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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING MINOR

 

Sustainability: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations.

This cross-disciplinary Sustainable Engineering minor prepares students as engineers to confront complex sustainability challenges in the 21st century.

Engineering students may pursue either the Sustainable Engineering minor or the Sustainability Studies minor, but not both.

For specific course requirements, electives and policy,
.

PROGRAM LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  1. Understand humanity's impact on Earth and the nexus of human and environmental processes in the Anthropocene (current geological age).
  2. Define holistically the scope of sustainability through the lens of conceptual frameworks including the triple bottom line and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  3. Approach complex problems in the intersection of engineering and sustainable development through the application of whole-systems thinking through a life-cycle lens and with consideration of the interconnected STEEP (social, technological, economic, environmental, and political) dimensions of sustainability challenges.
  4. Apply, on a conceptual level, life-cycle analysis as a tool to evaluate the environmental impacts of engineered products, services, and the built environment.
  5. Apply circular design principles to identify opportunities to rethink engineered products, services and infrastructure and the systems surrounding them in advancing a transition from a linear to a circular economy.
  6. Articulate the role of the engineering profession and one鈥檚 chosen engineering discipline in contributing to sustainable solutions as part of interdisciplinary teams.

REQUIREMENTS

The Sustainable Engineering minor requires a total of 18 credits (6 3-hour courses), including:

  • Two required core courses in Sustainable Engineering:
    • SUSE 2110 Sus Eng: Risks & Opportunities
      Introduces whole-systems thinking to address the dynamic field of sustainability. Topics include climate change, planetary boundaries, greenhouse gas management, climate change mitigation/adaptation, sustainable materials and disruptive technologies
    • SUSE 2111 Sus Eng: LCA & Circular Econ:
      Introduces life cycle assessment (LCA) and circular economy (CE). Students will learn phases of LCA and application of SimaPro software and gain understanding and application of CE business models.
  • Two elective courses from Humanities and/or Policy
  • Two Technology elective courses, with up to two of these from within a student's major being counted toward the minor. 

For more information, please contact聽Dr. Virginia Smith.