Education

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Charlotte Funk (CAS’12) (from left), Angela Park (CAS’13), Poorva Bhade (CAS’13), and Crystal Choe (CAS’12) take core samples from trees along Bay State Road to measure tree ring width. The students in the Biology of Global Change course are hoping to learn how climate has affected the trees’ growth. Photo by Cydney Scott

Students at Boston University have diverse educational opportunities related to sustainability in undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and special degree programs offered through 11 of Boston University’s 17 schools and colleges. These opportunities include a broad range of courses on topics such as sustainable energy, climate change, and environmental history, and degree programs that prepare students for careers and graduate schools in fields related to sustainability.

Courses

There are 107 sustainability-focused and 315 sustainability-related courses offered at Boston University organized here by subject area. These courses are catalogued using the definitions developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability for Higher Education and are distinguishable by the leaf to the left of each course listed:


Sustainability-focused courses concentrate on the concept of sustainability, including its social, economic, and environmental dimensions, or examine an issue or topic using sustainability as a lens.

Sustainability-related courseSustainability-related courses incorporate sustainability as a distinct course component or module or concentrate on a single sustainability principle or issue.

For detailed descriptions, refer to the University Class Schedule on StudentLink.

Certificate Programs

Metropolitan College

Degree Programs

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Geography and Environment, College of Arts and Sciences

Center for Energy and Environmental Studies, College of Arts and Sciences

Department of International Relations, College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Earth Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

Boston University Marine Program (BUMP)

School of Public Health

Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health

College of Engineering

Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering

Division of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering

Study Abroad Programs

Tropical Ecology Program in Ecuador

The Tropical Ecology Program (TEP) provides students with an opportunity to conduct field-based research and study in Ecuador. Operated in collaboration with La Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), the program is ideal for biology and environmental science majors interested in getting hands-on field research experience. TEP students travel from the capital city of Quito to the Pacific Coast, the Galapagos Islands, and the remote Amazonian rainforest.

Washington Internship Program

Students live and work as an intern in the policy-making atmosphere of the nation’s capital for a semester through the Washington, D.C., Internship Program. Students take courses in policy-making that give them an insider’s look at how policies are formulated in the federal government. Possible internships with congressional committees, the executive branch, or non-profit groups provide practical experience.

School for Field Studies

The  School for Field Studies (SFS) conducts semester and summer programs in international environmental field study. Programs are conducted at international centers in Kenya, Costa Rica, Australia, Mexico, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Issues addressed by the School for Field Studies centers include Wildlife Ecology and Management, Sustainable Development, Tropical Rainforest Management, and Marine Resources Management.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The energy saved by recycling a single aluminum can, or one glass bottle, could operate a television set for three hours, or light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.  If everyone on campus recycled 1 glass bottle or aluminum can, we would avoid adding 9.6 metric tonnes (21,000 pounds) of CO2 to the atmosphere.

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