Engaging Students & Faculty in Academic Sustainability
Through the integration of a creative, multidisciplinary curriculum, groundbreaking research, and social engagement, the University of Pittsburgh is working to educate every member of its faculty, staff, and student communities on sustainability, while creating innovative contributions to a more sustainable world. Through various academic centers, courses, certificates, minors, majors, internships, and community activities, there are many opportunities to engage with and consider sustainability.
Programs
Pitt schools and departments offer a wide variety of courses with sustainability content, as well as sustainability-focused undergraduate and graduate programs and fellowships.
UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATES
- Business, Leadership & Ethics
- Engineering for Humanity
- Global Studies, Ecology & Sustainability
- Global Studies, Health & Wellbeing
- Global Studies, Peace, Conflict, & Security
- Sustainability
MAJORS & MINORS
- Architectural Studies (BA, Preservation Track or Preservation Minor)
- Architecture (BS)
- Environmental Science(BS)
- Environmental Studies (BA)
- Environmental Engineering
- Literature (Concentration in Environment, Science, and Culture)
- Sociology (Thematic Clusters in Social Movements / Inequality; The Helping Professions; or Health, Environment, & Technology)
- Urban Studies (with Concentrations for Community Organization or Urban Policy)
GRADUATE CERTIFICATES
- Global Health (Public Health)
- Sustainability (Business, MBA)
MASTERS DEGREES
Research Opportunities
- Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology
- Undergraduate Summer Research Program with the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI)
Courses
Offerings vary from term to term, but Pitt offers a wide array of sustainability-related courses.
Starting for Spring 2019 courses, there are 2 attribute codes to help students identify the level of sustainability content within a course (under Interdisciplinary Themes):
- MCSI – Sustainability-focused: A sustainability-focused course addresses sustainability as an integrated concept throughout, highlighting the interconnectivity between social, economic, and environmental dimensions.
- MCSI – Sustainability-related: A sustainability-related course or program incorporates sustainability as a distinct component or concentrates on the interconnection between two of the three pillars: social, economic, and environmental dimensions.
SEE SUSTAINABILITY-FOCUSED COURSES
Undergraduate Academic Toolkit
Students, learn how to apply your sustainability interests to your academic, service, advocacy, and professional pursuits!
Pitt fosters a community of passionate researchers working on solving the Earth’s sustainability concerns that are always looking for the next collaborator. Or if you’re starting from scratch, learn about Pitt’s funding and grant opportunities to fund your idea.
Faculty Grant Opportunities:
MCSI Research Seed Grants (Open now, due January 2020)| >
John C. Mascaro Faculty Fellows (Applications closed for Spring deployment)| >
MASCARO CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION
Established in 2003, Pitt’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) promotes the incorporation of sustainability concepts and practices throughout the University of Pittsburgh . MCSI’s mission is to create and nurture innovations that benefit the environment, positively impact the University and community-at-large, and improve quality of life. Through the integration of curriculum, groundbreaking research and social engagement, MCSI engages students, faculty and staff as well as everyday citizens to explore and experience sustainability in practice and performance.
Since its creation, MCSI has endeavored to create an integrated community of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh who focus their intellectual talents on rendering society more sustainable.
CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
Founded in 2019, Pitt’s Center for Sustainable Business (CSB) aims to promote the adoption of more sustainable business practices by juxtaposing academic expertise, research, and teaching together with the applied knowledge of global industry experience. Through innovative research, specialized education and training, and critical thought leadership, the CSB helps companies learn how to leverage their investments in sustainability across all functions of the organization to generate better business and societal outcomes. One of CSB’s signature programs is the Sustainable Business Forum.