Sustainability Studies
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
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About Sustainability Studies
What is Sustainability Studies?
Resources are limited in our world – from water to money to time. This is why sustainability has become a priority across industries and organizations. This program explores the interconnected, and often complex, nature of sustainability while offering experiential learning opportunities in the field, abroad or with local organizations like the Battle River Watershed Alliance or the Food Artisans of Camrose County.
Why Choose This Program?
If you enjoy learning about sustainability from a broad context and how we can work towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, this program is for you.
In sustainability studies, you can discover what drives decision-making, and how those decisions impact our environment, our budgets and the everyday lives of people. With this understanding, you’ll be prepared to identify and implement new solutions to current challenges, both locally and globally.
Major Map
View what studying in this program could look like each year, from courses to experiential learning to career development.
Program Information
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Major
Sustainability Studies
Pathways
- Economics
- Environmental
- Social
Minors (Optional)
- Management
- Music
Students in this program are eligible for 140+ Augustana awards (totalling over $480,000)
Low 70s program admission-average range
U of A is 8th in the world for impact on sustainability
Community Service-Learning opportunities with local organizations
Program Objectives
In this program, you will:
- Appreciate the roles and balance between science, our economic system, social and political institutions, and personal values in sustainability challenges.
- Develop skills in evaluating and analyzing research using qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Acquire hands-on experience with a suite of analytical tools used to address sustainability challenges and assess issues with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Learning Outcomes
You will leave this program with the ability to:
- Understand and analyze sustainability challenges, integrating economic, social and environmental perspectives.
- Find ways to address sustainability problems in a long-term and holistic manner.
- Communicate clearly effectively about sustainability issues through verbal and written materials for a variety of audiences, using appropriate sources and technologies.
Careers
An undergraduate degree in sustainability studies is great for entry into the workforce or graduate and professional programs. Potential career options include:
Course Highlights
An introductory course in the theoretical and applied aspects of sustainability as it relates to key categories of energy, food, water, pollution, waste and their impacts on the environment. Current technological advances and emerging initiatives based on lowering our ecological footprint provide a basis for examining sustainability science as it relates to environmental challenges in a changing world.
Inquiry into the nature of the social, moral, and theoretic ground of human communities, taking as its starting point an examination of the sociological research on the urban/rural difference. Involved in this is an examination of the kinds of social theories that best help us understand the nature of community. For all of the above, Canada is the case study.
Examination of the relationships between the economy and the environment. Emphasis is placed on the application of economic analysis to various environmental issues.
Introduction to sociological perspectives on social problems. Various theoretical orientations are applied to contemporary Canadian social issues such as poverty, gender issues, Indigenous rights, human sexuality, and regionalism.
Investigation of the philosophical and social issues related to technology and the environment. The natural/artificial distinction, different senses of environment and the ways we understand, package, and manage nature form the foundation of the course. Issues in environmental ethics are also addressed. Thinkers may include Marx, Heidegger, Marcel, Borgmann, Winner, Singer, Regan and others.
More courses in the
Featured Faculty
Tara Milbrandt
Tara Milbrandt is an associate professor of sociology. Her teaching and research focus on sociological theory, public spaces, community, digital culture and visual representations of collective life. Her recent work explores loneliness and social connection against the backdrop of late-modern individualism, urbanization and technological mediation.
