Sustainability Minor
Sustainability is an interdisciplinary field that explores the interconnectedness of every system on the planet from multiple perspectives, and the ways we can maintain and improve earth’s resources for current and future generations. The natural sciences provide the basis for understanding Earth’s systems and how humans impact them. The humanities value our physical and ethical connection to these systems. Finally, the social sciences allow us to understand political, economic, and cultural sustainability, as well as formulate workable policies for a sustainable future.
Sustainability integrates a broad range of topics, including:
- green business practices
- ecology
- natural resources management
- city planning (including land development, housing, transportation, and urban infrastructure)
- international law, policy, and politics
- ethics, values, and environmental justice
- energy and international development
- food security
- human health and quality of life.
A minor in sustainability can be combined with any major in any college at UNO, offering students a flexible and interdisciplinary curriculum. Students who complete this minor will be able to:
- Understand sustainability, its various sub-disciplines, major themes, and analytical techniques as it relates to virtually any career field
- Recognize the political, economic, and cultural forces acting upon the global ecosystem
- Appreciate the significant value of the global ecosystem services provided by a healthy environment
- Identify ways to advance equity, improve quality of life, and lower our personal and collective environmental footprint, on campus and in the community.
Other Information
All coursework taken for the sustainability minor must be completed with a grade of “C-“ or better.
Contact
Dr. Elizabeth Chalecki, Director
echalecki@unomaha.edu
Website
Sustainability Minor Requirements
Undergraduate students will be expected to complete at least 15 credit hours of Sustainability courses, including an introductory course in Sustainability, one course in environmental science, and advanced sustainability coursework. Nine credit hours must be upper division (3000 or higher) courses. No more than six credit hours will be accepted as transfer credit.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ^Course requires pre-requisite(s) | ||
| Required Course | 3 | |
| INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| Select one of the following approved courses in environmental science: | 3-4 | |
| ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY | ||
| CHEMISTRY IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY | ||
| OUR DYNAMIC PLANET: INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY | ||
| HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT GEOGRAPHY | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY | ||
| EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE | ||
| Plus a minimum of 9 credit hours selected from the following. Courses can only be applied to one area. | ||
| Select one of the following in the economic and public policy aspects of sustainability: | 3 | |
| NATURAL RESOURCE ECONOMICS | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & REGULATIONS | ||
| URBAN SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS | ||
| INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT & SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE SPANISH-SPEAKING WORLD | ||
| Select one of the following in social and ethics dimensions of sustainability: | 3 | |
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN ENGLISH (When topic is Science, Technology, and the Literary Imagination) | ||
| TOPICS IN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (When topic is Ecological Literature & Sustainability) | ||
| URBAN SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| THE NATURE OF THE PAST: AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY, PRE-HISTORY TO THE PRESENT | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS | ||
| GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS | ||
| INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT & SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY | ||
| SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE SPANISH-SPEAKING WORLD | ||
| Select one of the following in sustainability and natural resource management: | 3-4 | |
| CONSERVATION BIOLOGY | ||
| OUR ENERGY FUTURE: SOCIETY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY AND HUMAN HEALTH | ||
| HEALTH & MEDICAL GEOGRAPHY | ||
| NEBRASKA NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGMENT | ||
| CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES | ||
| GREAT PLAINS & NEBRASKA | ||
| CLIMATOLOGY | ||
| WATER RESOURCES | ||
| GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Students may also pursue the following options, as approved by the director of the minor: | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| SUSTAINABILITY INTERNSHIP | ||
| INDEPENDENT STUDY | ||
Other courses can be substituted with the approval of the minor director.
Students minoring in Sustainability may count one lower-level OR one upper-level course for both their major and SUST.