Sustainability Studies Minor
The program provides an understanding of sustainability, a unifying approach to human and environmental problems. Sustainable businesses, communities, and other organizations seek to design systems in ways that optimize material and energy use to decrease environmental and health problems and to bolster economic vitality and social equity. A growing number of scholars are framing problems and solutions in the language of sustainability, which balances growth and development with justice and environmental stewardship in order to meet today’s needs without undermining the ability of future generations to do the same.
Students who major in the B.A. or B.S. environmental degree programs are not allowed to minor in sustainability studies.
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed below, students must:
- take at least nine hours of their minor "core" requirements at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the minor core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for minor or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| ENEC/PLAN 330 | Principles of Sustainability 1 | 3 |
| or ENEC 201 |  Introduction to Environment and Society | |
| or ENEC 431 | Sustainable Cities: Exploring Ways of Making Cities More Sustainable | |
| Four elective courses chosen from the following options: | 12 | |
| Sustainable Business and Social Enterprise H | ||
| Environmental Advocacy | ||
or ENEC 375 | Environmental Advocacy | |
| Introduction to Environment and Society H, F | ||
| Introduction to the Environmental Sciences | ||
| North Carolina Estuaries: Environmental Processes and Problems | ||
| Conservation of Biodiversity in Theory and Practice | ||
| Data Analysis and Visualization of Social and Environmental Interactions | ||
| Energy and Material Flows in the Environment and Society | ||
| Water in Our World: Introduction to Hydrologic Science and Environmental Problems | ||
| Water Resource Management and Human Rights H | ||
| Environmental Law and Policy | ||
| Coastal Law and Policy | ||
| Agriculture and the Environment H | ||
| Global Environment: Policy Analysis and Solutions | ||
| Confronting Climate Change in the Anthropocene | ||
| Mountain Preservation | ||
| Principles of Energy Conversion | ||
| Community Design and Green Architecture | ||
| Textiles: Environmental Impacts, Issues, and Innovations | ||
| Environmental Life Cycle Assessment | ||
| Coastal and Estuarine Ecology | ||
| Ecosystem Management | ||
| Corporate Environmental Stewardship | ||
| Environmental Risk Assessment | ||
| Human Impacts on Estuarine Ecosystems | ||
| Business and Finance Fundamentals for Change Makers | ||
| Sustainable Coastal Management | ||
| Landscape Analysis | ||
| Special Topics in Environmental Science and Studies H | ||
| Policy Analysis of Global Climate Change | ||
| Environmental Change and Human Health | ||
| Energy, Transportation, and Land Use | ||
| Sustainable Energy Systems | ||
| Environmental Storytelling | ||
| Ecological Analyses and Application | ||
| Watershed Planning | ||
| Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere | ||
| Capstone: Analysis and Solution of Environmental Problems | ||
| Environmental Health | ||
| Natural Resources | ||
| Human Ecology of Health and Disease | ||
| Introduction to Geographic Information | ||
| Energy: Physical Principles and the Quest for Alternatives to Dwindling Oil and Gas and Energy: Physical Principles and the Quest for Alternatives to Dwindling Oil and Gas | ||
| Cities of the Past, Present, and Future: Introduction to Planning | ||
| Solving Urban Problems | ||
| Urban Transportation Planning | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
| F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
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If two of these courses are taken, the second course may satisfy the elective requirement.
The minor requires a minimum of 15 credit hours.
See the program page here for special opportunities.
Department Programs
Majors
- Environmental Studies Major, B.A.
- Environmental Science Major, B.S.
- Dual Bachelor's-Master's Degree Programs
Minors
Graduate Programs
Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program
3202 Murray Hall, CB# 3275
(919) 962-1270
