

YaleRPI

Philly U.Jacksonville U.

Program EnrollmentA


Entry Requirements• All programs have open enrollment,

except ASUo ASU limited admissions due to overwhelming

interesto Temporary req. 3.3 GPA, 1140 SAT/ 25 ACT

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Curriculum StructuresA

Highly Prescriptive Design Your Own Hybrid


Curriculum StructureA


Required Curriculum Content

• Purposeo Baselines for required courses

• Methodo 3 “E”s Model

+Other+Flexibility+Integration

o Limitationso Time, Limited set, Needs confirmation

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Economic focuso Avg. 1.5 courses req.

Ecological Economics; Environmental Economics; Natural Resource Economics; Theory and Practice in Community Economic Development; Regional Economics and Sustainable Growth; The Sustainable Economy: Concepts and Methods; and Intro to Sustainability in Business: Principles & Concepts.

o Michigan State (10) Jacksonville (7) UC Berkeley (6)

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Environmental focuso Avg. 4.6 courses req.

Introduction to Environmental Sciences, Introduction to Applied Ecology, Environmental Management, Earth's Physical Systems, Resources, and Hazards; and Earth's Biosphere and Ecology; and Earth Systems.

o Univ. of Texas (20), Texas A&M (13)

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Social Equity focuso Avg. 2.4 courses req.

Population in an Interacting World; Geography of Health and Health Care; Human Health, Disease, and the Environment in History; Ethics in Science and Technology; Environmental Ethics; Moral Problems of Contemporary Society; Law and Morality; Introduction to Individual Differences; Basic Concepts in Personal and Community Health, Intro Comparative Politics; Contemporary International Politics; and International Politics.

o Michigan State (8), UC Berkeley (8), Johns Hopkins (7), Univ. of Minn. (7)

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Integrated 3Eso Avg. 2.1 courses req.

Sustainable World; Society and Sustainability; Introduction to Sustainable Development Seminar; Challenges of Sustainable Development; and Ecological and Social Systems for Sustainable Development.

o Rensselaer (9), Roosevelt (9)

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Othero Avg. 4.3 courses

communication, professional leadership, research methods, analysis, specific skills, and/or other topics.

o Jacksonville (11) Michigan State (11) Stony Brook (11)

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Flexibilityo Avg. 10.1 courses (skewed)o Evergreen State (40)

Hampshire College (40) College of the Atlantic (36)

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Program Description Word Frequency Analysis

• Purpose: to provide a comprehensive overview of all programs

• Method:o Program descriptions copied from each

program’s web page. Counts generated using MaxQDA®

• Limitations: oNot for comparisons. Descriptions not

consistent in terms of length, or content.

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Key Terms

Environmental

Economic Dev.

Social Equity

Legend

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• environmental (336 instances) appeared nearly twice

as often as sustainability (185) and suggests a clear bias in these programs towards environmental studies.

• social (89) is the 15th most common term (usually as social science and social systems) but the related terms of

justice (12) and equity (4) ranked 219th and 576th respectively indicating a continued lack of focus on the “missing E”.

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• interdisciplinary (39) was mentioned at least once in 24

of the program descriptions, multidisciplinary (4) was a

much less preferred term, while transdisciplinary and

cross-disciplinary did not appear. This may indicate a preference for maintaining traditional disciplinary boundaries.

• green (11) most commonly appeared as “green industries,” “green business,” and “green building,” indicating a focus on the intersection between environmental and economic concerns.

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External Partnerships

• “Seed money paid for salaries, setting up the program, and getting it started.”

• Sponsored Projects• Matching contributions from foundations• Credibility• Advisory board• Mentors in the field

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UNC

ASU

Career Prospects• Sparse Info• UNC & ASU• ¼ Grad School• Sustainability

managers in for-profit, non-profit, public

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Conclusions and Recommendations

• Emphasize integration and social equity• Specify foundation courses in the university’s

general education requirements• Provide strategic flexibility, certainty, and

integration in the curriculum structure• Multi-Semester Capstone• Actively seek vertical and horizontal support• Cautiously engage external partners • Create an Awareness Campaign and Survey

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Future Research• Publication• Additional programs• More interviews• Additional career data


Questions?

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