Overview
University College offers a twelve-credit, four-course interdisciplinary Certificate in Sustainability. This undergraduate certificate provides an opportunity for students to advance their knowledge of sustainability from the orientation of different disciplines, to introduce them to concepts of systems thinking to make them more competitive in a job market that increasingly is requiring sustainability expertise and skills.
Students will select from an existing array of courses in various disciplines. A faculty committee will regularly review new courses proposed by the schools and colleges to be included in available offerings for the certificate.
The certificate is available to all undergraduate degree-seeking students to complete as part of their studies. Consult your school/college academic advisor about how the required classes fit into your overall degree and career plans.
This certificate may be conferred upon a student upon satisfactory completion of the required credits with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
Program Code: UC-SUST-CERT
Contact Information
For questions about the Certificate in Sustainability or to officially declare this certificate, email uccerts@temple.edu or schedule an appointment to meet with a University College (UC) advisor.
Certificate Requirements
- The undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability will require four (4) courses and a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours.
- The four courses will be selected as follows:
- One course (or 3 credits) from the Sustainable Environment category (SE).
- One course (or 3 credits) from the Sustainable Social and Culture category (SS).
- One course (or 3 credits) from the Sustainable Economics and Politics category (SP).
- The final course taken will be Sustainability in Action (UC 3101).
- One course may be from the student's major department if it is not fulfilling a requirement within that major.
- General Education courses can be included in the array of courses, but can constitute no more than one of the four courses toward the certificate.
- The certificate courses in sustainability can satisfy other minors and/or certificates.
Approved Courses
Students will select from an existing array of courses in various disciplines (see course list below). The three categories (Sustainable Environment (SE), Sustainable Social and Culture (SS), and Sustainable Economics and Politics (SP)) within the Certificate of Sustainability have a list of courses that satisfy the requirements for that area. To find courses offered in a specific term, see the “Finding Courses” instructions below. The codes (SE, SS, and SP) indicate which categories the course will fulfill. Please note that some courses may be offered only once a year.
Finding Courses
To find the Certificate in Sustainability courses offered in a semester within each area, students may locate the information in two primary ways:
- Go directly to the Class Schedule Search page on the university's web site. Select a semester, click Continue and click Advanced Search. Use the Attribute filter to find courses that are available in any of the following areas: Sustainable Environment (SE), Sustainable Social and Culture (SS), and/or Sustainable Economics and Politics (SP).
- Go to the TUportal. Students must log into TUportal with their username and password. Select the Student tab. Select Browse Class Schedule in the Registration channel. Select a semester and click Advanced Search. Use the Attribute filter to find courses that are available in either Sustainable Environment (SE), Sustainable Social and Culture (SS), and/or Sustainable Economics and Politics (SP).
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Art and Architecture, Tyler School of | ||
| ARCH 1001 | Introduction to Design and the Environment (SE, SS) | 3 |
| ARCH 2124 | Facility Management Foundation II (SE, SP) | 3 |
| ARCH 2151 | Architecture, Technology, and the Environment (SE, SS) | 3 |
| ARCH 3111 | Introduction to Historic Preservation (SS, SP) | 3 |
| ARCH 3354 | Sustainability and Architecture (SE, SP) | 3 |
| ARTH 2005 | Cultural Heritage Preservation (SE, SS) | 4 |
| ARTH 2753 | Art and Environment in American Culture (SS) | 4 |
| BOT 1112 | Plant Ecology (SE) | 3 |
| CDEV 1113 | Introduction to Community Development (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| CDEV 2255 | Environmental Justice in Communities (SS) | 3 |
| CDEV 2354 | Cooperatives (SS, SP) | 3 |
| CDEV 3155 | Healthy Community Design and Development (SE, SS) | 3 |
| CDEV 3334 | Community Economic Development (SS, SP) | 3 |
| CDEV 3455 | Community Engagement and Empowerment (SS) | 3 |
| CTRP 0807 | People, Places, and Environment (SE, SP) | 3 |
| CTRP 2114 | Urban Form and Design (SS) | 3 |
| CTRP 2166 | Land Use Planning (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| CTRP 2213 | Environmental Planning (SE) | 3 |
| CTRP 2251 | Sustainable Food Systems Planning (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| CTRP 3155 | Ecological Planning and Development (SE, SP) | 3 |
| CTRP 3255 | Sustainability in Suburban Communities (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| CTRP 3256 | Sustainable Community Design and Development (SS, SP) | 3 |
| CTRP 3655 | Transportation Planning (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| HORT 2221 | Herbaceous Plants I (SE) | 3 |
| HORT 2222 | Herbaceous Plants II (SE) | 3 |
| HORT 2334 | Food Crops I (SE) | 3 |
| HORT 2353 | Food Crops II (SE, SS) | 3 |
| HORT 2552 | Trees in the Urban Landscape (SE, SS, SP) | 2 |
| HORT 2556 | Introduction to Beekeeping (SE) | 3 |
| HORT 3514 | Landscape Restoration (SE) | 3 |
| LARC 0841 | Sustainable Design (SE) | 3 |
| LARC 0852 | Green vs. Gray: Improving and Sustaining Urban Ecosystems (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| LARC 1013 | Natural and the Built Environment (SE) | 3 |
| LARC 1111 | Introduction to Green Careers in Landscape Architecture (SE) | 1 |
| LARC 2243 | Landscape Engineering II (SE) | 3 |
| LARC 2754 | Water Design in the City (SE) | 2 |
| LARC 2758 | Summer Field Ecology (SE) | 3 |
| Business and Management, Fox School of | ||
| BA 3531 | Sustainability on the Ground (SS) | 3 |
| HRM 2511 | Corporate Sustainability: People, Profits & Planet (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| HRM 3505 | Sustainable Organizational Leadership (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| LGLS 3511 | Environmental Law and Sustainability (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| MKTG 2511 | (SE, SS) | 3 |
| SGM 3511 | Doing Well by Doing Good: Where Innovation and Entrepreneurship Meet Social Impact (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| Education and Human Development, College of | ||
| AOD 3319 | Skill Building for Social Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement (SS, SP) | 3 |
| Media and Communication, Lew Klein College of | ||
| CSI 3401 | Social Activism and Community Organizing (SS) | 3 |
| JRN 3253 | Health and Environmental Writing (SS) | 3 |
| MSP 3473 | Media and the Environment (SS) | 3 |
| Engineering, College of | ||
| CEE 0845 | The Environment (SE) | 3 |
| or CEE 0945 | Honors: The Environment | |
| or ENVT 0845 | The Environment | |
| or ENVT 0945 | Honors: The Environment | |
| CEE 1051 | Introduction to the Environment (SE, SS) | 3 |
| CEE 2711 | Environmental Chemistry & Microbiology (SE) | 3 |
| CEE 2712 | Introduction to Environmental Engineering (SE) | 3 |
| CEE 2715 | Principles of Sustainable Engineering (SE, SS) | 3 |
| CEE 3711 | Environmental Engineering (SE) | 3 |
| CEE 3712 | Environmental Fluids and Contaminant Dynamics (SE) | 3 |
| CEE 3715 | Microbiological Principles of Environmental Engineering (SE) | 3 |
| CEE 3725 | Water Quality and Analysis Lab (SE) | 1 |
| CEE 3727 | Environmental Hydrology and Stormwater Management (SE) | 3 |
| CEE 4531 | Life Cycle Assessment and Carbon Footprinting (SP) | 3 |
| CEE 4631 | Environmental Hydrology (SE) | 3 |
| CEE 4641 | Urban Streams and Stormwater Management (SE) | 3 |
| CEE 4711 | Air Pollution Control System (SE) | 3 |
| CEE 4725 | Environmental Systems Design (SE) | 3 |
| CEE 4773 | Sustainability Aspects of Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| CMT 3341 | Environmental and Safety Aspects of Construction (SE, SS) | 2 |
| ENGR 4577 | Nanotechnology Solutions for a Sustainable Urban Environment (SE) | 3 |
| ENVT 4741 | Environmental Modeling (SE) | 3 |
| MEE 4506 | Energy Conversion Laboratory (SE) | 1 |
| MEE 4575 | Renewable and Alternative Energy (SE) | 3 |
| MEE 4577 | Power Generation and Storage Technologies (SE) | 3 |
| Public Health, College of | ||
| ENVH 1103 | International Health (SS) | 3 |
| or ENVH 1903 | Honors International Health | |
| ENVH 2102 | Environmental Health (SE, SS) | 3 |
| HRPR 1001 | Public Health: The Way We Live, Work and Play (SS) | 3 |
| SBS 2301 | Contemporary Slavery and Public Health (SS) | 3 |
| Liberal Arts, College of | ||
| ANTH 0814 | Human Ecology (SE, SS) | 3 |
| or GUS 0814 | ||
| ANTH 2001 | Evolution and Human Environments (SE, SS) | 3 |
| ASST 3001 | Earth Ethics (SS) | 3 |
| or ENST 3001 | Earth Ethics | |
| or ENST 3904 | Honors Earth Ethics | |
| or REL 3001 | Earth Ethics | |
| or REL 3904 | Honors Earth Ethics | |
| ASST 3052 | Environmental Problems in Asia (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| or ENST 3052 | Environmental Problems in Asia | |
| or GUS 3052 | Environmental Problems in Asia | |
| ECON 3596 | Energy, Ecology, and Economy (SE, SP) | 3 |
| or ENST 3596 | Energy, Ecology, and Economy | |
| ENST 0842 | Sustainable Environments (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| or ENST 0942 | Honors Sustainable Environments | |
| or GUS 0842 | Sustainable Environments | |
| or GUS 0942 | Honors Sustainable Environments | |
| ENST 2002 | Physical Geography (SE, SS) | 4 |
| ENST 2025 | Environmental Law and Regulation (SS, SP) | 3 |
| ENST 2051 | The Urban Environment (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| or GUS 2051 | Urban Environment | |
| ENST 2157 | Environmental Ethics (SS) | 3 |
| or ENST 2957 | Honors Environmental Ethics | |
| or PHIL 2157 | Environmental Ethics | |
| or PHIL 2957 | Honors Environmental Ethics | |
| ENST 3004 | Geography of Natural Resources (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| ENST 3023 | Police, Prisons, and Pollution (SE, SS) | 3 |
| or GUS 3023 | Police, Prisons, and Pollution | |
| ENST 3051 | Environmental Policy Issues (SS) | 3 |
| or GUS 3051 | Environmental Policy Issues | |
| ENST 3053 | Climatology (SE) | 3 |
| or GUS 3053 | Climatology | |
| ENST 3054 | Energy, Resources and Society (SE) | 3 |
| ENST 3056 | Political Ecology (SE, SS) | 3 |
| or GUS 3056 | Political Ecology | |
| ENST 3057 | Sustainable Cities (SE, SS) | 3 |
| or GUS 3057 | Sustainable Cities | |
| ENST 3058 | Environment and Development (SE, SP) | 3 |
| or GUS 3058 | Environment and Development | |
| ENST 3152 | U.S. Environmental Policy (SS) | 3 |
| or POLS 3152 | U.S. Environmental Policy | |
| ENST 3214 | North American Environmental History (SS) | 3 |
| or HIST 3214 | North American Environmental History | |
| ENST 3265 | International Environmental Policy (SE, SS) | 3 |
| or POLS 3265 | International Environmental Policy | |
| ENST 3314 | Food Studies: A Geographical Perspective (SS) | 3 |
| or GUS 3314 | Food Studies: A Geographical Perspective | |
| ENST 4017 | Health and Environment Seminar (SE, SS) | 3 |
| or ENST 4917 | Honors Health and Environment Seminar | |
| or GUS 4017 | Health and Environment Seminar | |
| or GUS 4917 | Honors: Health and Environment Seminar | |
| ENST 4066 | Environmental GIS (SE) | 3 |
| GUS 3016 | Contemporary Issues in City Planning (SE, SS) | 3 |
| GUS 3307 | Transportation & Culture (SS) | 3 |
| or ENST 3307 | Transportation and Culture | |
| SOC 3511 | Environmental Sociology: The End of the World as We Know It? (SS) | 3 |
| Science and Technology, College of | ||
| BIOL 2227 | Principles of Ecology (SE) | 3 |
| BIOL 3275 | Ecology of Invasive Species (SE, SP) | 3 |
| BIOL 3307 | Conservation Biology (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| BIOL 3316 | Tropical Marine Biology (SE) | 4 |
| BIOL 3321 | Plant Community Ecology (SE, SS) | 3 |
| BIOL 3323 | Global Change Science: Analytics with R (SE, SS) | 3 |
| BIOL 3335 | Life at the Extremes - Polar Biology (SE) | 3 |
| BIOL 3336 | Freshwater Ecology (SE) | 4 |
| BIOL 3389 | Field Research in Community Ecology (SE) | 4 |
| BIOL 4327 | Biological Impacts of Global Climate Change (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| CHEM 0877 | The Chemistry of Global Environmental Issues (SE) | 3 |
| EES 0837 | Evolution of Earth and Its Life (SE, SS) | 3 |
| EES 0842 | Sustainable Environments (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| EES 0854 | Geology of the National Parks (SE, SS, SP) | 3 |
| or EES 0954 | Honors Geology of the National Parks | |
| EES 0874 | Environmental Life Cycle Analysis: Does Buying "Green" Matter? (SE, SS, SP) | 4 |
| EES 2002 | Energy and Environment (SE, SS) | 3 |
| EES 2096 | Climate Change: Oceans To Atmosphere (SE) | 4 |
| PHYS 0839 | Powering the Future (SE, SP) | 3 |
| or PHYS 0939 | Honors Powering the Future | |