Academic Programs - UTA Sustainability

Sustainability in higher education aims to help students understand the intersections and interdependencies in their social and organizational contexts and identify the leverage points that can enable transitions toward sustainability. One of the central goals of higher education in sustainability is to equip students with the knowledge, skills, competencies, and capacities that would enable them to work effectively in societal and environmental sustainability careers.

In 2015, the United Nations published Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a “plan of action for people, planet and prosperity.” The publication outlines 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as 169 targets and associated indicators, forming a 15-year agenda intended to balance “the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental.”

Using the UN SDG as a framework, we have for identified courses which provide students with the knowledge and skills to help address various sustainability challenges

You can download the list of Sustainability Courses here.

Doctoral

Environmental and Earth Sciences (Ph.D)

The Doctoral Program in Environmental and Earth Sciences provides students with the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills to conduct independent research. Dissertation research is the heart of the program, and it is supported carefully selected coursework and development of competency in specific research skills. The student’s coursework is designed to support the student‘s dissertation research, taking into account their previous background and the need for interdisciplinary training to solve environmental problems. http://catalog.uta.edu/aboututa/programs/

Civil Engineering (Specialization in Environmental Engineering; Ph.D)

The Department of Civil Engineering offers a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering. Specialization is available in the area of environmental engineering, including: water quality control and modeling, water supply and wastewater treatment, air pollution control, solid waste management, and sustainable energy (biogas). The Ph.D. degree is a research degree and, as such, requires the candidate to successfully carry out original, independent research in their area of specialization. Normally, this will require a minimum of one year of advanced course work beyond the Master’s degree in addition to the research.

Interdisciplinary Studies

Interdisciplinary Studies (INTS)

The Interdisciplinary Studies (INTS) is a program within the Honors College that allows intellectually curious students to create a degree specifically tailored to the fields of study that interest them.

Graduating with a customized major from an Honors College is a prestigious endeavor and helps program graduates stand out to admissions committees at graduate schools, law schools, and medical schools.

INTS students build a major out of multiple minors/certificate programs for a highly specialized experience. Previous degree combinations include:

African American Studies Minor + Disability Studies Minor
Astrophysics Minor + French Minor
Business Minor + Political Science Minor
Classical Studies Minor + Biology Minor
Classical Studies Minor + Military History Minor
Diversity Studies Minor + Anthropology Minor
Environmental and Sustainability Studies Minor
Sustainable Engineering Minor
German Minor + Philosophy Minor
Leadership Studies Minor + Certificate of Entrepreneurship
Linguistics Minor + Business Minor
Psychology Minor + Business Minor
Women & Gender Studies Minor + Spanish Minor
And many others!

Application Procedure: Students interested in an Interdisciplinary Studies major must meet the eligibility requirements set by the Honors College. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to apply to the Honors College as soon as possible, and they should also meet early on with an academic advisor in the program to begin developing a tentative degree plan. All students admitted to INTS are required to also become members of the Honors College, and as such will enjoy all benefits and be expected to meet all requirements of the College. Please contact INTS Academic Advisor Dr. Rebekah Chojnacki for more information: rebekah.chojnacki@uta.edu.

Masters

Environmental and Earth Sciences (MS)

The Master‘s degree in Environmental and Earth Sciences is designed to prepare the graduate for applied work in the private sector and governmental positions. The program offers non-thesis option (full or part time), thesis option (usually full time), and a professional option (full time, with professional mentoring and internship). The degree usually requires completing 4-5 core courses, 5-7 elective courses, and additional seminars, internships or research experiences depending on the option chosen. The student’s core and elective courses are chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor, taking into account their previous background and the need for interdisciplinary training to solve environmental problems. http://catalog.uta.edu/aboututa/programs/

City and Regional Planning (Emphasis in Green Cities & Transportation; MCRP)

The MCRP program prepares students for careers as professional planners with public, private and nonprofit organizations, and to make a contribution to society through basic and applied research into metropolitan planning and sustainability. The application of planning theory, knowledge, techniques, and skills to “real world” planning problems provides students with practical experience for guiding the future city, region, and nation. The application of theory and research is facilitated by research activities and centers within the School, including the Institute of Urban Studies. For more information visit https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/cappa.

Civil Engineering (Specialization in Environmental Engineering;, MS, ME)

The Department of Civil Engineering offers Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering. Specialization is available in the area of environmental engineering, including: water quality control and modeling, water supply and wastewater treatment, air pollutie area of specialization. The Master of Engineering degree is an engineering practice-oriented program involving coursework and smaller research projects depending on specialization.

Public Policy (Concentration in Environmental Policy; MPP)

The Master of Public Policy degree is designed for students interested in analyzing and evaluating information to solve policy problems. The MPP at UTA prepares students for challenging careers in the development, implementation and evaluation of policies critical to 21st Century metropolitan regions. It provides a stimulating and inclusive environment for intellectual curiosity, rigorous inquiry and creativity. Its multidisciplinary focus distinguishes it from other MPP programs, and fosters a learning environment composed of students from a variety of academic backgrounds. Students select one of three policy emphasis areas: economic and community development policy, healthcare policy or environmental policy.

Bachelors

Environmental Science (BS)

The BS degree in Environmental Science provides interdisciplinary training in the sciences to prepare students for careers in the private sector and in government agencies concerned with environmental management and policy.

Civil Engineering (Specialization in Environmental Engineering; BS)

The CE undergraduate program leading to a B.S. degree consists of a total of 130 credit hours. The program typically spans over a period of four years for full-time students. Specialization is available in the area of environmental engineering, including: water quality control and modeling, water supply and wastewater treatment, air pollution control, and solid waste management.

Undergraduate Minors

Environmental and Sustaon control, solid waste management, and sustainable energy (biogas). The Master of Science degree is a research-oriented program requiring completion of a research thesis in thinability Studies

The ESS Minor offers undergraduates across the campus–from Liberal Arts and Architecture to Science and Interdisciplinary Studies–a set of tools for understanding the social, political, humanistic, and scientific dimensions of environmental problems. Taking advantage of courses offered throughout the university, this interdisciplinary program provides students a powerful way to enrich their education and apply their major fields of study to the complex problems of the new millennium. Unlike a typical minor, ESS often can be added to a student’s degree plan without adding significantly to the number of credit hours needed to graduate.

The minor provides an interdisciplinary focus on the social, political, and economic aspects of the urban experience. It allows students to explore urban environmental issues in this context and orients students toward career opportunities in urban planning and environmental policy.

Other Programs

Engineering Collaboration

Beginning in Fall 2009, three engineering departments-civil, electrical, and industrial-began collaborating to infuse their curricula with sustainability concepts from the freshman through the senior year. These concepts will be integrated via one-class modules into 12 core engineering courses, spanning from the “Introduction to Engineering” course that is required of all freshmen all the way up through senior design projects.

As part of the program, senior civil, electrical, and industrial engineering students will have the opportunity to participate in a multi-disciplinary sustainable engineering senior design project. Seniors will collaborate to design, fabricate and assemble a portable biodiesel production refinery for the UT Arlington campus.

To learn more, read the press release.

Global Studies Minor and Certificate Program

UTA’s global studies curriculum offers a unique opportunity to engage your major field of study within a global context. This interdisciplinary program combines courses from across the College of Liberal Arts and the University, including Economics, Health, and Environmental Studies, with a focus on those courses that offer global perspectives on modern and contemporary issues. The flexible minor and certificate allow you to choose from over eighty courses as you customize a degree plan that complements your interests and career goals. Students in the global studies program graduate with a competitive skill set that transfers to careers across a range of industries.

UT Arlington offers sustainability courses in a variety of disciplines, and we’re adding more every semester. These classes prepare students from all academic backgrounds to analyze the connections between social, economic, cultural, and environmental phenomena and address global concerns about the future.

SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING MINOR

The Sustainable Engineering Minor prepares students in all engineering disciplines to ask questions and analyze problems from a sustainable engineering perspective, and develop sustainable solutions. Students seeking the minor must successfully complete the following courses with a grade of C or better and two electives from the civil, electrical, mechanical and aerospace, or material sciences engineering departments

Introduction to Sustainable Engineering,
Operations Research
Sustainable Engineering Design Project
Principles of Macroeconomics or Economics for Engineers

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABLE STUDIES MINOR

Taking advantage of the many courses on sustainability and the environment offered throughout the university, this broadly interdisciplinary program provides students a powerful way to enrich their education and effectively apply their major field of study to some of the most complex and crucial problems of the new millennium.The 18 credit hour Environmental and Sustainable Studies Minor offered through the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs can be combined with most majors, and in some cases completed coursework will qualify for credit.

The sustainability minor requires 18 credit hours. In addition to the core course, the minor requires 15 hours of approved courses taken in each of three areas, liberal arts; natural sciences and engineering; and urban and public affairs and architecture. In geology, for example, sustainability related courses deal with climate change and global warming. In English there are special topics classes that address environmental literature.

The requirements for the minor are straightforward:

Take the core course, ESST 2300.
Take 15 more hours of courses approved for the ESS Minor, including at least one course from Group One (Liberal Arts, Social Science, and Business) and at least one course from Group Two (Natural Sciences and Engineering).
At least 6 hours must be taken in 3000 or 4000 level courses.

(See below for approved courses for the ESS minor. Also note that Independent studies, Honors theses, capstone courses with senior projects, studio or design courses, internships, may all be eligible for the ESS minor if the student concentrates on topics related to environmental or sustainability studies.

Independent studies, honors theses, capstone courses with senior projects, studio or design courses, internships, or service learning courses may all be eligible for the ESS minor if the student concentrates on topics related to environmental or sustainability studies. List of approved Courses for the Sustainability Minor

Faculty Fellowship Awards

2010-2011

Dr. Carla Amaro-Jimenez – Education – $3,000 — Project Entitled “Increasing Bilingual Pre-Service Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Sustainability through the creation and implementation of materials in dual language classrooms”
Dr. Jeff Howard – SUPA – $2,500 — Project entitled “Preparation of core course for new Environmental and Sustainability Studies Minor Program”

2011-2012

Dr. Kevin White – Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education – $5,000 — Project entitled “PreService Science Teacher’s Exploration of the University’s Trading House Creek Through the Use of Probeware Technologies”
Dr. Susanna Khavul – Management, College of Business – $4,000 — Project entitled “Innovation and Sustainability in Entrepreneurship and Management”
Dr. Jill Devito – Biology — $1,000 — Project entitled “Sustenance & Sustainability: the human ecology of food”

2012-2013

Dr. Stephanie Lynn Daza – Education — $4,700 — Project entitled “Integrating Ecojustice Education into Graduate Courses for Teachers”
Dr. Jill DeVito – Biology – $2,450 — Project entitled “Recognizing Ordinary Life as Human Ecology”
Dr. Ali Davoudi – Electrical Engineering – $2,850 — Project entitled “Interfacing Building Blocks for Sustainability Energy Sources”

2013-2014

Dr. Colleen Fitzgerald – Linguistics – $4,426 — Project entitled” Traditional Ecological Knowledge, sustainability and Indigenous Language Documentation” Dr. Melanie Sattler – Civil Engineering – $5,000 — Project Entitled “Establishment of an Undergraduate Minor in Sustainable Engineering at UT Arlington”
2014-2015
Jeffrey McGee – Management – $6,185 — 2 Projects entitled “Corporate Sustainability: Lessons from Brazil” and Sustainability-Demonstrating Profits are Moe than the Bottom Line”

2015-2016

Jason Hogue – English – $5,000 — Project Entitled “Community Gardening and First-Year Writing: Service Learning Sustainability Education”
Jacqueline Stodnick – English – $3,950 — Project Entitled “The Environment Before Environmentalism”

2016-2017

Dr. Nilakshi Veerabathina – Physics – $2,000 – Project Entitled “Light Pollution and its Social, Ecological, and Environmental Effects and Solutions”
Dr. James P. Grover – Science – $2,500 – Project Entitled “Seminar Course on Environmental Sustainability Policy”
Dr. Jiyoon Yoon – Education – $4,000 – Project Entitled “Community Science Project to Save the World”
Dr. Christopher Kilgore – English – $1,500 – Project Entitled “Sustainability Starts Now: Introducing Key Issues in Collaborative Work Across Institutions”

UTA CARES: Open Education and Open Pedagogy for Sustainable Future and Resource Conservation

Reducing the cost of a college education is a frequent topic in higher education circles. Some colleges and universities such as UT Arlington have been trying to find other ways to reduce costs and conserve resources by eliminating the need for purchasing textbooks by using open educational resources (OERs) as an alternative to commercially published textbooks, thereby reducing fees for students. Other open educational practices, such as open pedagogy, can result in the creation of OER. UTA Libraries sponsor a grant program that supports open pedagogy and OER adoption/creation projects

Open educational resources (OER) are free teaching and learning materials that are licensed to allow for revision and reuse. OER can be fully self-contained textbooks, videos, quizzes, learning modules, lesson plans, syllabi, worksheets, data, and more. Other open educational practices, such as open pedagogy, can result in the creation of OER. UTA Libraries sponsor a grant program that supports open pedagogy and OER adoption/creation projects. The products of open pedagogy are student created and openly licensed so that they may live outside of the classroom in a way that has an impact on the greater and sustainable community. Open pedagogy projects frequently result in the creation of open educational resources (OER).

The current publishing price models for many academic journals and textbooks, where publishers use the knowledge and expertise of university faculty to create content priced beyond a level sustainable for academic libraries and many students, demand exploration of alternative publishing models. Acknowledging this growing challenge, the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Libraries are exploring multiple alternative models to fund the quality scholarship published by our faculty. UTA’s Coalition for Alternative Resources in Education for Students (CARES) grant program provides up to $5000 in grant funding to support projects at UTA that advance the practice of open education. Through this program, UTA Libraries join colleagues at other academic libraries and universities in partnering with faculty to support the adoption and creation of open educational resources (OER). OER can reduce financial barriers that may impede student success, while open pedagogy can transform the educational experience for both teachers and students. For more information please contact Michelle Reed at michelle.reed@uta.edu

To support UT Arlington’s campus initiatives on sustainability and the new minor in sustainability studies, University Libraries staff members have created several informative topic and research guides. These guides pull together library resources pertaining to this broad subject to help students and faculty with their research. The staff is also available for one-on-one assistance on any of the library resources and services.

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