Sustainable development should result in the fair treatment, meaningful involvement, equal protection from risks, and equitable access to benefits for all people regardless of income, race, gender, national origin, Tribal affiliation, or ability.

Gateway Academic Programs

Academic Programs

Penn State students can engage sustainability’s biggest challenges through their coursework, service, and applied experiences. In alignment with our Climate Consortium, the Sustainability Learning Gateway’s overarching themes provide pathways to learning about sustainability challenges, diving deep into the issues inside and outside of the classroom, and developing expertise that is personally, civically, and professionally meaningful. You can also search by your level, undergraduate or graduate. We have included these academic programs for one of three reasons. The program must:

  1. Require sustainability explicitly (Ex: Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems, Energy and Sustainability Policy, or Sustainability Leadership);
  2. Provides a track or pathway for students to easily incorporate sustainability into the program (Architecture, Public Policy, or Ethics)
  3. Affords creativity or innovation to students to integrate sustainability into their program (Ex: Art, Integrative Sciences, or Music Composition).

There is a lot of information on these pages. Even still, we know special topics come up, individual faculty create sustainability-focused sections of courses, research experiences might be hidden somewhere, and new opportunities can emerge. To make the most of the Gateway and your sustainability journey, don’t hesitate to set up an appointment with an academic adviser or a trusted mentor for assistance. If you have questions or feedback about the Gateway, please email: sustainability@psu.edu.

African Studies (B.A.)
Develop your understanding of various aspects of the African continent, including its socioeconomic conditions and global relations.

Community, Environment, and Development (B.S.)
In addressing just and sustainable development, this major incorporates climate change, statistical research, economics, and more in this multidisciplinary program focused on communities.

Geography (B.S.)
Study geography with optional applications in fields such as environmental issues or urban and regional planning.

Integrative Science (B.S.)
For those who have education goals relating to scientific theory and practice across disciplinary areas, and who seek a high degree of flexibility, become knowledgeable across many disciplines.

Landscape Architecture (B.L.A.)
The art of design, planning, or management of the land and of the natural and built elements upon it.

Public Policy (B.S.)
For those interested in policy issues, politics, public administration, and related areas like policy analysis and policy advocacy, explore critical issues facing our communities, the nation, and the world.

Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management (B.S.)
Explore the theoretical, managerial, and technical facets of recreation, parks, and tourism to enhance sustainable engagement and management.

Biological Engineering
Explore the world of biology through an engineering lens with a focus on production and processing systems, resource conservation methods, and even food engineering.

Civic and Community Engagement
Expand your education beyond the classroom through engagement in socially meaningful public scholarship projects within your community.

Environmental Studies
An interdisciplinary introduction to the natural environment and human interactions with it.

Ethics
Train in ethical reasoning, frameworks, and methods, in topics including international studies, public policy, and environmental studies.

Food Systems
Prepare for for existing and emerging food systems careers through interdisciplinary studies of health, science, economics and business, community, agriculture, the food service industry, and policy.

Peace and Conflict Studies
Examine how human beings get into and out of violent conflicts through understanding the costs of war, the processes and challenges of peace, and the characteristics of human conflicts at all levels

Public Policy and Leadership Across Sectors
An introduction to the practice of policy analysis, the process of policymaking and the values of public service.

Sustainability Leadership
Promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability in personal and professional lives through studying systems thinking, change agency, ethics, and more.

Global Environmental Systems
Characterize and analyze Earth’s physical environment across time and space through the study of physical geography.

Housing
Prepare for a career in housing by studying the technology of housing, the development process, and the design and delivery processes.

Transdisciplinary Research in Ecology and Society
A dual-title program with tracks to focus on anthropology, energy and mineral engineering, education policy and leadership, and more.

AG160: Introduction to Ethics and Issues in Agriculture
This course examines ethical theories and the social contract to understand participation and consent in democratic decision-making, focusing on historical agricultural policy debates and ethical issues in U.S. agriculture, including non-interference rights, opportunity rights, and issues related to food, fiber, natural resources, and the environment.

BA342: Socially Responsible, Sustainable and Ethical Business Practice
This course examines the impact of corporate actions on global citizenship, environmental sustainability, and economic stability, emphasizing ethical decision-making, stakeholder responsibility, and sustainable business practices across all business functions.

BBH301W: Values and Ethics in Biobehavioral Health Research and Practice
This course examines the historical, philosophical, and psychological foundations of morality and ethics, equipping students to make informed ethical decisions in personal, professional, and human development contexts, with a particular focus on research, medicine, and public health.

BE392: Leadership and Ethics for BE and ABSM Students
The primary focus of this course is on leadership, with communication, ethics, sustainability, and professional development issues presented in the context of how they relate to leadership.

EDSGN452: Projects in Community Service Engineering
This course engages multidisciplinary student teams in real-world, community-centered humanitarian engineering projects, integrating design, ethics, and contextual awareness to support community goals while critically examining the societal impacts of engineering practice with opportunities to practice sustainable design.

EDSGN453: Design for Developing Communities
This seminar series prepares students to design sustainable, user-centered humanitarian engineering and social entrepreneurship ventures by emphasizing systems thinking, context-driven design, and integrated strategies for resource-constrained developing communities.

EDSGN454: Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship Field Experience
This course offers a hands-on, immersive field experience that enables students to advance humanitarian engineering and social entrepreneurship ventures through field testing, community engagement, and ethical decision-making in international contexts, with opportunities for sustainable design.

FOR450W: Human Dimensions of Natural Resources
This course addresses human needs and desires, from individuals to nations, for social, ecological, and economic benefits derived from natural resource decisions.

GEOG230: Geographic Perspectives on Environment, Society, and Sustainability
This course explores the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems worldwide, employing an interdisciplinary geographic approach to critically examine environmental challenges (e.g., climate change, genetically modified food, overconsumption, disease, and environmental service provision), sustainability concepts, and human responsibilities for fostering equitable and sustainable futures.

GEOG436: Ecology, Economy, and Society
This course explores the complex relationship between economic development and environmental sustainability by examining key concepts like equity, poverty, fairness and community empowerment, using case studies to analyze natural resource management and sustainable development at a macroeconomic level.

GLIS101N: Globalization
This interdisciplinary course introduces global studies by examining the impact of globalization on identity, society, technology, the environment, human rights, and conflict through diverse perspectives from the humanities and social sciences.

GLIS102N: Global Pathways
This course introduces five key global issues (conflict, health and environment, culture and identity, wealth and inequality, and human rights), exploring them through diverse humanistic and social scientific perspectives to prepare students to understand and engage with complex global challenges.

HIST111: Introduction to U.S. Food History
This course offers a historical analysis of U.S. agriculture and food production, examining the cultural, technological, and political dimensions of the food system while addressing its ethical and sustainability challenges.

METEO133N: Ethics of Climate Change
This interdisciplinary course examines the science, policy, and ethics of climate change, integrating natural and social sciences with real-world university initiatives to explore mitigation, adaptation, and the moral challenges of creating equitable solutions.

MGMT451: Business, Ethics, and Society
This advanced course equips business leaders with the knowledge and skills to navigate ethical, social, legal, and economic responsibilities, emphasizing frameworks for ethical decision-making and strategies to foster and sustain ethical cultures in complex business environments.

PHIL118: Introduction to Environmental Philosophy
This course examines current environmental issues and human development within the context of historical and contemporary perspectives on the relationship between humans and nature.

PHIL13: Philosophy, Nature, and the Environment
This course explores philosophical and ethical questions about humanity’s relationship with nature, examining contemporary environmental issues through diverse philosophical frameworks, including deep ecology, ecofeminism, and environmental justice.

PHIL132: Introduction to Bioethics
This course surveys core topics in recent bioethics – the study of ethical problems issuing from the use and treatment of human and non-human animals in the research and practice of medicine and biotechnology.

PHIL133N: Ethics of Climate Change
This interdisciplinary course examines the science, policy, and ethics of climate change, emphasizing its moral implications while integrating scientific understanding with real-world mitigation strategies and ethical decision-making.

PHIL403: Environmental Ethics
This course examines ethical and political theories in relation to human responsibilities toward the environment, using them to evaluate contemporary issues such as climate change, sustainability, conservation, and intergenerational justice.

PHIL418/418W: Ethics
This course offers an in-depth exploration of normative and meta-ethical theories, examining the nature, justification, and psychological grounding of ethical judgments and their relevance to social practices and institutions.

RLST133N: Ethics of Climate Change
This interdisciplinary course explores the science, policy, and ethics of climate change, emphasizing its moral dimensions while integrating scientific understanding with real-world mitigation strategies and ethical decision-making.

SOC450: Justice and the Environment
This course considers notions of justice in relation to environmental philosophy, environmental movements, and general environmental concerns.

SOC5: Social Problems
This course introduces students to the ways sociologists seek to understand social conditions, events, and behaviors that people consider “social problems” that require solutions (e.g., poverty, crime, inequality, violence, environmental change).

STS245: Globalization, Technology, and Ethics
This course prepares students (especially but not limited to engineering, information sciences & technology, and business students) to navigate the ethical, cultural, and professional challenges of working with technology in a globalized world through interdisciplinary learning and team-based projects.

SUST242N: Issues in Sustainability
This integrative course explores sustainability as both a humanistic and social issue by analyzing how political, cultural, and rhetorical forces shape environmental values, actions, and narratives through diverse texts, field research, and critical discourse.