College Counseling: Great Schools for Students Interested in Sustainability
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Monday, June 29, 2015
Emily Standish, GoLocalPDX College Admissions Coach
Kids who grow up here in the Pacific Northwest are steeped in the philosophies of sustainability from a very early age. In preschool they bring items to a science table and talk about the earth on a walk around the neighborhood. In grade school they make art out of recycled and found items. When my children were in middle school, the school had a worm bin that traveled from room to room so that any food scraps from lunchtime could be added. High school students become counselors at our wonderful Outdoor School program, passing all that they know and believe about ecology and our environment on to sixth graders. Some of those sixth grade campers will resolve right then and there to become counselors one day, and the cycle continues. Green energy and green building, cycling, tiny houses, found art: all are a part of the fabric of our lives in the PNW. Many kids tell me they want to pursue sustainability in some form as a career, and with dozens of colleges and universities in the US providing these majors, it’s easy to do.
Here’s a sample of colleges with sustainability-focused majors:
Northland College, Ashland, WI
- The Sustainable Community Development major is the first of its kind in the US, combining urban planning, economic development, and community organizing.
- Sustainable Entrepreneurship students learn to understand that the consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about sustainability and will learn to develop market opportunities for sustainability-focused businesses.
- By the numbers: Undergraduate enrollment: 550; 59% acceptance rate; SAT Mid-ranges: CR 485-630, M 485-610; ACT Mid-range: 21-27.
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
- The Bachelor of Science in Renewable Materials is designed to teach students how to help the world replace oil-based and other non-renewable materials with plant-based renewable alternatives and shape the future of wood products design and manufacturing.
- The College of Forestry promotes paid work and unpaid internships for students through Board of Visitors mentoring, forestry products industry collaboration, and funding special projects for minority students in forestry programs.
- By the numbers: undergraduate enrollment: 23,000; 79% acceptance rate; SAT Mid-ranges: CR 480-600, M 490-620; ACT Mid-range: 21-27.
Rensselaer Polytechnic University (RPI), Troy, NY
- The Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Studies prepares students for careers in environmental policy, management, and research in industry, government, or non-profit organizations.
- Students in this major have course offerings as varied as “Oil Politics”, “Food, Farms and Famine”, “Globalization and Development” and “Consumer Culture.”
- By the numbers: Undergraduate enrollment 5400; 41% acceptance rate; SAT Mid-ranges: CR 620-720, M 670-760; ACT mid-ranges: 27-31.
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY
- The Bachelor of Science Sustainable Energy Management prepares students to be effective managers with a strong foundation in social and biophysical sciences.
- The course sequence is designed to give students a broad base of natural sciences, social sciences, math, and communications with a focus on energy markets and resources (fossil fuels, electricity, renewable and sustainable energy).
- By the numbers: Undergraduate enrollment: 1800; 51% acceptance rate; SAT Mid-ranges: CR 530-630, M 550-630; ACT Mid-range: 22-26.
Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH
Other colleges and universities that offer undergraduate degrees in sustainability are Acadia University (PA), Appalachian State University (NC), Aquinas College (MI), Arizona State University, Baldwin Wallace College (OH), Dalhousie University (Canada), Dominican University (CA), Drew University (NJ), Eastern Mennonite University (NJ), Florida Institute of Technology, Furman University (SC), George Mason University (VA), Humboldt State University (CA), Johns Hopkins University (MD), Kean University (NJ), Lipscomb University (TN), Marylhurst University (OR), McGill University (Canada), Meredith College (NC), Messiah College (PA), Michigan State University, Mountain State University (WV), Ohio State University, Penn State University, Philadelphia University (PA), Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), Roosevelt University (IL), Royal Roads University (Canada), San Francisco State University (CA), Unity College (ME), University of Florida, University of Massachusetts, University of New Haven (CT), University of Oklahoma, University of St. Andrews (Scotland), Western Washington University. For a complete list of bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programs in sustainability, read the e-Journal called Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy.
Emily Standish is a partner in Portland, Oregon-based College Admission Coach LLC which helps students identify and gain admission to right-fit schools where they will thrive academically and personally. Contact me at [email protected].
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