Effective policies and leadership at the local, national, and international levels are necessary to drive meaningful action on sustainability’s many challenges.
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:
- Require sustainability explicitly (Ex: Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems, Energy and Sustainability Policy, or Sustainability Leadership);
- Provides a track or pathway for students to easily incorporate sustainability into the program (Architecture, Public Policy, or Ethics)
- 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 porgram focused on communities.
Earth Science and Policy (B.S)
Gain an interdisciplinary understanding of current environmental systems and issues through their social, economic, and political dimensions.
Education and Public Policy (B.S.)
An interdisciplinary approach for those for who want to make a difference in society by building democratic participation, improving civic capacity in, and through educational institutions and communities.
Energy and Sustainability Policy (B.A.)
For those who desire an interdisciplinary background, this major explores energy and sustainability through the lenses of science, business, and public policy combined.
Energy and Sustainability Policy (B.S.)
For those who desire an interdisciplinary background, this major explores energy and sustainability through the lenses of science, business, and public policy combined.
Energy Business and Finance (B.S.)
For those interested in energy systems, learn about the integration of finance and business thorugh understanding markets, risk analyses, and more.
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.
Philosophy (B.A.)
For those that are either unsure of or restricted by current programs, explore this major to collaborate with faculty in creating your own!
Philosophy (B.S.)
For those that are either unsure of or restricted by current programs, explore this major to collaborate with faculty in creating your own!
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.
Environmental Inquiry
Use multiple perspectives to understand environmental issues as well as increase skills in collaborating across disciplinary backgrounds to find environmental solutions.
Earth and Sustainability
Explore global sustainability issues in the context of marine, land, and atmospheric systems.
Environmental and Renewable Resource Economics
An introduction to how fundamental economic principles can be used to explain and solve problems related to the degradation of the environment and unsustainable use of natural resources.
Environmental Studies
An interdisciplinary introduction to the natural environment and human interactions with it.
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.
Geography
Study geography with optional applications in fields such as environmental issues or urban and regional planning.
Legal Studies
An introduction to a variety of perspectives on the law, its operation, and its effects in different contexts.
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.
Social Justice in Education
Cultivate awareness, engagement, and reflection of critical pedagogies, values, and ethics in relation to educational diversity, equity, and social justice in traditional and non-traditional educational settings.
Sustainability Leadership
Promote environmental, social, and economic sustainability in personal and professional lives through studying systems thinking, change agency, ethics, and more.
Justice, Ethics, Diversity in Space
Address how geographers approach questions concerning uneven power relations, inequalities, justice, social responsibility, and ethics across space and in place.
Keystone Certificate for Integrative Humanities
Understand how issues of intersectionality, history, interculturalism, global perspectives, democratic and ethical decision making, and other areas fundamental to the humanities relate to being better citizens at work and in local, national, and global communities.
International Affairs
Prepare for occupations involving public service, private enterprise, nonprofit organizations, and international organizations worldwide with optional concentrations including envrionment and resouces.
Public Policy
Gain professional training for those seeking careers in the design, adoption, implementation, and evaluation of public policies.
Transdisciplinary Research in Ecology and Society
A dual-title program with tracks to focus in anthropology, energy and mineral engineering, education policy and leadership, and more.
This course explores the role of science and technology in sustainable development and public policy, covering the science-policy interface, theoretical frameworks, and collaborative solutions to sustainability challenges.
COMM405: Political Economy of Communications
This course critically examines the U.S. mass media’s structure and practices within the global political economy, exploring how media ownership, commercialism (which has environmental impact), and digital media affect democracy and democratic communication.
EMSC302: Orientation to Energy and Sustainability Policy
This course introduces students to the goals, expectations, and resources of the Energy and Sustainability Policy program, focusing on foundational skills in energy knowledge, global perspective, analysis, communication, and ethics.
ERM411: Legal Aspects of Resource Management
This course explores environmental and natural resource law, focusing on property rights, legal systems, and regulatory regimes related to land, water, and wildlife, with practical application through case studies and simulated legal exercises.
GEOG432: Energy Policy
This course explores the analysis, formulation, implementation, and impacts of energy-related policies, regulations, and initiatives.
GEOG434: Politics of Environment
This course examines the political dimensions of environmental use and management, focusing on how cultural, economic, and institutional factors shape environmental governance and debates, particularly in the United States.
GEOG332N: Science and Policy of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Management
This course explores the science and policy of greenhouse gas emissions from natural, energy, and agricultural sources, examining global emission patterns and mitigation strategies in both developed and developing countries.
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.
BE392: Contextual Integration of Leadership Skills for the Technical Workplace
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.
GEOG438W: Human Dimensions of Global Warming
This course examines the human causes and consequences of global warming, focusing on social, economic, and policy dimensions.
GEOG439: Property and the Global Environment
This course reviews theoretical and empirical relationships between multiple legal, economic, and cultural approaches to property, and environmental quality and conflicts.
INTAG470A/470B: Comparing Agricultural and Food Systems in the US and France
This course compares U.S. and French food and agricultural systems by examining key topics such as policy, sustainability, GMOs, and diet through classroom instruction and a study-abroad component in France, culminating in written and oral analyses of specific crops within both national contexts.
CED201: Introductory Environmental and Resource Economics
This course introduces economic principles and methods to analyze environmental protection and natural resource policies, focusing on market failures and policy tools for managing renewable and nonrenewable resources.
CED429: Natural Resource Economics
This course covers optimal management of resources, the roles of markets and other institutions, resources and economic development, and natural resource public policy.
AGECO134N: Sustainable Agriculture Science and Policy
This inter-domain course addresses the science, socio-economics, and politics of managing food and fiber production systems; and the sustainability implications of current practices and future options.
HIST111: American Food System: History, Technology, and Culture
This course provides a historical analysis of U.S. agriculture and food production, exploring the food system’s cultural, technological, and political dimensions while addressing ethical and sustainability challenges.
PLSC235: Environmental Politics
This course examines the political dimensions of climate change and resource scarcity, analyzing how environmental policies are shaped by competing values, actors, and power structures, particularly within the American political system, while exploring the broader ecological crises confronting modern civilization.
